Rattling radiator

qwerty46559

I haven’t dealt with radiator heat growing up and I’ve moved into an appartment that uses it as it’s primary heat source. For the most part it’s fine, but I’ve been woken up by this awful rattling sound when the heat kicks on. I asked my landlords about it and the reply was that old radiators rattle, they’ve looked into it, and there’s nothing that could be done/it’s “normal”.

I wasn’t happy.

I noticed the other day it was louder in my kitchen and turned the only knob I could find all the way clockwise thinking that would turn it off. Rattling fixed. I could sleep. Not a problem. Until I figured out the trail of water I’ve been finding in my kitchen is from the radiator knob leaking.

So when the knob is open, it rattles, when the knob is closed, it leaks all over my kitchen. Help! What do I do?? Is he right and this is just normal for older radiators or is there something fixable?...
This is what’s happening via video: https://www.reddit.com/r/fixit/comments/9zhb0c/radiator_rattles_but_closing_it_results_in_water/?st=JOT1A1HE&sh=3c29e08c

ethicalpaul

Don’t listen to your reddit commentors LOL

Open the valve. Check the level of the radiator with...a level. But I can tell you it’s either level or slanted away from the valve. Put something under the side opposite the valve until it’s slanted slightly toward the valve. Use quarters or thin wood strips etc.

Get help, and don’t jerk it around to not hurt the valve seal. That radiator is huge by the way. Huge. It probably gives way too much heat but don’t close the valve to try to limit it. Leave it fully open. Read about radiator venting on this site. And you can repair the packing on the valve but you may not need to.

KC_Jones

Steam should be silent, you should feel warmth, but otherwise not know it's on. Anyone that tells you otherwise is 100% wrong. The problem is people have been conditioned to think steam is noisy. Improperly maintained steam is noisy.

Check the pitch in the rad it should be pitched towards the inlet valve, make sure you use a level as our eyes can fool us in old buildings because, who knows what is actually level?!

If it's leaking when closed the valve packing is shot and needs repacked, that should fall on the building management.

I wish you best of luck, if they are saying "that's how it is", that tells me they are unwilling to spend the money to correct the issue. Of course they are more than happy to collect your money and not use it for what it's intended, building upkeep.

Steamhead

I bet the inlet valve is broken. The disc that holds the washer sometimes breaks off, so the washer drops onto the seat and rattles when steam comes up. If this is a one-pipe radiator where there is only one pipe connection and an air vent on the other end, it also keeps the water from getting back down the pipe, so it leaks all over the floor.

The solution is to replace the valve.

Fred

You can tighten the packing nut (under the knob a little to compress the packing and see if that stops the leaking. On a single pipe system, that valve should always remain open. Have your landlord disconnect the radiator from the valve (at the union) and see if he can fish the broken/loose disc, inside the valve. That will stop the rattling and since those valves should remain open, that is the easiest fix.

qwerty46559

@ethicalpaul I checked the level and it’s straight across, no pitch towards the valve. It won’t be easy to wedge anything under it....does it need to be at a certain angle to work or is even a couple degrees of slant towards the valve alright? And just to be clear - the valve is the knob that I can open and close near the floor, not the air vent on the right side of it midway up the radiator?

@Steamhead @Fred I tightened the nut under the knob, and reopened the knob, now that I know it shouldn’t be closed. Can I loosen the nut at that knob and look for a broken piece myself or replace the valve? Is it that straightforward?

Steamhead

No. To get at where the washer disc would be, you have to unhitch the radiator from the valve. Loosening the packing nut won't get you there.

To replace the valve, you need the boiler to be shut down and some heavy-duty tools. Not a DIY job.

Neild5

The side opposite the valve needs to be slightly higher. A couple nickels under the feet should be good.

ethicalpaul

> @qwerty46559 said:
> @ethicalpaul I checked the level and it’s straight across, no pitch towards the valve. It won’t be easy to wedge anything under it....does it need to be at a certain angle to work or is even a couple degrees of slant towards the valve alright? And just to be clear - the valve is the knob that I can open and close near the floor, not the air vent on the right side of it midway up the radiator?

Just a little slope should be good. Start slow and see what happens. Yes the valve has the handle and the pipe for the water to run back down. Yes it won’t be easy because that radiator is massive!

I disagree with @Steamhead that it’s not a DIY job but agree that it’s not a DIY job for a tenant. If you can get the landlord to replace the valve, you can ask the plumber to check the angle while he or she is there

Fred

If you replace the valve, the spud (piece that connects the valve to the radiator has to be replaced also. They are a matched set. The easiest way is to disconnect the radiator, fish the loose disc out and reconnect the radiator to the valve. As has been said, just a couple nickels or quarters under the feet of the radiator, opposite the rattling valve is all you need for pitch.