Gurgling Steam Radiator after New Shut Off Valve Installed ... I Think

millerstevew

I purchased a home with steam radiators a little over two years ago. I had one of the radiators in an upper room moved, which involved some repiping and changing the radiator valve.

Ever since we moved in (about six months after the work was done) this radiator has made a gurgling noise once the radiator gets hot. The noise is isolated to the valve area and isn't a pinging or banging sounds.

After reading a great deal on this issue, I think the company that replaced the valve replaced it with a hot water radiator valve, not a steam radiator valve. This, I think, does not provide enough room for new steam to get in and hot water to get out. Does this sound right to you (as opposed to a piping issue or something else)?

Here's a picture of a steam valve (on our other radiators that do not have this issue).




Here's the new valve (on the radiator that's having the issue).

Jamie Hall

Yeah.. they did you in.

millerstevew

Jamie Hall said:

Yeah.. they did you in.

Thanks for confirming. All things being equal, do you think replacing the valve with a steam valve would get rid of the noise? (Or at very least, is that my first step in diagnosing and getting rid of the noise?)

Jamie Hall

Most likely. It's not as easy a job as it sounds, as the valve is mated to the spud they screwed into the radiator, which will also need to be changed.