Some noise questions....

MelroseDave

I have a single pipe steam system. The majority of my radiators are quiet enough, with 2 exceptions:

1) The smallest radiator I have, which is also the last in the series (small upstairs bedroom on the opposite end of the house of the boiler) in my house, really bangs (water hammer I think) at the beginning and end of the heat cycle (5 or 6 times). It sounds like its coming from inside the radiator. The radiator is pitched properly, and the air vent is new. The radiator immediately before it in the series is very quiet. Any ideas on the loud guy?

2) The first radiator I have really makes a lot of ticking noise. The pipe leading to the radiator seems to have adequate clearance from the wood floors. The ticking sounds like its coming from inside the radiator, as opposed to any areas where the radiator comes into contact with the house. Any suggestions?

One more general question: I have small room that is never used in the winter. Is it a problem to close the supply valve on the radiator in that room. There is no danger of freezing pipes, etc?

Thanks!

Jamie Hall

Really loud bangs

are almost always water hammer.  Which means that somewhere water is getting trapped.  If the radiator is pitched correctly, and all the pipes are pitched correctly, there remains, on a one pipe system, the valve.  Is it open all the way?  Are you sure?  Not busted part way open, or left part way open, or something?



The ticking sound is usually expansion, and may be almost impossible to locate, never mind get rid of.



Which kind of answers the third question: not a good idea to shut off a one pipe radiator with the valve; the valve is mostly there, in my humble opinion, for repair work.  Why?  It is rare for an older valve to close completely, and a partly open valve on a one pipe system is a percussion section ready to go.  Better to turn the vent upside down; most vents shut off when you do that, and if the air can't get out the steam can't get in -- voila, no heat.

Rod

TRVs

Hi - I shut a lot of my rooms down during the winter using TRVs. The minimum heating setting on a TRV is 42 degrees. I have water pipes in the wall and old plaster which I really don't want to have freeze. If you aren't concerned about cold affecting other things, as Jaime mentioned you can shut the radiator shut off by turning the air vent upside down, The radiator will be fine as long as no water is inside. I had a friend back in the early 90s after we got several weeks of cold have a steam radiator freeze on him but I think that was because he used the inlet valve to shut it off and it accumulated water inside via steam leaks.

Radiator hammer- You might see if you can raise the whole radiator up. (Maintain the normal slope towards the inlet valve) There is sometimes a bit of slack in the pipe that will allow you to raise the radiator and this improves the pipe's drainage.

- Rod

nicholas bonham-carter

radiator noise

don't forget to verify your pressure, using a good low-pressure gauge.

your standard 0-30 psi gauge [even if it works] will not be able to show you the pressure at which these systems work best. amazingly, the most economy and silence occurs with 2-8 ounces of pressure!

over-pressure and bad main venting can cause the condensate to behave "noisily", especially if you have a sagging pipe.--nbc

MelroseDave

follou up

Thanks for the insignt.

One follow up...

I put one quarter under each of legs on the far end (opposite the supply valve) of one of my radiators to increase the pitch. Water hammer seems to have increased? Why?

Thanks

 

JStar

More water hammer.

Does it get worse throughout the heating cycle, or was it just one time? If you tilt the radiator too much, you'll wind up draining faster than you want. And when the excess condensate and steam pass each other, you'll get hammering. You might have also drained the contents of the radiator into the supply piping, where it is now pooling between fittings.

ottawan

Feed Pipe?

I have a rad which makes noise and never seems to heat up all the way across. I had increased the angle of tilt a few years ago but the problem persisted. This year I took a close look and discovered what may be the problem. The pipe coming out of the shut-off valve goes through a right angle before it goes into the rad (which is in a corner). The piece of pipe between the 90 degree fitting and the rad actually has a shallow downward slope so that the angle of this pipe and the angle of the rad make a shallow "V" - it is in this section of the pipe where the noise seems to be generated.  This may have occurred because the floor has sloped to the center over the last 120 years. I know it's not likely that your problem is like mine but thought it might be worth throwing it out. I now have to decide if I dare risk putting a block under the legs of the rad nearest the feed pipe - will this put dangerous stress on the 90 degree joint? Or should I get someone in to re-pipe this short section?

nicholas bonham-carter

troublesome radiator

try jacking up both ends with quarters, while keeping the pitch proper. sometimes raising only one end will actually lower the supply end, and cause a sag in the horizontal pipe below. it's difficult to explain, but the valve end is pivoting down as you raise the vent end, so both should be raised.--nbc