Uneven radiator heat

alboguy

Hello all,iam trying to balance my radiator to have even heat on all. The 2 in the living room heat up at the same time, the have hoffman 41 vent. All the other radiators have hoffman 1a vents. Everytime i adjust a radiator it doesent heat up on the next cycle. After that it starts heating up. Why? Also 2 rdiators near the boiler dont heat up at the same time as the others,please help me balance them.

nicholas bonham-carter

Check these things:
1.main vents on the end of the dry return. Time the arrival of steam from hot boiler header to end of dry return, and it should be only a few minutes.
2.steady waterline in the sight glass, indicating clean water.
3.thermostat properly set for steam at 1 CPH.
4.boiler piped properly as in the installation manual.
Post some pictures of the boiler, piping, and radiators, and more advice will follow.--NBC

Dave in QCA

You might want to take a close look at your Hoffman 1A vents. On many systems they may be too fast unless adjusted down to about setting 3. However, take a look at how they work by completely removing the screw and the adjusting cap. You can see the little port hole that is partially covered depending on the setting of the adjustment cap. You will also notice that the cap can easily be jostled. As a result, while you may have the dial turned to 3, it could nearly wide open, or nearly closed, depending on how off center you have it positioned. I find it necessary to remove the screw, position the adjuster, and then reinstall the screw while firmly holding the adjuster to keep it from moving. It is NOT a very good design, but, they can be adjusted effectively if you're very careful.

Again, I would start with position 3 and let it run a day and see where you are. Fast settings on the whole batch will often cause the whole system to be out of balance. The old adage is, "Vent your mains FAST and your radiators SLOW, but completely."

alboguy

Ok Here are some pics,

alboguy

nicholas bonham-carter, I have vents on the steam mains, radiators are pitched towards the valve, all the pipes in the basement are pitched correctly,the thermostat is set for steam. i dont know why i cant balance it. maybe the rads are venting too fast

EzzyT

The tee at the end of the dry returns where the steam main vents are piped into is in the wrong position.
The 3/4" end where the vents are piped into need to be on the vertical not the horizontal

Jason_13

Also the steam supply is incorrect. You should have two vertical risers to supply two steam mains.
I also see no insulation on the steam mains. This will slow down the heating. Insulate all the steam carrying horizontal mains.

alboguy

ahhh thats why my heat is unbalanced, can you recommend a good plummer in worcester, boston area.

EzzyT

Charles does great work and he knows his stuff.
Give him call maybe he'll make the trip out to your neck of the woods.
Charles Garrity Plumbing and Heating
413-841 6726

alboguy

Thanks called him and left a msg

alboguy

Still looking for a steam pro to fix my issue

Jamie Hall

Might give Charles a call again and remind him -- very very politely. He will get back to you, but he's a very busy man.

alboguy

i got in contact with him today, thanks