Uneven Heating: One radiator directly connected to another

nycApt

I live in an old NYC apt and for 3 years the heating is ridiculously different room to room. My bedroom's 1-pipe radiator is usually cold to the touch and the neighboring bedroom's radiator will burn your hand off. My radiator is fed by a two inch pipe from the other radiator, not a riser. Heat seems to travel from the hot radiator and through the pipe and mildly heats the first few sections of my radiator. Also my radiator whistles when heat gets turned on. There is no valve on the hot heater so the steam valve on mine is the only one for the two. My super has replaced my steam valve every year but it doesnt solve the whistle or the uneven heat. My guess is that problem is either the pitch of the two connected radiators or the connecting pipe between the two is cooling down before the steam reaches my radiator. Would insulating the 3ft pipe between radiators help? Is it odd that a radiator is connected like this? Thanks! Photos of the connection for reference.

KC_Jones

It shouldn't be hooked up like that. The second radiator needs the feed going back to the main line not through another rad. The only way the second one gets heat is after the first one is completely hot, I don't see any way around that. If they had run the feed pipe from the pipe feeding the first rad it theoretically would work like that.

Which one in the pics has the feed and which one is feed off the other, there is possibly another issue depending on the order of things. Take a pic of the entire front of both rads from further back. Just need to see the entirety of both rads (including any valves) from further back.

nycApt

Thanks KC_Jones for your help! I was afraid that the issue might be shoddy workmanship with no remedy as a lowly tenant. The two rooms were originally one, and I think this second radiator attached to the first was a quick fix to turn the unit into a 3-bedroom. Here are the two radiators. The hot radiator that feeds the second one is in the photo with the pipe coming out at the right. The problem radiator has the pipe feeding in from the left. The pipe passes through a flimsy wall.

Steamhead

That will never work as is. They need to run a separate pipe from the riser to your radiator- if the riser is big enough to handle both.

There are plenty of Steam Men in the NYC area who can help with this- try the Find a Contractor page of the main site.

nycApt

I dont think the owners will spring for that kind of work anytime soon. Would insulating the connecting pipe be of any use or is this a lost cause?

Paul S_3

No insulating the pipe would not solve this

Paul48

I know this is not proper, but why wouldn't it work, under these conditions?

1. The riser is large enough to support both radiators.
2. Pitch is maintained across both radiators, overall.
3. The vent is placed in the second radiator, farthest from the riser.

KC_Jones

The first radiator has to fill with steam entirely before the second will get steam. One room will get nice and toasty and the other either won't heat or get very little heat. This is confirmed by what they are seeing.

Brewbeer

Would partially insulating the radiator in the middle help move steam to the further radiator?

Paul48

I wonder why putting a nipple between radiator sections makes one or the other, not function?

Fred

Paul48 said:

I wonder why putting a nipple between radiator sections makes one or the other, not function?

Basically because, if you feel your radiators, during a heating cycle, you will notice that each section gets hot before moving to the next section. If you were to run the boiler long enoughg to heat the first radiator, all the way across, it will then move to the second radiator. Doing this would mean the first room (radiator) would over-heat most of the time in order to get the second radiator hot. Given that on most days a radiator won't heat all the way across, the second won't get hot.
I suppose, in theory, if the riser is big enough (which the OP says it's 2", and if you could put a Tee on that riser or even after the valve, AND you could extend another pipe, either under or in back of the first radiator, AND keep a pitch on it, AND put a vent on each radiator (slower one on the first radiator), you should be able to heat both radiators.