Attic is a sauna

gabesteamheat

For whatever reason the steam radiator in my finished attic is 4-5 feet long, twice the size of all other radiators in the house. The space is used daily as a home office & gym so I have it turned off completely. It can get a little chilly up there when its in the 20s outside, but no where close to freezing. Is having it turned off the appropriate course of action? Turning it back on as-is is out of the question as the heat is uninhabitable but I've heard turning off a radiator can sometimes throw the system out of balance.

dabrakeman

What do you have on it for a vent. An adjustable may make sense. Ventrite #1 adjusts all the way down to fully closed so if you think the radiator is oversized it may be a good option.

ChrisJ

Is this a 1 or 2 pipe system?

With it off how is the rest of the system behaving?
If it's a 1 pipe system and you sometimes want heat up there I'd recommend several changes.

First, I'd try a TRV with a Gorton 5 vent on it. If it still seems to overheat at times I'd swap that #5 vent for a #4 and then drill and tap the pipe side of the radiator, or the pipe it self and add a Gorton #5 or even a #6 to it. My reasoning is a #4 is very slow and you'd likely end up with issues with steam taking too long to get up to the radiator. The added vent on the pipe side would get steam up there fast, but then force the radiator to heat slowly giving the TRV more control.


If you literally never want heat up there and don't care I'd turn the vent you have right now upside down and leave the valve on the pipe wide open. If the vent doesn't want to seal upside down you can remove it and install an 1/8" NPT pipe plug.

Chances are the TRV + Gorton #5 would work good enough for you.

gabesteamheat

Thank you for the comments. I will tinker w/ some other vents or upside down valve as its comfortable enough up there w/ just the rising heat from the rest of the house. Its a 1-pipe system.

ChrisJ

@gabesteamheat

This is a really good TRV and it comes with a fairly decent vent.

https://www.supplyhouse.com/Macon-Controls-MAC-OPSK-W-EVO-1-8-Threaded-One-Pipe-Steam-Straight-Valve-Assembly-with-EVO-28-Operator

All it is, is a thermostat that opens and closes on it's own to allow the vent to work. If it's warm enough up there it doesn't let it vent.

Basically, makes the radiator it's own zone.

But, they only work well if the system is already fairly balanced.

SteamingatMohawk

@ChrisJ The diagram in the Product Overview on Supply House web site says the valve is 6" long. I have 4 radiators under windows pretty much in the corners of their rooms. In fact the 100 year old window trim essentially butts up against the corner wall. I wonder how much having the thermostatic sensor that constrained would affect the ability to sense the overall temperature in the room.

The trim is no more than 4" wide, so the valve may not fit anyhow.

What say you?

ChrisJ

SteamingatMohawk said:

@ChrisJ The diagram in the Product Overview on Supply House web site says the valve is 6" long. I have 4 radiators under windows pretty much in the corners of their rooms. In fact the 100 year old window trim essentially butts up against the corner wall. I wonder how much having the thermostatic sensor that constrained would affect the ability to sense the overall temperature in the room.

The trim is no more than 4" wide, so the valve may not fit anyhow.

What say you?

Would this help in your situation?



I'd want it kind of out in the room, mine are against the wall like normal, but not really trapped in a corner.

Actually that's not true, I do have one near a corner that's behind a couch and it actually does alright surprisingly. It can't be blocked, there does need to be some airflow from the room around it.

bburd

TRV's are available with a remote sensor on a capillary tube several feet long, so they can be mounted in good air circulation. There is also a version where the sensor is combined with the adjustment knob.