New Century House with Two Pipe Steam - Questions

mattmia2

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1839147#Comment_1839147

i'm betting it is one of the radiators that has a new valve

delcrossv

New valve + failed trap, yes. I'll bet the composition gaskets on the sylphon valves have all failed as well making things depend on the traps.

TKPK

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1838557#Comment_1838557

one easy way I have found to “test” steam traps is to remove the cap and see if the radiator behaves differently. Traps fail open or closed. If the trap fails closed, air cannot vent and steam cannot enter. Removing the cap will let you determine if the problem is the trap or something else downstream.

Even replacing the guts is expensive. I replaced 17 innards ~15 years ago on a then 85 year old system but threw them all in a box and kept them. I recently plumbed a takeoff on my main with a valve where I could install a trap and test it. 16 of the 17 elements that I replaced 15 years ago are good. Now they are spares.

IMO, it is great to spend money where you need but not indiscriminately.

One place I spent was the low pressure gauge. Impressive seeing these things run on a couple of inches of water pressure.

Obviously, be careful with the steam but you will feel the radiator getting warm and hear and see the condensate long before the steam becomes dangerous.

If the trap has failed open and the radiator doesn’t heat, the problem lies elsewhere. If the down stream side of the trap is steam hot it has failed open, or some other part of the system is back feeding steam on the return side.

mattmia2

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1839169#Comment_1839169

that kinda comes from pros where the traps are cheaper than their time to sort out which are good and which are bad