Radiator not heating fully after renovation.

jlonj

Thanks in advance for any help. We recently underwent a major remodel of our home. As apart of that, we made some changes to the old 1-pipe steam system. 2 small radiators were replaced with sunrad recessed models. In addition, 2 radiators for upstairs bedrooms were repiped to get the piping out of the way of the new doorways.

Everything was OK except for a leak in the basement for piping leading to one of the radiators upstairs. The leak has been fixed this week, but I'm noticing that the radiator still isn't heating properly. I tend to set my thermostat back at night and then have it heat in the morning to fill the radiators. It doesn't get to the point of pressure-cycling, though. While all the radiators will fill (including the behemoths on the first floor), this radiator only fills 2 of the 8 rads (hope I'm using that terminology right).

Anyone have any thoughts on this? I'm guessing it's a piping issue because the radiator was working fine before construction. I attached a photo of the piping for this radiator.
Could it maybe just be a result of all the work, and that it will fix itself as the boiler runs? Should I try pressure-cycling the boiler?

I will reach back out to my GC, but I'm concerned they might not be steam experts. I've been burned before by contractors who messed with my steam system without know what they're doing.

Also, on that topic, if anyone has as steam contractor for central NJ, I'd appreciate a referral. I'd like to get the boiler skimmed since all the work was done. I used to hire JStar, but I think he moved.

KC_Jones

https://heatinghelp.com/find-a-contractor/detail/corrado-p-mastropaolo-inc
@EzzyT

https://heatinghelp.com/find-a-contractor/detail/dl-mechanical-llc
@Dave0176

Both in NJ and both fantastic.

How much extra piping was added to move the radiator? Is the slope correct? If more piping was added did you re-evaluate the venting on that rad? Was the piping sized correctly for that rad? Is that mega press on the piping run?

jlonj

Thanks for the referrals!

I didn't change the venting, but the vents are pretty new. I replaced them all about 3 years ago - it's a Jacobus #6.

I checked the sloping on the radiator and runs and they seem OK.

They did use megapress it looks like. Not an expert on piping, but when I google “mega press” the fittings look like that. I do have a low pressure system though - vaporstat set pretty low.

Fred

I'd say make sure your vents on the radiators are the right size for the air that has to be removed from the piping and the new rads.
You need to insulate the new piping. It is very possible that the steam is condensing in those pipes before it gets to those radiators while the insulated pipes carry the steam much more effeciently and maybe satisfies the thermostat before the un-insulated pipes get hot enough to support the steam.
Are you hearing any banging? If so, make sure you have enough pitch in the new piping back to the main. Also, make sure there is enough pitch in the new radiators, back to the valve side of the radiator so water can drain from the radiator.
Keep the pressure of the boiler/system as low as possible, no more than 1.5 to 2PSI max. (Set the scale on the front of the Pressuretrol to .5 PSI and the differential wheel inside the Pressuretrol (white wheel) to 1 PSI. .5 + 1 = 1.5PSI. Higher pressures make steam move slower. It concerns me that you speak of "Pressure cycling" which you want to avoid, if you can. If the boiler is over-sized, it may be unavoidable, to some extent but that should only happen in really cold weather, not in the shoulder season, for sure.

gerry gill

Doesn't look like alot of pitch on the pipes in the picture. Also what size is the runout compared to the vertical pipe feeding the radiator?

gerry gill

The existing runout in the background looks to have more pitch than the new pipe in the picture, just for comparison purposes.

JUGHNE

That new riser doesn't have a swing 90, so the horizontal line would be almost level in order to have the riser above the floor be plumb.

Is the pipe reduced after the first 90 on the left in the picture?

Just one more elbow and close nipple that someone thought wasn't necessary.....can't reuse meagpress I would assume.

jlonj

Thanks for all the help! I'm not an expert on all this stuff, so I don't know all your terminology. I checked the slope of the horizontals, because it looks like there are 3 horizontal "runs" (not sure if I'm saying that right) from the main to the radiator. The two in the basement seemed ok based on my level, but the one on our first floor was definitely off.

I noticed a "bubbling" noise from that radiator up close that I don't hear from other radiators, which makes me think there is a condensation issue based on other posts here.

I shimmed the radiator upstairs with some quarters temporarily to see if that will help. Can't really check until the morning when the radiators come on for a long cycle.

Hoping that this will fix the issue. My contractor is looking for final payment, and I'm trying to determine if this is serious enough to push back on.

Fred

Push back until you are satisfied. You won't get his/her attention after you make the final payment.