I know I'm an idiot but...

martin t.

i'm a first-time homeowner who knows nothing - literally. so, of course, i bought a 150 year old new england house. it has steam heat and my first dumb question (just to prove that i really know nothing) is: how do i know if it's a one pipe or two pipe system?

our bedroom is upstairs in what was once the barn. there are two radiators on opposite walls. a couple of weeks ago, the left radiator stopped working. the pipe coming out of the floor is cold. so i ignored it, since there was one working radiator on the other wall. well, last night that one seemed to stop working, with no heat coming up through that pipe.

so...um...what do i do now? i tried the "find a professional" area but there's no one listed within 50 miles of me.... (Bradford, NH). despite my utter ignorance, i'm game to try and fix things, but where do i start?

thanking you in advance for your kind help!

kevin coppinger_4

you over an....

hour from me..in Dover. What has changed in the last few weeks? Are you doing the blow downs on your boiler? Is there enough water in the boiler? Is the piping to these rad insulated? Can you hear air from them when the system is on? Are these farther than other rads from the boiler? How long have you been there?
You might want to invest in "we got steam heat" ...money well spent...kpc

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ScottMP

You came her Martin

You can't be that dumb

Its easy to tell if its one or two pipes, look at the radiator. Is there one pipe going into it or are there two ? That parts really easy.

Now, why did they stop working. The first thing to look at is the venting. One pipe radiators will have a small can vent about half way up the radiator. Two pipe will ( normally ) have a little small trap on the return pipe. The suppply should have a valve with a handle and then the return will have a little trap that looks like a small tea cup.

Its its one pipe, try replacing that small vent. Find a supply house and buy one like it and a small roll of teflon tape. Unthread the old one and put some teflon tape on the threads of the new one. Its real important to NOT put the tape over the hole as it will not do its job. Just on the threads. Thread it in hand tight, firmly. You don't need a wrench for this. Try it and see what happens. If the vent has failed and not air is getting out .. well then no steam can get in.

The same goes for the two pipe, no air out, no steam in. Unfortunatly this is not a job for a home owner who has no experience. The trap needs to be opened and the trap workings replaced.

This is the first step in looking for the answer to no heat.

You could have a two pie and the return is filled with dirt and crud, stoppping the condesate or water from getting back to the boiler.

You could have piping that is pitched the wrong way because of broken hangers or other reasons. This owuld trap water and again, stop the steam.

Pictures help, more info would help.

Keep us informed. We might be able to track it down or find someone to help.

Scott

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martin t.

kevin

i've been in the house since the summer so this is my first winter. um, as far as blow downs on my boiler...well, i don't think i'm doing those since i have no idea what that means! i think that these radiators probably are the farthest from the boiler. i don't think i hear air from them when the system is on but let me check that out tonight to be sure. and is the piping insulated....er...um...i think so, from what i can tell they're all wrapped in white. i took a look at the ad for "we got steam heat" - yeah, that sounds like it might be helpful...even for a know-nothing like me?

thanks for the response,
martin

martin t.

scott

thanks for the info - a lot for me to absorb but, hey, i got to start somewhere, right? i'll start poking around and report back.

thanks for taking the time to help!

martin

Unknown

I'm near you, on some weekends

I've emailed you from work, just before I left...

Pictures of the piping above and around the boiler would be sweet.

Check the two valves on the boiler gauge glass, make sure they are wide open, and be sure there is always water in the glass when you use the heat.

What model is your boiler?

Noel

Dave DeFord_3

One way to test...

the vent on a one-pipe system is to remove it. Give the radiator up to an hour or so and see if it gets hot - if it does the problem is the vent, if not the problem is elsewhere. I would also buy Dans book "The Lost Art of Steam Heat", it is worth it's weight in gold. I read it at least twice and still learn things from it. Also if you hang around here you will get to know steam heat better than most folks. It would also be very much worth your while to take Noel up on his offer. He's been around steam a long time and knows his stuff. One more suggestion after you get Dan's book, talk to the folks at Gorton and re-vent your system, it will cost about $20 per radiator total but will be well worth the money. This is what I did to my 85 year old steam system along with cleaning the boiler and it works great now. Now, if I could just get the better half to see the beauty in steam radiators...., oh well can't win 'em all. Good luck and remember if you don't feel comfortable doing something yourself call a pro.

kevin coppinger_4

Martin...

if you can get Noel to get there you have got one of the best ! kpc

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martin t.

got your email

Thanks, Noel! I can get some digital photos of the pipes together. The boiler is a tankless Weil-McLain, don't know the model off the top of my head. I did manage to listen to the home inspector about filling the gauge glass about once a week - although I notice when I crank up the heat that often I need to refill the glass every two or three days.

M.

martin t.

books

Thanks, Dave. About the books: if I was going to buy one, should it be The Lost Art of Steam or We Got Steam Heat? I'm thinking from the descriptions that this last one might be the best for a novice homeowner like meself.

M.

Dave DeFord_3

Lost Art..

would be the book that I would buy. It is an easy read and is much more in depth. I have both but if I were going to buy just one I would pick the Lost Art as it incorporates most of the info in the other one and a whole lot more.

Unknown

Hey Steamhead...

This system is the one I piped the steam to the loft of the garage, in 2001, that you looked at.

Small world, huh?

Noel

ScottMP

Oh SO Thats

WHy its not working

LOLOLOLOLOLOL

Scott

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Unknown

Gee Scott, it worked when I put it in

You mean, they don't work forever?

Here's what it looked like when the new main went in. The old mains each had a funny drip arangement right after the header.

I put one in on the new main, too. Honor thy deadman.

martin t.

success!

Last night I ran the heat, unscrewed the vents of the 2 radiators that weren't working and they both instantly got hot. The vents were full of cold water which I emptied. I couldn't really tell what was plugging them or if they were still plugged so I just tried screwing them back on and steam came out of them and all seemed well.

I'm still a bit bemused that I went looking for answers on the web and stumbled onto the guy who installed my boiler. What are the odds?

Thanks everyone for your help. I sure know where to come next time.

M.