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troubleshooting radiators one at a time

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SteamVirgin
SteamVirgin Member Posts: 8
in Strictly Steam
Most of you guys recommended that I get a pro in to take a look at my system, and I did make contact with one......but having the available cash to pay him means that i'm stuck for now.



In the meantime, I'm considering troubleshooting each radiator on my 1st floor, one at a time.



I mean, for all the things that may or may not be wrong with my boiler, the pipes get hot as hell throughout the basement.  At the point where they go up into the ceiling to the 1st floor, they are burning hot to the touch.



However on the 1st floor, each radiator is almost ice cold.



I wondering if i could disconnect each radiator from the system, replace the vent , clear any blockage there might be and reattach to the system.



Any major issues i should deal with before tryingthis??



also, is there a preferred angle that the radiator should sit at for best performance?

I've noticed that radiators on 1st floor seem to run 'downhill' due to floor settling.  not sure how much this complicates things.  any advice is welcome 

Comments

  • Rod
    Rod Posts: 2,067
    edited January 2012
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    1 Pipe Steam Radiators

    Hi- I'm assuming since you mentioned a "vent" that this is a 1 pipe steam system.

    On each radiator make sure the valve of the pipe connected to the radiator is fully open. Looking  down from above-  Turning clockwise shuts the valve. Turning counterclockwise opens the valve.  Each radiator needs to have a slight slope towards the inlet steam pipe so that condensate (water) will flow out and back to the boiler. You need to check the slope with a bubble carpenters level as house floors sage and while it may look sloped it may not be.

    Radiator vents- What is the make of your radiator vents? Do you have any that are working properly?

    You might also want to get a book called "We Got Steam Heat!" It's a good introductory to residential steam heating and is written for the homeowner new to steam. Here's a link to it: http://www.heatinghelp.com/products/Steam-Heating-Books/25/61/We-Got-Steam-Heat-A-Homeowners-Guide-to-Peaceful-Coexistence



    - Rod
  • SteamVirgin
    SteamVirgin Member Posts: 8
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    thanks rod

    nice pictures, very helpful.....and yes, it's a 1 pipe system, sorry for not making it clear





    is it safe to call for heat without a vent on the radiator?  i know it's a low pressure system and it takes time to heat up but i have the feeling my vents arent doing anything and i wanted to see what happens without one on. thoughts?
  • Rod
    Rod Posts: 2,067
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    Radiator Vents

    NO!   Do NOT RUN the system without vents!!  You can get burned and cause a nasty mess as a lot of steam and rusty water can squirt out before you can get the boiler shut off.

    Keep in mind live steam can give you a bad burn. Do not test for steam with your bare hand! The best thing to do is use is a strip of newspaper to detect air/steam flow,

    Do any of your radiator vents work?

    - Rod
  • neilc
    neilc Member Posts: 2,705
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    check boiler first, pressure,,,

    before checking / replacing vents on rads, set the boiler low and lower, you don't want high pressure damaging more vents.

    low as it can go1-2 lbs tops,

    then get the air out of the rads.

    neil
    known to beat dead horses
  • neilc
    neilc Member Posts: 2,705
    edited January 2012
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    check boiler first, pressure,,,

    not sure why I triple posted,,,
    known to beat dead horses
  • neilc
    neilc Member Posts: 2,705
    edited January 2012
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    check boiler first, pressure,,,X3

    known to beat dead horses
  • SteamVirgin
    SteamVirgin Member Posts: 8
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    ok, ok, i get it....lol

    don't run it with no vents....thanks for the warning.



    i guess i understand the dangers 'in theory'....but when half of the radiator is hot and half is cold (the side with the vent), i find it hard to beleive that steam is gonna come shooting out.....at the very least, i'd expect the cold side to heat up first before i was in danger of that.



    i guess i'll have to research more to see why only the front half of the radiator is hot
  • The Steam Whisperer (Formerly Boilerpro)
    The Steam Whisperer (Formerly Boilerpro) Member Posts: 834
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    It is normal...

    for only part of the radiator to heat on a typical winter day heating cycle.  If the home is heating evenly and the boiler fires for about 15 to 20 minutes (or more) on each heating cycle, you're probably OK.  In addition to the above warnings about leaving steam vents off, asphyxiation is another. Steam displaces Oxygen in a room.  If you have rooms too hot or too cold, then you need to see hot much the radiators are heating up.

    There was an error rendering this rich post.

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