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Cold Steam flowing through a radiator??

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DFH
DFH Member Posts: 11
in Strictly Steam
I'm confounded.  This is my third house i've taken on (personal homeowner) with Steam Radiators, and this is my most challenging.  I have 21 radiators, and I've revitalized 18 out of 21 (improved from 9 working when i bought the house).  One radiator has me confounded.  Its cold as a brick of ice.  When i opened up the Throttle (prior was closed for years possibly) and updated the Vent (A gorton #4), AIR seems to flow through the system and out the vent, but not steam.  Neither the pipe feeding the Raditor, NOR the air coming out of the vent seems particularly warm.  Yet it most definitely kicks on when my Boiler kicks on with the other radiators, and squeaks and whistles (i've checked the fent, most definitely there's an outflow of air) with the rest of the radiators, but refuses to get warm?

Inititial thoughts please?

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  • BobC
    BobC Member Posts: 5,479
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    Bad slope?

    Make sure any horizontal piping from the boiler to the radiator has the correct slope, use a level don't trust your eyes. If you suspect a hidden horizontal pipe in a ceiling see if you can shim the radiator up and make sure the radiator itself has some slope to it. Have you visually checked to make sure the radiator valve is working, flaps do fall off stems. Is this near the end of the steam main? What kind of main vent are you using?



    If that does not pan out turn on the boiler (set the thermostat for a 3 or 4 degree rise) and when everything else starts to heat up remove the vent and use a shop vac to try and suck air out of the vent hole. If it is a slug of water somewhere this might move it and get steam to the radiator. If that does work it's probably not a fix, just consider it a diagnostic tool.



    Bob
    Smith G8-3 with EZ Gas @ 90,000 BTU, Single pipe steam
    Vaporstat with a 12oz cut-out and 4oz cut-in
    3PSI gauge
  • DFH
    DFH Member Posts: 11
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    interesting

    ShopVac to the vent hole...thats an interesting idea.  Question...whats the right Pitch?  Also, there are two other radiators in that room (rather large) that get severely hot, i've just put Gorton #6's on them (up from 5's), and the vent still gets water drops in it noticable when i remove it.



    Its the only other relevant fact i think might have anythign to do with this issue. 
  • nicholas bonham-carter
    nicholas bonham-carter Member Posts: 8,578
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    Upgrading venting

    How about the main vents, as they do all the heavy lifting of allowing the air in the boiler steam chest, and supply piping to escape.

    Simply enlarging all the radiator vents will lead to uneven heat, and spitting, especially when the system may have the higher pressure needed to sqeeeeeeeeze the air out of the constipated little openings on the radiators.--NBC

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