No heat from radiators.

Phil Davis

I recently purchased a home that was built in 1890. It has the 1 pipe cast iron radiators. The system is fired by a gas furnace and the house is 3 stories with radiators on each floor.
My first question is how do I tell if the system is hot water or steam?
Secondly, there are over a half dozen radiators that do not heat at all, while a couple put out too much heat.
Finally, about half of the radiators have an air vent and the others don't seem to have any. Is this normal?

Mike T., Swampeast MO

Do you see things that look like big bullets on the ends of raadiators? If so, it's steam.

First thing to check if steam is to ensure that the hand valves are functional and either fully open or fully closed. Steam valve on one-pipe systems MUST NOT be in-between.