Radiator....no heat...no nothen

Dale

In this day and age I guess 2 days is old. I think the silver pointed thing at the right of your picture is the radiator vent and it may be designed to work with the point pointed up. See if you can turn it up. I think they release and allow air out by gravity, sort of like a potential or current relay for electric.

Joe Keith

Radiator....no heat...no nothen

After growing up in the south with heat pumps all my life, I am now living in a NYC apartment (brownstone) with Radiator heat. Since I am so new to this I can't tell you if its a one or two pipe system or much else about it. I have attached a picture.

The problem is this: My radiator is not working. By that I mean that there is no heat from it. The apartments below and above me are both working fine. I have turned knobs...opened valves and still no heat. The pipe leading into my radiator never even gets hot.

My guess it that I need to "bleed" it. And my question is how do I do that. Here is what I think I know...
- The silver bullet looking thing on the outside of the radiator is used to release preasure
-Underneath the radiator is a large pipe that bring in either steam or hot water
- There is a round plastic knob attached to that pipe that if opened allows the steam/hotwater into the radiator.

I did notice on the side of radiator next to where the pipe comes in, there is a screw/knob that is a perfect for a 11mm rachet. (If I had to guess, this is where I need to bleed the system)

Any help is appreciated.

ed wallace

no heat

that silver bullet thing is the air vent what you have is a one pipe steam system the air vent is supposed to open to allow air out what i would do is remove the air vent from radiater and see if it heats up make sure the valve under the radiater is open if it does not heat there is nothing you can do the proplem is elsewhere in the system

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Joe Keith

It may be my imagination, but I think I have heard the air valve hissing before. Is this possible if no heat is getting to the radiator?

ed wallace

air hissing

if you get hissing sounds then you should be getting heat unless something is blocking it or causing problems elswhere in the system again take out bair valve it screws in to rad then see if rad heats up by the way when you put back the vent put the pointy end up

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Dave Yates (PAH)

steam vent

It does indeed need to be placed into a vertical position for proper venting. It's supposed to allow the entrained air a path of escaping ahead of the steam. Yours is one that's not adjustable & if after placing it vertically, there is little or no improvement, I'd suggest replacing it with an adjustable air vent like the Dole #1A. Turn clockwise 90 degrees to straighten it up. Sometimes they become water logged & you can remove it to shake out the water, blow through it while vertical to verify it'll vent & turn upside down to verify it'll shut off.

If'n you want really cool control, Danfoss makes a steam vent thermostatic control for these one-pipe vent applications.

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