Help me warm up!

twostates

<span style="color:#000000"><span>(i am posting this in multiple sections for a quick response)

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i am in a new apartment and im freezing!</span>

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Just looked at the aged radiator, and it seems to have a Vent-Rite

valve on the side with a dial numbered 1-8.  Can someone tell me if the

8 is the hottest or the 1 is? And do I need to line up the number with

the metal piece of the valve that sticks out away from the radiator

itself?  I already have the main radiator knob turned all the way to

"open" so i know thats not the problem.</span>

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It was set at 4 last night, and i heard it clunk a little, but it never got hot, and tonight it is ice cold.</span>

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i know this is a dumb question, but i think my brain is frozen! please help!!</span>

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Thank you!</span></span>

Lukeboy

Help me warm up!

As luck might have it, I was experiencing similar problems so I headed over to the not-so-local retail plumbing supply house and picked up several Vent-Rite model No. 1 adjustable steam vents (Dole No. 1A and Hoffman No. 1A will also suffice).

Expensive little buggers...I think they were $15.00 each! Anyway, I put a smidgen of Teflon tape on the threads and snugged them into all my radiators. 



The goal is to adjust these vents so that the radiators closest to the boiler (measure the pipe from your boiler to each radiator) are "retarded" or near closed, allowing for the radiators that are furthest from your boiler to heat up first.  Without these vent or if these vents are no set right, the radiators closest to the boiler and closest to your thermostat will heat up first and then shut your thermostat off, not allowing your other radiators receive the steam and heat up.

So what to do.  On the radiators furthest from the boiler, set the values all the way open, to 8.  The higher the number the fuller they are open.  On the radiators that are closer to the boiler, set the valves so they are near closed, around 2 or 3.  You should also make sure that the radiators in the same room as your thermostat are set down to 2 or 3. 

In a perfect world, all your radiators should heat up to the same temperature at the same time.  So after adjusting your vents, turn on your heat and walk from radiator to radiator.  Feel each radiator and measure how far the heat has traveled from the inlet pipe to the spot on the radiator that is just getting hot.  If you feel the first radiator and the radiator is hot 12” after the inlet pipe and you go to the second radiator and it is hot 20” after the inlet pipe, then you will need to either further open the valve on the 1st radiator or close the value on the second.  Do this all around your house.

If you still have problems than the valves are bad or full of dust and you will need to purchase newer ones.