Just me and my boiler!!! Learning so much, getting cold though!!!

Patrickc

Ok, here we go!! I poated a question on the strictly steam page and it was suggested to maybe throw it out here on the wall! Just purchased a home built around 1895-1900 with what I thought up until about 15 minutes ago is a Hydro Therm "steam heating" System.The house was vacant and winterized from march 2011 until last this past August when we took possesion. Now I really blow it and tell you I was just under the assumption that my system is steam! Evidently as I have discovered.... It could also be hot water. It has been very difficult to get fine tuned. The almost violent knocking , very loud and very consistant. First floor has 4 radiators one of whickh runs like a champ!! the other 3 begins the decline in performance so 1... I need to determine if this is a "normal" thing until all of the kinks and/or air pockets are out. 2 I need to determine if this is a hot water system or stea.m. any quick ways to tell? ALso I need to figure out why the second floor radiators refuse to heat up at all. and if they do it is when I have the termostat turned up well past 75 or more!! I had gone to work today not remembering that I had removed the bleed valve from the radiator in the living room, which explains why suddenly after having it off for several days when no one is here to keep an eye on it it suddenly becomes a gusher!!! out of nowhere blasting water all over the wall!! Now that radiator works better that ever! but the strangest thing of all..... the once crazy LOUD knocking and slamming of the pipes stoped immediately! gone and silent now, and staying that way. As i sit here right now the radiator in my room is not even close towarm while the one undrneath is radient along with the pipes that lead intothe upstairs radiators they are at scallding temp So any help that you guys can offer along the way would be great!! 1 how to get the upstairs radiators Tto heat up consistant and not require tons of work or cranking it up to76.It is running through the pattern heat cool etc with crqzy pipe banging!!! suddenly gone/ just seems like as soon as the water started gushing

icesailor

Boilers:

It sounds to me like you may have a hot water gravity system, not a steam system. That maybe you didn't have enough water in the boiler and/or the fill valve wasn't filling properly.

You need to send photos of what you have. Like the boiler. If the radiators have "key" radiator air valves where you need a square key to open them to let air out, you have a hot water system. If you have a chrome valve about 2/3's  up the radiator that has a small "dome" on top, it's probably steam. If you have one large pipe going into the bottom of the radiators, and nothing going out the other side, OR, if you have a larger pipe on one side and a smaller one, on the other side, connected to a pot like brass valve with a cap on top, it's probably steam. If on the other hand, there are two pipes going in to and out of the bottom of most radiators, and there is only a valve on one end, it's probably hot water and not steam. I say "Most Radiators" because some may be fed from the same end, one high and the other, low.

Send pictures.