Help me troubleshoot my radiator.

cd1

I am trying to get this one radiator to warm up under normal boiler operation.

It's located on the 1st floor of the house about 33' from the boiler. The closest steam main vent is a further 16' from the riser that supplies steam to this radiator. The riser for the radiator is made of copper unlike the rest which are cast iron. I can feel the main 2" steam pipe get hot at the bottom of the riser but the riser stays warm at best.

The main vent close to this riser is a Maid of Mist #1. I can hear it letting air out when the boiler is running. There is another main vent on the other side of the house in the basement of the same make/model. Both main vents are less than a year old.

I have replaced the vent on the radiator with an Eastman EZ Flow with no effect. The steam supply valve is turned on.

This radiator will get warm if i run the boiler for a long time.

Radiators on the 2nd floor of the house above this radiator work fine.

Some pictures.

Copper Riser from main pipe. My suspicion is there's water pooling in the elbow due to the pitch. But I dont have enough room or a small enough level to verify. Not sure what I could do myself if it was pitched incorrectly

Zoomed out view of the riser in question.

Main Vent about 16' from the riser

Zoomed out view of the section of the steam pipe. Riser is in the right corner, steam main is in the left corner of the picture.

Steam Radiator in question.

Grallert

I don't see a condensate trap on the return side of that radiator. Does it drop down to a wet return in the cellar? Are all of your radiators piped in this way?

cd1

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1876089#Comment_1876089

Yes, I have a 2 pipe system with an air vent on each radiator. The outlet drops down to the wet return in the basement on each radiator. I had asked this exact question a few days ago (https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/202831/what-type-of-steam-system-do-i-have)

Grallert

OK. I would lift the radiator up a bit just to see if it is water in the supply, or return.

mattmia2

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1876093#Comment_1876093

it isn't the return, the return is for condensate only if it is truly 2 pipe air vent. the air gets out of the radiator through the vent.

The runout to the radiator has to have pitch back toward the main or it will trap water and that will kill the steam to the radiator until the water evaporates.

you can use a torpedo level like this

or a line level like this or another small level to look at the pitch of that pipe.

If you raise the supply end of the radiator you should be able to lift that pipe to get pitch unless other pipes are in the way.

cd1

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1876110#Comment_1876110

So you'd start with the riser pipe pitch first? Any tips on listing the radiator?

mattmia2

I'd get a level on that horizontal section of runout first, either directly or indirectly. might be able to use a stick of wood that you can hold parallel to or below the pipe with a level on it to see how the pipe slopes.

pry with a 2x4 and another block of wood as a fulcrum to lift it and slide a thin block of wood or washers or something like that under the foot.

ethicalpaul

The problem is the runout is copper (if I'm following the thread correctly). Prying on the radiator could split the pipe or fitting pretty easy.

mattmia2

It being copper isn't helping matters but it should work if it isn't holding water. insulating it would help a lot. Copper is more flexible than steel.

ethicalpaul

That's a general statement that I'm not sure applies in all cases!

cd1

Update: so before lifted the radiator in question, I replaced the new Eastman EZ Flow vent with a new Gorton No. D. And to my surprise, the radiator started warming up.

I guess the one question I have now is if having a larger vent will impact the efficiency of the system in any noticeable way?

mattmia2

can you blow through the old vent? the off brand vent may have been bad out of the box.

Jamie Hall

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1876450#Comment_1876450

I think you may have found the problem… and no, a larger vent won't affect the efficiency of the system. What it will do is make the space that radiator is in run warmer.

BobC

A larger vent will make that radiator heat faster but it could make all the others heat slower.

Balance is impotyant in a steam system, all of the radiators should some up to temperature about the same eime so the house heats evenly. There is only so much steam being made and if one vent is substantialy larger it can steal steam from every place else.

Fif you get that bad vent from a big box store?: They tend to stovk some thgings on a goo, better and best basis; the lowest onbwes can be of pretty low quality/; If your low on cash get a maid o mist, they tend to work better than the cheapo's do.

Bob

neilc

Bob's fingers are mixed up