radiator - bottom half always cold

Steamhead (in transit)

are toward the end of the main, check your main vents. These have the job of getting rid of the air in the main so the rad vents don't have to. Measure the length and diameter of your mains and tell us what vents are on them. They will be located at or near the ends.

<A HREF="http://www.heatinghelp.com/getListed.cfm?id=367&Step=30">To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"</A>

Janet_3

radiator - bottom half always cold

What is going on if no matter how long the heat is on during very cold days, you have radiators that get burning hot on top but are always cold on the bottom half?

Mike T., Swampeast MO

Sounds like a well-vented steam system is cranking out the heat.

Jack P.

Are the radiator vents at the top of raditor or in the middle?

Janet_3

the vents are in the middle

The vents are in the middle. The radiator that just gets hot on top and cold on the bottom is on the 2nd floor of an apt building, it has a Gorton C. Last night I changed the valve on the radiator right above it on the 3rd floor to a Gorton D (from a C, which by the way had been working totally fine but figured I would experiment and try changing it). This morning, it seems like the 2nd floor radiator was actually warm or hot from top to bottom. I'm guessing this made the difference. I have more rads with problems to fix, but I'm glad to see something that changed things for the better. Thanks for answering my post.

Jack P.

Well the middle is the right place. You do have to experiment sometimes with different vent sizes. You can even go with to big of vent and the steam just shoots over to the vent to escape out. Sometimes you have to slow down the venting just to hold the steam in the radiator a little longer to let it heat it up especially if the steam is getting all the way over to the vent. A “D” is a very large vent and used mostly to vacate large amounts of air out to let the steam in on long runs or slow heating radiators. But trying different sizes is half the fun. Good luck.

mel rowe

One thing I was told lately is that Gorton rad valves have a "drop-away" pressure of about 1/2 psi. Don't know what pressure you're operating with, but suspect it runs higher than 1/2 to 1 1/2 range recommended for low pressure steam. If true, after the initial shot of steam hits rad, and the vent valve shuts off on temp., the 1/2 psi drop-away pressure may prevent it from reopening again until the temp. drops. This would trap air in the lower part of the rad. This might explain why the rads get hot on top, but the trapped air is preventing further steam from getting into the rad. So the only additional steam reaching the rad would occur as the initial steam condenses and forms a slight vacuum, and more steam would enter to fill the vacuum. Does this scenario seem to fit your situation?

Jacob Myron_18

Gorton Vent Valves

Gorton Vent Valves operate Shgpuld not be used when the system pressure exceeds 2 PSIG.

Gorton calss there vent valves vapor vents. Gorton vent valves work best at lower steam pressures. If your steam system can operate satisfactorilly at 1 PSI lower the steam pressure to that pressure perminantly.

The only vent valve that Gorton makes to operate at higher steam pressures are the Grton # 1 & # 2 vent valve. Both these valves are use at the end of a steam main.

Jake