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Help Identifying Valve

SunRad
SunRad Member Posts: 5
edited February 5 in Radiant Heating
Hello heating help community!

I live in Northeastern PA and my home was built in 1948. We have hot water heat with SunRad radiators behind these covers. Some of the valves beneath the radiators are starting to drip so I'm starting to replace them. On one side of the rad there is a valve with a black handle (most of the handles fell off) which I assume is a classic valve to turn off the rad, if desired.

However, on the opposite side there is a fitting of sorts with a place to insert a slotted screwdriver. I'm trying to understand what function this fitting has and if I need to be concerned about replacing it. If anyone can help identify it's function I would greatly appreciate it!

ETA: I see I posted to the wrong board, but I don't see how to change the board after posting.


This (below) is the fitting I'm trying to understand what it's function is.


Comments

  • Jamie Hall
    Jamie Hall Member Posts: 24,727
    What's dripping? Many valves -- particularly older ones -- can be repacked without replacing them. Which is much easier...

    The one with the screwdriver slot may be a ball valve intended to balance the flow through various radiators. I'd be rather wary of replacing them, unless you have to.
    Br. Jamie, osb
    Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England
  • SunRad
    SunRad Member Posts: 5
    The pictures I posted was of my best looking valve. Most of the others are rusted and corroded so that is where the water is dripping from. I'm fairly certain they require replacement. I'll post pictures of them later this evening when I'm home.
    neilcreggi
  • HVACNUT
    HVACNUT Member Posts: 6,298
    If you can tighten unions or packing nuts to stop the drips, then that's as far as I'd go unless you plan to repipe all. Getting the paint off and getting the copper clean enough to sweat doesn't look like fun. Maybe a summer project, and you can replace the bleeders at the same time.
  • Big Ed_4
    Big Ed_4 Member Posts: 3,005
    They are both butter fly valves , a valve no one uses but they are there .The screw driver slot valve perpendicular closed . The black handle valve .Bake-O-Lite pre plastic is also a butterfly also , 1/4 turn valve . There is a stop behind the handle which extends to a cast boss on the valve body . All the stops are bent out of the way so you can't call them stops anymore . But use them as a sight alignment . Simple valves easy rebuild if need be ..

    There was an error rendering this rich post.

  • SunRad
    SunRad Member Posts: 5
    Thanks everyone for the responses. I've already replaced one of these with pex so I plan to do the same for the ones that are badly rusted. I was wondering if I need to add shut off valves on the replacement or I can just straight pipe it. I was thinking of throwing on a mini ball valve so I can turn off the rad if need be, but I wasn't sure if there was any reason to have a shut off valve on both sides of the rad. Based on the responses, it seems there is no need to put shut off valves on both sides.
    Here pictures of the rusted out valves as well as the one I replaced last summer with pex.




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