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Steam Help

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delta595
delta595 Member Posts: 19
in Strictly Steam
I have a 2 story residential house w/ a steam single pipe boiler. I'm reaching out for advice!!! I tried everything. I'm having trouble with (1) radiator on the second floor. With the valve fully open and a good pitch It was leaking water out of the air vent. I first changed the air vent to a Letter "C" orifice. It last about (5) weeks and started to leak again. I went back a second time and installed a Gordon #5. Within a day it started leaking out of the air vent again. It's the only radiator in the whole house that has a problem. It steams up fine. Anyone have ideas what's going on.

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  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 15,543
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    need a lot more info and pictures.
    What steam pressure do you have if any?
    Pictures of the boiler and piping will help
    Have you checked the pitch on all piping?
  • Fred
    Fred Member Posts: 8,542
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    What is your boiler pressure running at? Do you have a 0-3PSI gauge on the boiler so you can see the actual pressure? What size pipe feeds that radiator? If it's too small, it will not let water drain back out during a heat cycle. Is there any banging or water hammer under the floor that might indicate a horizontal pipe may have lost its pitch?
  • delta595
    delta595 Member Posts: 19
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    Next time I'm at the house I'll gather some pictures. I believe it's a 1" or 1 1/4" pipe. It's original to the house, built in the 1930's. There is a gauge on the boiler but I didn't even check to see the operating pressure. When I got there I was under the impression it was just a bad air vent, but now that's not the case. As mentioned it's the only radiator in the house that has this problem. Pipes are all in the walls. No banging has been reported.
  • Steamhead
    Steamhead Member Posts: 16,843
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    I bet the washer disc has fallen off the stem of the shutoff valve and it's blocking the opening. Steam could push past this but it would keep water from getting back. Cure is to replace the valve.
    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    Towson, MD, USA
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Consulting
    JohnNYGrallert
  • nicholas bonham-carter
    nicholas bonham-carter Member Posts: 8,576
    edited January 2019
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    Or just remove the disk entirely. The valve stem is held in by the valve bonnet, which can be unscrewed. The valve should never be closed, as it will cause condensate not to drain out properly.
    Check your main vents, and post pictures of them, as they may not be big enough.—NBC

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