STEAM RADIATORS NOT WORKING PROPERLY

mark ransley

There are vents and there are vents, I have had bad luck with chinese units. In my building I use Gorton, ther are numberedfrom slow to fast venting so you can balance a system. If its your home you live in Dole makes a adjustable vent.You need to wrie down whats on each radiator and measure temps in the room, maybe start from scratch,thats just my guess, the boiler adding water means you have some leaks or bad vents dont shut.

Matt Weippert

STEAM RADIATORS NOT WORKING PROPERLY

Hello,
I have a 95 year old colonial with a steam heat system.
The boiler is a weil-mc. oil fired unit about 19 years old. I believe most of my radiators are original.

The radiators do not seem to heat efficiently.
The boiler runs about 45 minutes prior to sufficient heating coming up.
I just changed the two(2) main line vents AND about 5 of the radiator vents.
It takes a long time for the radiators to heat up and they do not heat evenly. A couple radiators continually hiss and I have changed their vents twice.
Almost every time the boiler shuts off the water fill kicks in to add additional water. The water in the site glass seems to be "stable" when the boiler is running.

I always heard the radiator vents "clicking" on/off when the heat was on and shortly thereafter. Most of them no longer do that.

I am not that technical/handy and hate to give up my steam. Everyone keeps telling me to take it out.
Can anyone help me?
Does anyone have a good "steam" plumber?

Thank you for your assistance.

Matt Weippert

Hi Mark,
The new vents are all either Gorton or Dole. I have adjusted them at random depending on how far away from the boiler they are. Is there a "scientific" way to do that?

You mentioned checking the room temperature and writing down what's on each radiator. Writing down what.... Which vent is on them? Do I check the temperature of each room before the heat is on, or after and how do I adjust the radiators based on that?
Thanks;
Matt

rich on heat

Matt - I would highly suggest you buy Dan's books..a "Steamy Deal" (at the bottom of this page. They're easy reading and tell you all the in and outs of steam heating. I knew very little about steam before I bought the books and after reading them found a lot of what I did know was wrong. On top of that, I also now realized that the guys that installed /maintain my system didn't know "squat" about steam. The books enabled me to straighten out my system which now runs optimally and efficiently. Without the books and the help from the "steam pros" on this site I'd still be floundering in the dark!!!

David Nadle

Matt,

Dan's book "We've Got Steam Heat" is not too technical. Honestly, I think it's a pretty good read even if you don't have steam heat.

If I read your post correctly it sounds like your system was working well and something suddenly changed. Did you change the vents in response, or did the problems start after you changed something?

Steamhead (in transit)

Whatever conttractor is telling you to rip it out

should be shown the door.

There's nothing wrong with your steam system that a good steam man can't fix. Where are you located?

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Matt Weippert

I am located in Hicksville, NY

Matt Weippert

Hi David,
The efficiency has been slowly deteriorating. I changed the vents recently thinking it would resolve most of the problems but it has not.

Matt

nicholas bonham-carter

deteriorating steam system

i presume that you must have consulted with some sort of boiler pro.did he check:
1.burner output? might be firing low.
2.system pressure. a clogged pigtail may be preventing the pressuretrol from regulating the low pressures desired.
3.water quality-bad water=wet steam.
4.leaks or clogged returns-why would the auto fill kick on so often?does the boiler end up overfilled?

when this system is restored to health you will be amazed how wonderful steam heat can be,so get a copy of dan's steam book and become a well informed steam participant!--nbc

Matt Weippert

can't find a professional

Hi Nicholas,

I can't find a professional knowledgeable about the steam system. My oil company told me the boiler is working correctly and I should find a plumber for a steam problem and they were not familiar with steam heat.

All they basically do is keep the burning running.
I do not know how to adjust and set the particulars on the boiler for steam. (pressure, gauges, etc.)

Steamhead (in transit)

Call Matt \"Mad Dog\" Sweeney

in Floral Park. Here's the URL to his ad in "Find a Professional":

http://www.heatinghelp.com/getListed.cfm?id=210&Step=30

Matt put a steam system into his own home.... from scratch. Not many others can say that. I KNOW he can straighten your system out!

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

V8toilet

Matt,

Listen to Steamhead and look up the referral he gave you. Also take the advice from Rod. I too knew nothing about steam when I bought my house until I bought Dan's books too. That investment was one of the single best investments I have made for my home. It gave me the knowledge to fix my own steam system and also to build a new system for my brother in law, which works unbelievably well.

Even if you just get the "We got steam heat" book and read it, it'll help you understand what's going on with your system and help you make better more informed and knowledgeable decisions.

The hissing vents sound to me like a symptom of high pressure and maybe even wet steam. What is the pressure of the boiler when all your vents are hissing?