rads too long & wrong

houseprisoner

In the two fanciest rooms in my 130-year-old house stand the two plainest steam steam radiators, probably put there by HS football players one summer in the 1940s. I know it is common to have a rad that is bigger than it needs to be.  But my biggest clue that these are the WRONG rads (and concern) is that the vents are way too close to the wall/corner.  The peeling wall paper tells me so!  I have other fancier rads and can do more rearranging in this century, What would be the proper distance of the vent from the end wall?

The Steam Whisperer (Formerly Boilerpro)

Peeling wallpaper

most likely indicates that the vents are leaking, or leaked at some time, and need to be replaced. Radiator vent failures are often caused by other problems, like supply piping too small for the radiator or the supply valve is partially closed, a boiler that is too big (too much heating power), too small of main vents, or the radiator is not sloped back to the supply valve.

houseprisoner

rad vent in the corner

We did replace rad vents, and I don't think we are getting any damage currently.  But I still doubt that having the vent an inch away from the wall is ideal, partly because if a vent goes bad, it does make a bigger mess with the wall and the baseboard.  What might have been the recommended distance?  Thanks.