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radiator-valve connection

Mike AK
Mike AK Member Posts: 29
in THE MAIN WALL
Hey all:

I've got a radiator supply valve (on one-pipe steam system) that slants slightly toward the radiator. Unfortunately, because of the nature of the pipe, there is no way that I can see to fix this slant--because of the configuration of the radiator and the house, even if I repiped riser, it would still have to come through the wall and into the room at the same angle. Anyway, particularly since it's slanted toward the radiator (and the radiator therefore slants slightly the other way), the nipple coming out of the radiator does not seat perfectly on the supply valve outlet, and as a result, it leaks water.

I fixed this once using some teflon thread tape where the two pipes seated together. This worked for a while. But as I've been replacing a lot of valve packing and vents, and fixing various leaks in the system, the problem has reappeared (because the pressure gets higher in the system now--until recently, the pressure in the system was rarely higher than .5 psi, even during a long run).

Is there some veteran's trick that I can use to seal this connection? Should I try teflon again, and just use more of it? Or does the poor piping just mean I won't be able to fix this problem?

Thanks for any help,

Mike

Comments

  • mike8
    mike8 Member Posts: 12
    radiator valve connection

    Mike - For what it's worth, do you still have the original spud nipple and jamb nut on the old radiator? The machined face of the new supply valve and the old spud nipple don't, almost never, match up properly. When you bought the new supply valve, were you given a new spud nipple and jamb nut
    to go along with it?
    Mike
  • Mike AK
    Mike AK Member Posts: 29


    The supply valve and the radiator are both old. This is my first winter in the house, so I'm just discovering the problem. It looks to me like the spud nipple (thanks for telling me what that is called) and the supply valve outlet match up pretty well. The problem seems to lie in the fact that they do not line up straight.

    I think even if I got a new supply valve, and put the new nipple and nut on the radiator, that I would still have the same problem.

    Mike
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