1 Radiator cold in a 1 pipe system

Michael_2

Hi,
I have an old house (1880) with an oil fired steam unit.
The whole house heats evenly EXCEPT for one second floor bedroom. It is heated off a riser that is merely inches from the riser that feeds the room beneath it. If I remove the air vent from the radiator it gets hot alright but even with an air vent that is wide open it never gets hot enough to get the cold out of the room . Thew tenant that lives up there is getting really pissy. Most of the other radiator vents are closed down pretty tight I cannot colse the system any farther . The longest run works wonderfully this tirer is almost directly above the boiler. I have to get that room to heat!

Bob W._2

What kind of air vent?

If you remove the vent and the rad heats use a Gorton D vent, which has the same capacity as a Gorton No. 1 main vent. I use them for my larger rads and they work well.

ChrisL

Air vent

I agree,

Either the existing air vent is not operating properly, or undersized. Put a new one on maybe slightly larger and then see what happens. Adjust accordingly.

Chris

Michael_2

All Fixed

Thanks for the input.
I was using a Vent-Rite #1 and it was functioning well on other radiators, seemed to have a good range of settings(when i blew through it) The locak supply shop did not have the Gortons BUT had a Heat-timer Vairvalve. I AM SOLD! This thing is great! It was a veerticle unit so I had to do a little brass plumbing, 90* and a nipple but the slide-type vent lets me see exactly how open the valve is and the radiator is now heating up as fast as any other. The price tag was a little steep (about $18) but that room heats great now.
The thought of the rubber flap detatching from the floor valve and blocking the riser was considered first, interesting thought but wasn't the problem.
Thanks for the input I rather knew it was a problem with venting and turns out it was.
BTW the valve i used was bu Heat-timer, 20 New Dutch Lane Fairfield NJ 07004... they are going to get a letter of thanks from me, and I need to find who sells themn around here because it was a one of a kind on the supply house shelf and they do not stock it anymore. (bad choice in my opinion, I will likely replace all my valves with these a few at a time.)

Bob W._2

Sounds great....

try www.controlsdepot.com and see if they stock them.

Scott Toenniessen_2

Vents

Just as a side note, I have had good luck with the Maid O Mist #D on two hard to heat rads (second floor with long riser and third floor) in my house. They look like the Gortons. They are cheap at Home Depot - like $7 - I'll see how long they last.

Frank_6

maid of the mist

I've been replacing inoperative vents for the last few years with the maid of the mist vents. So far I've never had to replace one that was changed. What I like about them is that the orfice is changeable, so you can time the radiator for more or less heat by just swapping the nozzle. I use them in an appartment building, so ballancing the the heat between the apartments is easier this way. I also got those adjustable Heat-Timer units in a one family rental, once the tennant understands how they work, they are great for balancing heat. They cost like $23 here in NJ about 10 miles from where they make them, go figure! Frank