Some radiators hot, others not

Jeff Ellis

We have a medium-sized house with six steam radiators, three upstairs and three down. On the lower level, one of the radiators is hot, and two are ice cold. The vents are only a year or so old on the cold radiators. Upstairs, two were working and one was not. I removed the vent on the one not working, and left it off for a while. Then when I checked it a while later, it had come on!

One neighbor suggested that our radiators may be "out of balance," and that the vents may be out of adjustment. Any tips on making adjustments or balancing the system? Should a vent always be facing a certain way, or be threaded in a certain distance?

Also, should I consider replacing all the vents? A local hardware store has vents that are the same size (although a different shape) and the thread size is the same -- could I use these?

Thanks,

Jeff in Baltimore

Steamhead (in transit)

Jeff, it could be several things

but I suspect the radiator vents aren't the whole story. We're in Baltimore and specialize in steam heating, give us a call at (410) 321-8116. Also check out our Find a Professional ad by clicking on the link below.

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