Problem with Recessed Radiators that have no steam trap

THall

We have a two pipe steam system with steam traps.  Somebody removed three radiators and installed three recessed radiators without steam traps on the first and second floors in two different apartments.  The third floor apartment directly above the first and second floor apartments does not get heat in two radiators.  Will the removal of the steam traps below affect the heat on the third floor and if so how can this be fixed since we can't put steam traps under the recessed radiators?  Two of the radiators had pipes cut and capped to push more steam up by someone else. 

Jamie Hall

Assuming

your two pipe system was designed to work with traps -- a fairly obvious assumption! -- the radiators which do not have traps may -- in fact probably will -- heat pretty well. No other radiator on the same return will heat properly, if at all, and it is quite possible that the whole rest of the system won't heat properly.



Figure out how to get traps on them.  If you can't, forget about heating the other units on the same return.



You can't push steam much more than you can push rope.  The air has to have somewhere to go if the steam is going to come.  The cutting and capping was a mistake to cover up for the mistake of not having traps.



Every radiator on your system needs a supply connection and a return connection, and the return connection must have a trap.

JStar

Hidden?

Are the traps hidden in the floors? Bad place to put them, but it gets done when there's no room near the radiator.



Were entire radiators taken out of the system by capping their supply and return pipes? You can't really push steam anywhere...it will always go to lower pressure.