Steam Radiator Valves

RH

Does anyone know a good resource where I can buye those adjustable steam release valves for a 1 pipe radiator. The ones I have are pretty old and still hiss and squeal like crazy even after cleaning them. I have several different sized radiators in my house as well. Any brand better than another?? THANKS

Hal

Allow me to test what I've learned from the pros here and from Dan's books before you get a more experienced reply from a pro:

The hissing is not a function of the vent itself, but rather a matter of balancing the venting throughout the system.

There may also be an issue of water in your system, which is another can of worms entirely. It could be as simple as the pitch of your radiator, or it could be events at your boiler. As Dan says, 'it depends'.

Most of the recommendations for vents I've read here are for Gortons.

Hal

Steamhead

Most supply houses

carry those vents. But before rushing out to buy some, you also need to consider the vents at the ends of the steam mains. If these are missing or too small, the radiator vents will be overworked and fail sooner than they should.

The steam mains should vent out in about a minute, measured from the moment the boiler starts sending steam into the pipes. Then the steam can rise to each radiator at the same time.

Most American vent makers- Dole, Gorton, Hoffman, Maid-o-Mist and Vent-Rite are the ones I know- make good equipment. Gorton and Maid-o-Mist don't make adjustable radiator vents but the others do. Gorton makes the biggest main vents I know of, and this is why I recommend them.

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Albert_2

How to check if the valve is OK?

Valves on some radiators in my house let steam out constantly. But valves on some radiators "click" occasionally and let some steam out. I am adding water to the boiler frequently. I want to know how steam valves work and how to find out if the valves operate properly.

Robert O'Connor_3

Albert

Do yourself a favor and buy yourself a present. Pick up a copy of Dan's book "The Lost Art of Steam Heating" (click on books and more). It will tell you everything (and then some) you ever wanted to know about steam heat including radiators, vents, valves, piping, pressure, etc. It won't turn you into a pro but if you like to understand how the thing works this book will do it.

John Maywalt

steam valves

my one pipe steam radiators have adjustible valves numbered 1-10. What do I set them on? Does one mean more or less heat than 10? Thank you.

kevin coppinger_4

actually I was.......

thinking that Dan's new book "We Got Steam Heat" be better.

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Doug S

I think

they complement each other and I'm glad I have both. At 60 bucks for the pair, you can't miss!

Steamhead

The ones that constantly release steam

are bad and you need to replace them. But if a vent releases a bit of steam and then shuts again, it's reacting to the temperature within the vent and is OK.

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Steamhead

Those are probably Dole #1A vents

Assuming the vents on your steam mains are sized properly (most aren't from what I've seen) you set them to a higher number on larger radiators since these have more air to vent.

Setting these vents on a system with improper, bad or missing main vents can be a nightmare. Start with your main vents. Measure the length and diameter of each steam main (outside diameter of the pipe is fine) and tell us what vent is on it. We'll know for sure that way.

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Josh

thermostatic vents for one pipe systems

I'd like to replace all of the old radiator vents on my one-pipe system, but I can't find any vents like I want. The vents I'm seeing at DIY stores (and plumbing supply houses) are all cheap looking things, many marked "Taiwan" on the bottom. I'm looking for vents like I've seen in Europe: nicely made, and with a temperature dial marked in degrees versus an arbitrary 1-10 scale. As I understand it, this should allow me to set each radiator so that it fills with steam and heats the room until the desired temperature is reached, then it should close the valve and stop the flow of steam to that radiator. This should help me save energy because it should give me a way to set an unused room to 50 degrees instead of just off or on. Is there anything like this available in USA? At the very least, can someone recommend a higher quality US product?

Steamhead

Danfoss

makes them, and I think Honeywell and Tunstall do too.

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Ed_14

Thermostatic Valves

I am trying to find the same type of valve. I found one at http//honeywellwatercontrols.com/html/thermostaticradiatorvalves.htm Hope it helps.

Josh

purchase thermostatic vents online

Looks like both Honeywell and Danfoss have the right stuff. Does anyone know of a website that sells these products online? About how much should they cost?