Radiator wont heat up?

GordonAlexander

Help! I've bought and read Dan's books and im stumped. Bought a house with no radiator in one bedroom. Pulled up floor, found capped pipes (2-pipe steam system). Installed radiator. Radiator won't take on steam after the first use of the season unless i install a bleeder valve on the radiator. Steam trap is brand new (and replaced twice to be sure). Hot-leg valve is good. If I open the return and pour water into it it runs down to the cellar return. BUT, if i pour water in and then blow into the return like a straw, I can hear just a bit of bubbling sound as if im forcing air through a water block. Return pipe is horizontal, I've cranked the pitch up to about 1.5 inches on 4 ft of pipe, so its not the pitch. Pipe runs horiz from the vertical coming off the radiator, then turns 180 degrees through a vertical C (pair of els), then turns vertical and drops 2 stories to cellar. No "U" shaped or invert-U shaped sections on the run. Ideas?

Unknown

A million questions.

> Help! I've bought and read Dan's books and im

> stumped. Bought a house with no radiator in one

> bedroom. Pulled up floor, found capped pipes

> (2-pipe steam system). Installed radiator.

> Radiator won't take on steam after the first use

> of the season unless i install a bleeder valve on

> the radiator. Steam trap is brand new (and

> replaced twice to be sure). Hot-leg valve is

> good. If I open the return and pour water into

> it it runs down to the cellar return. BUT, if i

> pour water in and then blow into the return like

> a straw, I can hear just a bit of bubbling sound

> as if im forcing air through a water block.

> Return pipe is horizontal, I've cranked the pitch

> up to about 1.5 inches on 4 ft of pipe, so its

> not the pitch. Pipe runs horiz from the vertical

> coming off the radiator, then turns 180 degrees

> through a vertical C (pair of els), then turns

> vertical and drops 2 stories to cellar. No "U"

> shaped or invert-U shaped sections on the run.

> Ideas?

Unknown

A million questions.

Try this, first.

Uncap the return only, and thread ball valve on there.

Open the valve wide, and fire up the system, and see if steam eventually comes out. That's why we put the valve on.

If only air comes out, hard at first, then tapers off to being neutral, mostly, it's a good thing.

If steam comes out after a little or a long while, it's not so good a lot.

It means some place in the building, steam is pressureizing the returns. That is a problem whether you add the radiators, or not.

Come back after, you likely can do what you want.

If everything is already installed, shut off a radiator valve and then pull the cover off the trap on it's outlet, IF IT ISN'T HOT.

There is a smaller opening, but if steam comes out, throw a very big thirsty (old) towel over it and SHUT OF THE BOILER FAST. The same rules apply.

Also, see if any OLD components have names and numbers on them.

Noel