Need New Radiator Vents....Gorton or Hoffman 1A?

AdmiralYoda

I've been using Maid O' Mist radiator vents for the past five years or so and they really helped me dial in my system. The removable orrifice makes it pretty easy, and they are cheap too.

The problem is they keep failing on me. I have 6 radiators and have probably replaced them all twice. They fail stuck closed for some reason.

I've been thinking about replacing them with the equivalent Gorton vents or adjustable Hoffman 1A's. I've heard some complaints about the 1A's not being as good as they used to be but not sure.

Any advice? I'm open to other brands too, the two I've mentioned seem to be pretty common.

Chris_L

I have an MoM vent that occasionally gets stuck closed. For some reason it retains water. I've noticed on some of these vents, the nipple isn't square to the body so the condensate doesn't flow back into the radiator properly.

Rather than replace it, I just blow into the vent at the top (while the radiator is cold) to clear the water, and it works ok after that.

I have one Hoffman 1A that I removed because it never closed properly except at a very low setting.

AdmiralYoda

Interesting. On the ones that have seemingly gone bad I do get a bit of rusty water to come out when I remove them. After they sit for a while the do free up but have more of a thud-thud sound internally when I shake them.

Are angle vents more prone to retaining water than a straight vent? I have thought of installing an elbow on the radiator and using a straight vent.

Long Beach Ed

Maid o Mist = China.
Gorton & Hoffman = USA.

Enough said.

ethicalpaul

China clearly can't produce quality goods, except for every smart phone, every computer, almost every car part, every solar panel, every electronic component

ChrisJ

ethicalpaul said:

China clearly can't produce quality goods, except for every smart phone, every computer, almost every car part, every solar panel, every electronic component

Many electronic components are made places other than China, you know that.

However, I think your point still stands, China can and does make very high quality items if that's what their customer requests.


That said, I originally had new Hoffman 1A's on every radiator. I replaced them all with Gorton's and even made a meme, though this wasn't the only complaint I had. There's also the adjusting cap who's numbers are completely useless.

AdmiralYoda

A quick search on the google hasn't shown any evidence that Gorton or Hoffman vents are currently made in the USA...but the quality does seem to be superior.

TonKa

If you have your system dialed in to your satisfaction already, I would suggest you go with the appropriately sized Gorton vent to match the orifice you chose for the Maid O'Mist.