Anyway to quiet the whistling radiator vents when the system turns on?

jlonj

Or is that just normal for any steam one-pipe system?

It's especially the vents in the bedrooms, since they can sometimes wake me up. I originally thought it was the main venting, but I had a reputable steam contractor tell me that the mains were venting fine. Still, I wonder if newer/better main vents would quiet the whistling. Right now, I have two of the older hoffman style vents.

Otherwise, the system seems to be working pretty well. I have a slower-filling radiator and minor leak (only leaks when the system is full of steam, which I try to avoid) that I'll have a contractor look at eventually . My main problem though is the whistling noise. Any suggestions?

AnthraciteEnergetics

A powerful (oversize) boiler makes steam fast and can make the startup whistling worse.

Inadequate main vents mean all air has to escape through rads (you checked that).

Dirty boiler water could be causing pressure surges in the system as bubbles break the oil film, contributing to whistles. Skim your boiler water. Wet steam is no good either.

On cold days when the system is firing a lot, hot pipes and rads from the last cycle allow initial steam velocity to be higher as it isn't heating cold iron as it leaves the boiler. This pushes harder on the air during startup.

You could cut a small piece of porous sponge and place over vent orifice on every rad, to act as a muffler. This increases pressure drop and could affect system peformance. I was putting a sock over an annoying vent that I eventually replaced.

SteamCoffee

What’s the boiler pressure at? Make sure it’s as low as the system can function. Then super fast main venting...ya may wanna read up on vacuum vents...once the system fills you can tune the system to run only as long as it takes to replenish the condensed steam. After all, why keep pushing air in and out every time the boiler comes on? Contributes to unpleasant acids in the system....check it out if you are so inclined. Let us know..

Fred

What vents are you using on those whistling radiators? Some are more prone to whistle than others. Are the radiators that whistle on run-outs (off of the main) that are longer/larger than those that don't whistle?

New England SteamWorks

My guess would be inadequate main vents to start with, followed by an oversized boiler. If you like we can recommend a contractor to fix your venting, and we can walk you through measuring your radiators to see about your boiler size.

All you have to do is ask!