replacement steam baseboard

Charlie Corkery

My plumber just installed a 12 foot section of cast iron baseboard to replace a steam raditor in my living room, 2 line system.
It will not get hot. Steam only rises to the first couple of inches on the top of the cast iron. If we leave the thermostat on 73 or higher just to keep the boiler on, steam eventualy comes up the return line and starts heating the cast iron rad on that side. He has an air vent on the return side, but open or closed it does nothing.We had no problems with the old raditor, nor do we have any problems with the others in the house. Should I look for a steam pro in my area??

Constantin

Is the main vented properly?

If the air in the main does not move out of the way of the approaching steam, nothing will make that rad heat properly. Did the plumber remove any vents on the piping ahead or behind the radiator? If the mains piping and venting hasn't changed, then the fault should be with the baseboard itself.

I'd check the vent on the baseboard. If the vent is clogged, that would explain the lack of steam inside the radiator. Perhaps one of the steam luminaries here can help you further!

Charlie Corkery

Steam baseboards

Thanks for the quick reply, I watched this guy do the install. All he did was remove the old pipes and repiped to accomadate the new 12 foot cast iron section. He did not touch any vents, before or after the rad. I checked the steam vent on the return line and it's working ok, not clogged. The main vent works fine also. The system has two other smaller vents, also in the basement, one is directly after the feed for this radiator, and the other is right after the last feed before it returns to the bolier. Both of these pass the air, I can hear it at different times.Any more thoughts??