Apartment Radiator valve spits water

NYCApatrmentProblem

NYC apartment, the radiator looks something like this one.



<a href="http://www.heatinghelp.com/images/posts/4426/resize_IMG_7310.JPG">http://www.heatinghelp.com/images/posts/4426/resize_IMG_7310.JPG</a>



For the past three years, the super has had to replace the steam valve because it was spitting water every time the heat came on. This begins to happen late Oct gets bad by December.



Only the bathroom radiator has this problem. Every other room is fine.



The water it spots out is quite alot. Is it possibly something other than a bad valve?



Some things:



The hot water in the building is close to boiling. Not an exaggeration, if you turn on the hot water without cold water while washing dishes you will risk cracking glasses in under a minute.



The radiator is old....perhaps 30 plus years. However, every other radiator in the apartment is fine.





After the valve is replaced it is fine for the rest of the winter, but this seems not to be a proper solution.

BobC

Spitting

I assume you have single pipe steam. What brand of air vent does it have on it? A picture of your radiator and it's air valve would help a lot so we know exactly what your dealing with.



The chrome thing on the end of that radiator is an air vent, it's job is to let the air out so the steam can enter. When it senses the steam it is supposed to snap shut. It is used for single pipe steam.



If that air valve is a heat timer that can be a problem. they are a very aggressive vent but they don't have a float that shuts the down if they get filled with water. So if they do get filled with water they will spit water. If it is a heat timer, turn it down, I've attached a pdf that explains that air valve.



If the air valve is a Gorton, Hoffman, or a Maid-O-Mist it has a float so that should not be a concern. Then the slope of that radiator should be checked to make sure it gently slopes towards the input pipe so the condensing steam can find it's way back to the boiler.



I assume there are several other radiators that feed off the same pipe yours does, problems with those other radiator / vents could cause you troubles. Beyond that it could be issues in the boiler room like steam pressure and improperly sloped steam supply pipes.



If your hot water is that hot it should be turned down in the boiler room, not just for safety and comfort but for economical operation.



Bob

jpf321

where are you...

I'd be happy to come and have a look next week. I'm a steam enthusiast in queens

World Plumber

Building size

Is this a house or large apartment building? I've seen bad main vents cause that, in houses.

NYCApatrmentProblem

apartment radiator--hoffman brand

Hi again,



I checked and it is a hoffman specialty.



It is a very large apartment building.

The super has said that the water temp cannot be altered. I assume that the landlords would change this if they thought it was fiscally beneficial. I dont have any sort of access to the boiler room as this is a very large apartment building with many units.



The slope or pitch on the radiator looks fine.



The hoffman has been changed twice in the last two years. Each time it was fine for the rest of the winter.



The other radiators in the apartment do not have any problems...they also seem to produce a much less heat/steam. The super has said that there might be more pressure on that particular line, but he was not sure.





Is it possible that the pressure on that one line is simply too much and is causing these to fail after one season?



When the hoffman was put on the last two times everything worked fine...then come the start of the next winter they start to spit water every time the heat kicks on.

jpf321

no per line...

pressure differences on different lines are highly unlikely...much more likely is that he has his controls set higher than 2psi. he should be running as close to 2 as possible. hoffman 1a vents have pressure limit of 3 psi. he sounds reasonable to talk to I'm happy to stop by and meet with you guys.

nicholas bonham-carter

superhot water

that overly hot water could come from a boiler running at over-high pressure, producing near boiling temperatures. is there anyone in a superior position to the super that you can talk too?

i expect that jpf could convince them to make a few simple changes, to make the system more economical/comfortable, and safer for children at bathtime!--nbc