Air vent fills with water

Mark Eatherton1

checkers under the legs opposite the steam inlet to give it some pitch. Black ones look better than red ones, but either will work.

Also, are you sure your manual make up valve isn't bleeding through? I washed (inadvertently) out a system a few years ago. Cost me a new carpet in the basement from all the rust that wouldn't come out with steam cleaning...

Let us know what you find. The radiator should have a good pitch on it towards the steam inlet/condensate outlet. In other words, the tapped end should be low.

ME

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Rob Afzal

air vent fills with water

I have a one-pipe steam system from circa 1926. The radiators are "water-type" not column. I recently changed out the air vents in most of the radiators and installed the Hoffman 1A vent. One of the airvents, the one on the radiator nearest the thermostat, so it affects the heating of the whole house, fills with water and then doesn't vent properly the next time the boiler kicks in. The radiator then doesn't get hot all the way, and the whole house get warm just to finally trip the thermostat. I've checked the radiator pitch and it is level. Should there be any residual condensate in the air vents after boiler cycling? Should I increase the radiator pitch? If so, to what? Or is there a better draining vent I should install? Thanks for any helpful suggestions.

Rob Afzal

I shimmed up the radiator on one side with some small pieces of wood, about the thickness of a checker, and although that improved the pitch, the issue remains. I'm less convinced it's residual water in the vent though. For some reason that vent, after one or two cycles gets obstructed. I can even remove the cap and blow air into the vent, it clears and works properly. I switched the vent with another one from another radiator (Hoffman 1A as well) and the problem so far seems to be with the radiator not the vent. I keep that vent on that radiator fully open. Is it possible it vents too quickly? Any possible causes for the pin in the vent to get hung up?

Thanks,
RSA

N T Bourret

air vent fills with water


I've had similar problem and traced the piping back to basement. Found an offset that had settled over the years
and was causing a pocket for accumalation of condensate.
Repair of back pitch cured the problem.