Steam Rad Not Working?

Kieg

I have a steam radiator in the back of our house that is not heating up while all the other rads seem to be fine. Only the first couple of cells seem to heat up, not sure if it is plugged or is is just the distance from the boiler. This rad is the furthest from the boiler. I replaced the steam vent however this did not seem to make any difference.

BobC

Radiator not heating fully

I assume this is a single pipe steam system - only one pipe feeding the radiator. Put a level on the radiator and make sure it is pitched back towards the input valve and make sure that valve is all the way on.



Is this the last radiator on a main? Your main vent may be to small to vent the air out of the main quickly enough and the radiator vent alone just takes too long. What kind of air valve did you replace and what did you replace it with? You may need a vent that is rated at a higher CFM.



Can you take some pictures of the boiler, the  piping around the boiler, and the basement piping that leads to this radiator? Make sure you show any vents on the mains. Once you have them post them to this site so we can see what your dealing with. Also can you do a simple sketch that shows how the boiler and piping is laid out, showing any main vents and their relative position is to the problem radiator. Then scan that and post it along with the pics.



To determine the right venting you have to find out what the volume of the pipes and the radiators are. Dan's Greening Steam book has all this information and a lot more in it. If you look under the SHOP menu you can find this and other books that are available. The books are a one time cost that will pay for themselves many times over.



Bob

JStar

First question.

Is the room warm enough? You might not want the radiator to be completely hot all the time.

Kieg

Steam Rad Not Working

The room never really heats up. I am also wondering if the rad is blocked or clogged with mineral deposits and how check and/or clean it out.

nicholas bonham-carter

blockage?

could there be a sag in the pipe [with resulting water puddle inside], leading to this rad, which prevents the steam from getting in?

if the pipe is visible in the basement, check it with a level along its length.--nbc