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Replacing Whistling Radiator Vent in My apartment

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RedRuss
RedRuss Member Posts: 3
in Strictly Steam
Hi All,



I have a new apartment and the steam radiator is making a whistling sound. The landlord replaced the radiator valve with a new Hoffman #40 and flushed the system. The radiator does appear to be slightly sloped so it can drain. Before replacing the valve, the sound was constant. Now it is intermittent but frequent. When it occurs, there is a loud click, and then the vent on the radiator starts whistling loudly for 15 seconds to 5 minutes. It's constantly waking me up at night, so it either needs to get fixed or I need to move out. I'm wondering if they may have replaced it with the wrong type of vent. Or can someone recommend a vent I can get that does not whistle? I don't mind if it hisses occasionally, but the loud whistling is a pain. It sounds at time like there is a tea kettle boiling in my living room.

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  • nicholas bonham-carter
    nicholas bonham-carter Member Posts: 8,578
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    System problem

    See if your neighbors have whistling vents. Usually the vents will hiss as the air is escaping from the radiator, but whistle when the air comes back into the radiator relieving the vacuum at the end of the cycle.

    I suspect the system needs more main venting, which would save money by burning less fuel to push the air out. They would also let more air back in at the end of the cycle..

    I wonder what his "flushing the system" entailed?--NBC
  • RedRuss
    RedRuss Member Posts: 3
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    Problem is not just my unit

    I spoke to 1 neighbor who has that problem, but perhaps not to the same degree. I probably can't do much with my landlord. They are not very responsive at this point.



    Is there a vent that will allow the pressure out but not make a whistling sound? I don't care about the hissing sound of air, but the tea-kettle-like whistling is troubling.
  • Jamie Hall
    Jamie Hall Member Posts: 23,357
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    I have heard of folks

    with noisy vents having great success by simply wrapping the vent with some cotton wool as a muffler... it's cheap and worth a try.  Looks a little odd, but if it works...
    Br. Jamie, osb
    Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England
  • nicholas bonham-carter
    nicholas bonham-carter Member Posts: 8,578
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    Global warming

    I have seen many times where the building owner will keep the status quo of poor maintenance instead of trying to find the sweet spot of system repair.

    Unfortunately, it is attitudes like this which are contributing to excessive carbon emissions, and also causing higher fuel bills for the owner. Most of the time the fixes for this would be quickly paid off, especially in a large building.

    How is the roof in this place?--NBC
  • RedRuss
    RedRuss Member Posts: 3
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    Vent question

    I have no clue what the roof is like. I live on the 2nd of 3 floors.



    I appreciate the suggestion about the cotton, but there is also a loud click/pop that precedes the noise which I don't think that would stop.



    My real question is, "Is there a different type of vent I could install which will be quieter?" Can someone answer that question?

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