One cold radiator

viali8

I own a house with a single pipe steam system. I had my boiler repiped a little over a year ago (near boiler piping).... Along with 4 Gorton vents on e the main. This solved the water hammer and the water in the radiators.

But one radiator never gets any steam. Even after I had the work done this radiator still did not receive any steam. This radiator is located on the first floor but is the last radiator to receive steam from the boiler. It is also the largest radiator and has two risers attached to it. One on the upper left of the radiator and one on the bottom right of the radiator where the valve is.

The risers attached to this radiator are only hot 1/4 of the way up. The rest of the risers are cold. The steam just stops 1/4 of the way up the riser. The risers are close to the boiler in the pic...you could can barley see the riser on the right as a piece of wood is in the way.

Any suggestions
Thanks!

Jamie Hall

Say what? Two pipes? One going in at the top at one end, and one coming out at the bottom at the other? Sure sounds like a two pipe hookup to me... vents? Where do the risers hook up to the steam mains or returns?

Very odd.

viali8

If you look at the second pic you can see the main in the upper left hand corner. Then you will see the main vents and the main then drops toward the floor and proceeds to the right. You can see the two risers on the right close to the boiler.

viali8

Here is a pic of the radiator. This is the only radiator out of the ten in my house that is two piped.

Abracadabra

Looks like some kind of frankenstein. Your radiator also has a vent on it. Are all the radiator like this? 2 pipe with a vent?

Fred

Not right. This radiator should be piped the same way all the others are piped. Also, It looks like it may possibly have a leak between the first and second and the second and third sections at the bottom, from the left??? If it were working it may leak. Unknown until you get steam in it. Does one of those pipes (the one on the right, near the floor go to a return pipe in the basement or are both tied into the steam main?

nicholas bonham-carter

Are both valves open?--NBC

Boatbill

I also have one oddly piped radiator. Years ago a kitchen was added to the first floor of my two story townhouse which has a one pipe wet return steam system. The radiator has two pipes plus an air vent. It heats fine but the return pipe never gets hot and I guess it is clogged. Since it is working fine I never messed with it but sometimes wonder if the second pipe is unnecessary and should be removed. Suggestions?

Jamie Hall

That could be a two pipe air vent radiator -- although those are usually piped with the two pipes both coming in low. In any case, both valves must be open for it to work, and both pipes must be pitched properly to drain. Also, the vent has to work. Things to check.

viali8

Fred:

Both those pipes are connected to a pipe that enters into the back of the boiler.

NBC:

Both vents are open...but I did not take the top of the valve off for a visual inspection. Would a faulty (closed) valve prevent steam from reaching all the way up to the radiator. As I mentioned the risers are only hot about a 1.5 feet from the main. The steam isn't even reaching the valves.

viali8

This radiator has a new hoffman vent that is set at 1.

viali8

Abracadabra:

No, the rest of my radiators are all one piped and all work well. This is the only radiator in the house that is two piped.

Fred

If both of those pipes are tied into a pipe that enters the back of the boiler, it sounds like they are tied into a return. Does that pipe enter the boiler above or below the water line? Sounds like Someone really didn't know what they were doing when thay added that radiator???

BobC

Maybe someone was trying to use the boiler condensate for that rad?

Bob

viali8

Fred:

Here is a pic of where the pipe leads to.

viali8

The pipe looks original to the house if that means anything.

Thanks for the help.

Fred

I thought it looked original to the house or very old as well but it will never get steam the way it is piped, with both pipes going into the wet return. As @BobC said, it looks like someone might have thought they could use the condensate to heat that boiler??? Do you have a stub/run-out anywhere on the Main where the pipe closest to the floor could be piped into? If so, that's what needs to be done. The pipe on the high side of the radiator can be removed and a plug installed in that radiator opening and the vent moved to that side of the radiator, about 1/3 to 1/2 way up. Maybe others will chime in if they have other ideas/thoughts.

Jamie Hall

My only thought is whiskey tango foxtrot -- that radiator is tied into a wet return at both ends! You do as @Fred suggested -- or you could leave the pipe at the low end as is, and hook the pipe from the high end into a steam main somewhere. Make sure that the new connection is pitched to drain back to the main. You will still need the vent.

viali8

Fred,

Thanks for the help. So if I am not mistaken those two risers leading to the radiator are piped into the wet return correct?

If so then the radiator will never get heat? If remove the riser that leads to the left side of the radiator, move the vent to the that hoffman vent to that side, would it get steam then or does it need to be repiped?

Thanks!
Matt

Fred

If both of those pipes are actually tied into the wet return, Yes, you are going to have to move the pipe on the right side of the radiator over to the steam main, if there is someplace you can tie into the main.

neilc

Jamie Hall said:

, , , whiskey tango foxtrot --

ya know,
as many times as I've heard that said,
I just got it.
thankyou.

viali8

Fred, thanks for the help. It's a shame this wasn't done when I paid to have my boiler repiped.

Thanks