Help ID this issue-One Pipe Steam

nicholas bonham-carter

what led to the radiator replacement?
did you replace the valves and spuds too? on all radiators, the spud [screwed into the radiator] will only seal against the valve it is a mate to. so if you changed the radiator without changing the valve, and spud; you could have an imperfect seal.
if your radiator vent is spitting, it could be a sign of pressure too high.check it with a 0-5 psi gauge[ gaugestore.com]reduce it as much as possible-under 16 ounces is best,and get a new quality vent[gorton or hoffman].
you couls also have a sagging pipe leading to these rads.--nbc

jackie_5

Help ID this issue-One Pipe Steam

To the experts.

just bought a place with 1 pipe steam system and replaced 2 radiators. Now i have 3 radiators that is leaking from the main radiator supply vavle.
of the 3, 2 are dripping water and 1 is spitting water at the junction.

Is this wet steam? i figure not because i am getting HOT radiators.
or is it that once the steam condenses, this is the return water and is leaking because the nuts arent on tight enough?
Please help.
THanks!

bob_114

NBC, thanks for quick response.

I had to change the radiators because they weren't size properly, far too small for my room.

when changing, i changed the main supply valve, the bushing, and the nipple(spud) the connected the radiator to the supply valve.

will tightening the union work or will i need to replace the entire thing?

how do i find an exact seal with the parts i have or is it completely out the question?
sorry for the dumb questions...

just wanted to confirm this isnt wet steam

nicholas bonham-carter

leaking rad

as long as you keep the parts [spud, and valve ]together, you should be able to tighten it up with no leaks. if reusing the valve, and spud make sure the mating surfaces are cleanned with a soft wire brush, and lightly lubed with soap. make sure your wrench has "3-point" contact with the outside nut. and jiggle the rad as you tighten--nbc

ttekushan_3

Not wet, just water!

The the inlet of a one pipe radiator is also the outlet for condensed steam (aka water). That leaking union is a two way street with water leaving and steam entering. So a mixture of the two is as it should be.

I put a little never-seize on the union threading and the shoulder of the spud to lubricate it while tightening. Rock the radiator back and forth while tightening, and it should seal if you replaced all the parts.

bob_114

Thanks a bunch Nick and Terry.
The steamy deal books are on my xmas wish list. I cant wait to read em.

Unknown

May always be wet,

Did you say ; "I had to change the radiators because they weren't size properly, far too small for my room."?
How did you know that?
Changing rads especially on 1 pipe steam is not all that simple.
If you replaced the rads with larger, the run-out piping may now be too small.

Dave

Steve_168

what happens if the runnout out pipe may be too small?

they seem to heat nicely now. the room is very warm.
i replaced the baseboard with free standing cast iron rads.

nicholas bonham-carter

waiting for xmas

you may not be able to wait until xmas for the knowlege in those books!
it doesn't really take a super-sized radiator to heat a room if all is in adjustment. you may decide to put things back as they were, once you have found the real problem. the original installers knew a lot about sizing the radiator to the room size, no. of windows, etc. the problem might be somewhere else in the system, and easily corrected with the proper information. these systems work extremely well, but can be touchy.-nbc