Troubleshooting steps for a few single pipe radiators not getting hot?

zeth07

We are starting to use heat again and a handful of radiators are not getting hot on the 2nd floor of the house.

Two of them I know for sure used to get hot and for reasons I don't know aren't getting hot now. Another one I'm pretty sure never got hot but we left it closed since the person sleeping in that room gets hot flashes anyway so the other radiator in the room is usually enough heat.




What should be the process of troubleshooting what is wrong with these specific ones? Any help would be appreciated.

KC_Jones

It's most likely a fairly typical balance issue. Which starts with looking at the venting, not just the radiators, but the main venting, which influences things a lot more than people realize.

So, what do you have for main venting? What will also help us advise is how long and what size pipe each main is.

What brand and size/number are the vents on the radiators?

Mains need vented fairly aggressively to get steam available to each radiator runout at about the same time. After that slower radiator venting is advisable. Radiator vent sizing is based on radiator size, location, and to an extent, desired room temperature.