Steam Rad not heating

unclejohn

Got a call today for a large steam radiator that was not heating and another contractor had just installed a new thermostatic trap. I got there and drained about 10 gallons of water out of the rad. and pulled off the brand new trap and found it was fine. Then there was about 2 mins of gurgling and water started flowing out of the return water line. It did that on and off about every 3 to 5 mins. This rad appears to be on a tier with two other wall mounted rads. One at the entrance way the next higher up on a wall at the top of the first stair case and then the rad I'm serving at the highest point of the tier in an office. The lowest rad on the tier had a cold return line and the second one had a hot return line. I suspect that the trap on that rad is leaking some steam by that is going up the return line and into by top floor rad. I shut off that supply and my top floor rad started heating. Any other ideas on what could cause water to flow up the return line in case the phone rings tomorrow

Jamie Hall

Well...

sounds quite plausible that that radiator with the hot return is leaking steam and pressurising that whole line... and keeping the air from getting out (hence no heat) and the condensate trapped -- possibly in a horizontal section in there somewhere?



Can you replace that other trap?

unclejohn

Thats The Plan

I was just gonna leave that rad. off for a few days and if all was well replace that other trap.