Replacing Steam Vents

Brycewvu

I am looking to replace the radiator vents around my house (approx. 2k sqft). I replaced the vent in my living room where the thermostat is located with a Ventrite #11, but I have old Hoffman 1A vents on the 10 other radiators.

I would love to install new Gorton vents on every radiator, but dang can they be on the expensive side. I've seen that this can be a polarized topic, but I am looking at installing Maid o Mist vents instead of Gortons to start because they are half the price for similar venting capacity. I know that MoMs have a plastic float and crimped housing rather than the full metal/soldered construction of the Gortons. I also know that those differences in construction can result in failures more frequently for MoMs, but my thought process is that I will install new MoM vents across the house all at once (along with some other changes down in the basement to get this system up to par) and they will last a few years. I will then be able to swap them out for Gortons one by one as they fail rather than the heavy hit to the wallet all at once.

Does this plan make sense? As Dan Holohan would say, am I being a knucklehead? What lifespan should I expect for a MoM vs Gorton? Should I just bite the bullet and go with Gortons across the board? Thanks for your advice!

EdTheHeaterMan

The choice is your and only yours to make. Is the MoM lower cost going to be a waste of $$$ a year from now when you start putting the Gorton vents on. by the time you get all the vents replaced twice, in say 5 years, you will have spent 150% for new vents. ... 50% more than you need to. Cheeper can be more expensive in the long run.

Brycewvu

That certainly makes sense. Are the MoM really junk? I have seen that some people really dislike them but there are also people that say they haven't had issues with them.

Mad Dog_2

Until you can afford The Gortons, do nothing.  Put this in proper perspective..This is your Home 🏡. Your castle 🏰...where your children and grandchildren roll around on the floor right next to these radiators.  You don't go Cheap in certain things in Life.  Skip the Friday nite 
At the Pub, Spaghetti 🍝 and rice & beans and then beans and rice (Dave Ramsey) for a month and you'll have that extra cash you'll need.  Mad Dog 🐕 

Brycewvu

That makes complete sense. I know hoffmans are a good vent so maybe i'll keep those in place if they aren't failing (I think most of them are in good shape since I lowered the psi to where it is supposed to be). Is there anything I should do to clean up those vents like use some vinager or CLR and a plastic/brass brush? Will that damage the inner diaphram? I know that a tiny bit of debris and buildup can cause issues with these vents so if I can do some simple upkeep, I will happily keep using them until they fail.

ethicalpaul

No one can know how long any given vent will last, all we have here is anecdotal evidence. Here's mine: I use exclusively MoM vents on my radiators and they are fine. They invented that type of vent which Gorton copied. They have interchangeable orifices which is awesome. The plastic float is basically "who cares?".

People will say that the float doesn't float, which it doesn't. So what? Are you radiators flooded with water? If so, that's not the vent's fault and that is a ridiculously bad system that has much greater problems than the vents.

People will say that the crimped vent can make it difficult to remove it after 20 years of being on a radiator. Not impossible, just difficult so it takes 15 minutes instead of 3 minutes to remove or something.

As you can tell I get kind of frustrated when people malign this fine vent. Good luck!

Mad Dog_2

I have found, through trial and error, trying them all, and seeing them all in every possible application & system conditions that ALL The Gortons & the Hoffman 40, Convector vents, 74, 75, 76 Main vents to be the hardiest, best performing and most durable. .hands down, nolo contendre. Maid O Mist & Varivalve are NOT junk by any stretch..IF its a perfectly clean, Low Pressure Dry Steam condition, they ARE fine.  

The problem 😕 is most systems are NOT in this condition or have fallen off the wagon.  Like our favorite beer, Bourbon, UFC fighters Football player or Band, its one of the free choices we all have. This trade and business is hard enough...I find and them stay with products and brands that don't give me callbacks... Happy Thanksgiving Yall. Matt Dog 🐕 

clammy

Just as of recent ,a customer who likes to save replaced his mom that he purchased a few years ago that where failing . Upon checking things out w his new vents and a finally installed new boiler I had noticed that some rads where not heating . As I pulled off his new mom I noticed first that they where not venting and filled w water . Upon closer inspection I noticed that the threaded portion which from looking at older one was not threaded completely and that the older ones had a slight angle to them in relationship to the vents body to drain back into the radiator . Well the newer mom possibly made in China have no angle and don’t drain back at least from the ones I just saw . As much as gorton s are there’s no savings in mom except maybe for a home owner do it yourselfer but price wise they went from 6 to 8 bucks a piece to 18 bucks a piece granted for a cheap pos now gorton over the last 3 years have not increased more then like 4 bucks ? Some one some where doing a little price gouging I guess if u can why not they do it every 2 days on gasoline prices so why not pay nearly 3 x as much for junk . Just to calm the crowds the water in the vents had zero to do w quality of steam being supplied boiler was piped correctly ,flushed wanded and skimmed clean as a whistle every gorton that was installed work properly . Mantra is don’t buy cheap vents there exactly what the price reflex’s nothing good is cheap . I m really not a adjustable vent guy and vent rite while they may be good I personally have no experience w them and the Hoffmann 1a well there quality is I believe has gone w the wind also a bit pricey considering I remember when they where quite cheap in reality to the times and now I just cannot pry my wallet open and pay that much for something which I feel the quality of which has diminished w time being they used to last like 10 years now your lucky they work right outta the box . The one common thread w vents is nobody wants to replace them unless there spitting water or steam out or are completely non functioning forget about maintanance let’s run w the break and react and the head in a hole .

Peace and good luck clammy

dabrakeman

If you have "old working" Hoffman 1a's leave them on.  Most all of my vents are Hoffman 1a's and they were old when I bought this house 21 years ago.  Replaced 3 of 12 in all this time and only one of these due to failure.

Mad Dog_2

Hoffmans & Gortons. Gorton & Hoffmans...they only vents I'll use   Mad Dog 🐕 

AdmiralYoda

I installed MoM vents in all my radiators a couple years ago. Not sure if I got a bad batch or two or what but when I fire the system up in the fall one or two per year are stuck shut. When I take them off rusty crud drains out.

This year...they are all fine. I do really like the different orifice idea as it helps me dial in the system...but the next vents I buy are going to be Gortons.