valve open or closed?

adam_8

I am completely ignorant of heating systems, so please forgive if this question is very basic:

I live in a rental apartment in an old building, with one-pipe steam radiators in each of the rooms. There is a valve on each radiator that can be turned either toward "open" or "closed". If I turn the valve toward "open," I can hear steam circulating through the radiator and it heats up; however, water begins to drip from the pipe. The water stops when I close the valve, but so does the steam and the heat. What am I supposed to do?

tommyoil

Adam

My first choice (of course) is to give the landlord a call and see if he wants you to touch it just in case hes a P.I.T.A and might try to blame you for whatever. That said, it should not be a big deal. If the water is dripping from the valve stem ( the stem where the turning part is inserted into the valve body) possibly a tightening with an adjustable wrench will do. Half way open/close the valve BEFORE you attempt to tighten. DO NOT overtighten and crack the nut. If it will not tighten, try to loosen(ever so gently) maybe with a little w-d 40 to help you out. Then tighten accordingly WITHOUT overtightening. If water still drips with bonnett nut tightened, it needs to be re-packed. Still not a big deal. Re-Open/close the valve. If its the union ( the bigger hex nut looking connection) it will be the connection between the valve and the radiator in which case you'll need a pipe wrench to tighten that. Before you do anything, visually inspect valve closely for any cracks and such on anything that looks like a nut. Dont go crazy tightening like Hercules, its only brass. IT WILL BREAK! If you have any problems, just re-post and we'll talk you through. Just be patient. Worse case is replace the valve. Keep us posted.