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radiator not working

Chelo
Chelo Member Posts: 1
in THE MAIN WALL
I live in a two story cape and have single pipe steam radiators. One radiator in the upper floor is not working. I hear gurgling and the area near the intake valve is heating up but not the radiator itself. The radiator is pitched toward the intake valve and I replaced the air vent valve but still no heat. What could this be? I am perplexed. Thanks for the help.

Comments

  • nicholas bonham-carter
    nicholas bonham-carter Member Posts: 8,578
    cold rad

    are you sure the valve is FULLY open?they won't heat up unless they are.
    you can take out the vent while the system is steaming to see if steam comes out. wear gloves and have a helper ready to shut the boiler off in an instant if need be!wear gloves and keep your face away.
    if steam comes out, the vent is bad.replace it with a good quality gorton or hoffman.
    if no steam comes out then you could have a horizontal pipe pitch problem below the floor.lack of pipe insulation could also be a problem.--nbc
  • Unknown
    Unknown


    Since you own a one pipe steam system I would strongly recommend you get Dan's books on steam (see a "Steamy Deal" at the bottom of the page) They are packed with information and quickly straighten out your misconceptions about steam heating. After`having multiple service people looking at my system over the years I finally straightened it out myself and now have heat to all rooms and I'm saving on my fuel bills. Reading the books made me realize that most of the people that worked on my system in the past were either seriously misinformed or knew "diddly squat" about one pipe steam systems. If nothing else the knowledge from the books will allow you to qualify the abilities of the guy doing your servicing in the future. I just wish I'd read them years ago as they would have saved me a lot of money and grief.

    As Nicholas mentioned above, the valve (the "tap" on the floor) needs to be fully opened or full shut. It's an all or nothing system. One of my misconceptions was that you could use this valve to regulate the heat.
  • mickey_6
    mickey_6 Member Posts: 1
    steam boliler

    I HAVE CHANGED THE THERMOSTAT, THE WATER LEVEL IS OK, THE PILOT LIGHT IS BURNING, WHY ISN'T IT GETTING HOT...... AND THE POWER IS ON. THANKS PLEASE HELP ME
  • nicholas bonham-carter
    nicholas bonham-carter Member Posts: 8,578
    BRRRR!

    i suggest you start a new thread for this problem.
    is your burner on? don't forget to turn off your caps lock.
    can you use a jumper to complete the thermostat circuit to check for for functionality?if the burner comes on then the problem is in the thermostat wiring.
    check and see if there is a reset button needing to be pushed on either:
    low water cut off
    burner
    pressuretrol
    then investigate the reason for the safety tripping.
    also get the appropriate books from this site-you will soon be able to diagnose [and sometimes fix any heating problem!]--nbc
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