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Steam Radiator valve is letting off steam....

branimal
Member Posts: 120
I took a closer look and the thing is duct taped/plastic bagged together. WTF!!
I watched a video on how to replace the valve. I have a couple of questions
1. Can i use a sawzall instead of a hack saw to remove the damaged valve? I'll hammer and chisel off after the cut.
2. What type of valve should I replace with?
thanks....


I watched a video on how to replace the valve. I have a couple of questions
1. Can i use a sawzall instead of a hack saw to remove the damaged valve? I'll hammer and chisel off after the cut.
2. What type of valve should I replace with?
thanks....



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Comments
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Lovely, Sawzall, hack saw... angle grinder. Whatever works.
You must use a steam radiator valve to replace. Others trap condensate and cause water hammer. They come with a matching spud (joined by a union) which goes into the radiator -- and you must use that matching spud and none other, which means you also have to get the old spud out of the radiator, which can be a bit difficult.Br. Jamie, osb
Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England.
Hoffman Equipped System (all original except boiler), Weil-Mclain 580, 2.75 gph Carlin, Vapourstat 0.5 -- 6.0 ounces per square inch-1 -
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Can you see the picture @nicholas bonham-carter? I’ve seen a lot of advice lately on leaving old valves and trying to repair, whether it’s an issue with the height or just “too hard”...We change these valves everyday. It’s time for a new valve @branimal. Sawsall is perfectly fine. If you have the guts
, just try to back it off with a 2ft or 3ft wrench. This is always my first approach, although I would try and brace the piping in the floor somehow.
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I can see the picture, but with the tape, not enough to tell whether it’s fixable or not. For you as a pro, with a replacement valve on your truck, it’s easier, and more expedient to put in a new one.
For the homeowner, it’s not so easy, and so if it can be fixed with some new packing, or a reseating of the Union nut, I say fix it.—NBC1 -
2 wrenches and some heat should unscrew it.neilc said:am I missing something?
why can't we get 2 wrenches on this?All Steamed Up, Inc.
"Reducing our country's energy consumption, one system at a time"
Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
Oil & Gas Burner Service
Baltimore, MD (USA) and consulting anywhere.
https://heatinghelp.com/find-a-contractor/detail/all-steamed-up-inc1 -
100 year old 3 family in Brooklyn NY. Gutting it floor by floor.luketheplumber said:I need a backstory on this renovation the how old is the building?
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Only 100? Looks like a nice project! Are those fittings galvanized or just dusty?1 pipe Peerless 63-03L in Cedar Grove, NJ, coal > oil > NG0
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Upon close inspection looks like I can install a threaded cap over the male threads pictured. I wonder how much in heating costs this leak caused me. 😒0
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You may find that finding .a cap with the correct threads is harder than it looks -- those threads are half of a union, rather than NPT.Br. Jamie, osb
Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England.
Hoffman Equipped System (all original except boiler), Weil-Mclain 580, 2.75 gph Carlin, Vapourstat 0.5 -- 6.0 ounces per square inch4 -
I would be surprised if you couldn't just remove that valve with wrenches, have you tried? The you can replace the valve or cap it off. As @Jamie Hall says, those threads are specific to a union nut. If you find a cap that fits I will be surprised, if you can then get it to actually seal, I will be astounded. The valve is made of brass, the pipe steel, usually not to hard to get them off even after 100 years....1
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I don’t think it cost you anything in heating costs—the heat still went into the house. Just maybe in make-up water oxidation cost to your boiler.1 pipe Peerless 63-03L in Cedar Grove, NJ, coal > oil > NG0
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Easiest temporary to seal that open valve is with a wood block, short piece of 2x4, and a c-clamp0
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