two pipe steam system

ed wallace

have a problem with a 2 pipe steam system got a call about heating problems took a look at house found pressuretrol set for 5lbs lowered to 1 1/2 lbs house now heats except 2 rads on 2nd floor both have valves on supply and return pipes i believe the valves are bad when i remove the air vents here very little air movement at opening had to use wrench on valve stem to open them should the rads be level or pitched and if pitched which direction the house also has 3 very large rads suspended from basement ceiling insidesheet metal ductwork

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Steamhead

That's a 2-pipe, air-vent system

which is always fun to work with.

The rads should be pitched slightly toward the air-vent end. This is the exact opposite of how you pitch the usual one-pipe radiator. Try taking those valves apart and see if they've self-destructed inside.

The rads inside the ducts are "indirect" rads. They probably had fresh-air ducts feeding them originally.

This type of system was top-of-the-line in its day, but was superseded by the Vapor system in the early 1900s.

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