Replacement radiator on two-pipe vented system in SoHo?

Nick_Castrads

Hi all

A client of ours wanted some help with a leaking ARC National Two Column. It looks to me like a hacked-about two pipe vented system with the trap added erroneously at a later date - you can see the flooring under the radiator is new and the piping has been redone at some point.

The leak is on several bottom joints and someone's tried to mend them using a resin. We will try to mend this, but I don't think the economics will add up - we'll more likely source a replacement (reclaimed, new to the customer) dual entry radiator. I just want to make sure we're recommending the correct valves, vents etc when we put it back in.

Should a new radiator in its place be returned to a regular two-pipe vented setup (two globe valves and a vent / 1PS TRV)?

Big Ed_4

Looks like a threaded nipple construction radiator . My first thought if does that trap belong there … The condensate needs to return freely …. Post photos of the basement piping

Ironman

A two pipe radiator should not have an air vent: it vents through the trap. But knuckleheads don’t understand that and add a vent instead of rebuilding the trap.

Steamhead

@Nick_Castrads , the correct answer would depend on how the rads in the rest of the system are configured. Can you get a pic of some that have not been knuckleheaded?

Nick_Castrads

Thanks @Steamhead. Annoyingly I wasn't able to access any of the other apartments or the basement to see the piping. What I did notice was that there were two risers (supply and return), probably 2" and 1.5" situated next to one another running up the center of the party wall. The return had been cut and capped just below the ceiling of the parlor level apartment that I was in - made me think the rest of the system must be operating as a one-pipe installation. Couldn't be anything other than a hacked about two-pipe vented system in that case, right?

mattmia2

This won't end well unless you can look at the rest of the system to see what is going on. Also very possible there will be problems you can't solve because they aren't in this apartment.

Steamhead

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1817478#Comment_1817478

This.

If you don't get any cooperation, might be best to walk. Once you touch it, you'll get blamed for everything.

Nick_Castrads

@mattmia2 @Steamhead yes, I think you're right.