Cold 19X14 Room with two large cold radiators

Athana

One pipe steam system in 3 floor house...Room farthest from boiler on first floor..ice cold.

Radiators no heat.

Last year same as this...at first firing those radiators heated up..then as cold set in they quickly regressed to nearly nothing.

Put new large(C &D)vents on each...hardly nothing still.

Old guy at H.Depot said if valves do not turn open at least 10-13 times they are not opening all the way..loosen packing nut & force em open.

There is no packing nut on these...& they will not turn open/closed anymore than 3 turns.

In the mean time it seems I have permanently jammed one of them closed cause knob on it broke off and stem spins endlessly now.And with boiler cranking pipe going into valve cold.

On other radiator, pipe before valve burning, but only two rings at best luke warm.That is as other was ...2-3 turns either way only..

Am thinking its valves and bought 2 from plumbing supply house. Am worried about unscrewing these things & breaking pipe in basement which is the crawl space from hell. And would like to get someone"with some experience at it"...but still would appreciate suggestions on:

What is the problem & getting values off safely.

Many Thanks

Charlie from wmass

remember the people working at Home Depot

are not professionals. If they were they wold not be working there. The piping being in a crawl space says back pitched supplies to me. The pipes dry over the summer and as the system runs in the fall into winter the pipes fill with condensate and slow down the steam reaching the radiators. Check the find a professional link at the top of the page. you may need to search by state or with a 100 mile radius.

Athana

Valve question

Thanks.

In other words the pipes are not pitched sufficiently back towards the boiler.right?

Has anyone come across valves that open/close fully with only two full turns?

In one of the radiators,piece of pipe below valve is burning hot..but radiator slow to heat??

BobC

Mains and broken valve

There are two general types of single pipe steam systems.



With a parallel flow system the steam mains start high above the boiler and gently slopes down as the main goes along. Towards the end, after the last radiator takeoff, you should have a main vent and past that the pipe turns down and returns the condensed steam to the boiler.



In a counterflow system the steam main starts above the boiler and gently slopes up as the main goes along. Towards it's end, after the last radiator takeoff, you will find a main steam vent and then the pipe usually just ends. On some systems the last radiator feed comes off the end of that steam main but there has to be a main vent near theend of the pipe - or one will have to be added.



In either case it's critical that the steam main slopes along it's length so the condensing steam can find it's way back to the boiler. Also verify that the main vents are in place and that they are venting air as the boiler begins to build steam, just be carful about holding your hand above the vent so you don't get a steam burn.



Also put a level on the radiators and make sure they gently slope towards the input valve. If that slope is the wrong way the condnsing steam can block new steam from getting in, and if it's wrong lever the vent up and put a small shim under the vent end to get that slope right.



Those valves have been on that pipe for a very long time and they are likely to be a bear to remove. Also if you replace the radiator valve you have to replace the radiator spud. The spud is a mating part the new valve will mate up with (this spud should have come with the new valve). Getting the old spud out of the radiator can be a very tough job. You need a good plumber to do that work at this time of years (not a lot of time to play with it).



While trying to find a good plumber take a close look at your steam main(s) and see if you can spot the problem area. Tell us the make and model # of the main vents and post some pictures of the steam mains and any vents you find.



good luck,



Bob

bobby1

No heat

What do you have for steam trap(s) ? Turn offs are nothing to be afraid of, they can be turned off with a vice grip if you have broken the handle. They can be taken apart and cleaned up as well when the system is off. Taking old joints apart is easy with heat***LOTS of heat, you have to use a torch  to heat up the joint. Propane does not get hot enough , use at least map gas. Protect all floor wall areas  from the flame. Using no heat is very risky business and will often result in a broken pipe at the threaded section.. Once you have determined  the valve is open, make sure the vent is operating.

Athana

Cold Room

Thank You for your response I didn't notice till today.I'm going to send this all to Oil Company (JW Pierson)who services boiler to see if they're service men can determine this.

I will rough it till March and hopefully find a specialist in this part of NJ.Very Kind of you to advise.

Athana

Cold Room

Thanks I just noticed your post...the flame alternative to broken pipe has really got me worried now..

I'll wait till March and get someone super carefull to do this..

Many Thanks