In-Airid air valves

Dave Stroman

Hey steam guys- Ever run into these air valves? Found a photo of one in my old Ideal Fitter book by American Radiator. What do you do when you need to replace them?

Dave in Denver

Gilbert Buras_2

In Air Rids

I'm no steam expert, but I just replaced 8 of these in their original 1913 installation here in the house my great grandfather built. With the help of the guys on this website and Dan Holohan’s “We Got Steam Heat” , here’s what I learned:

You’ve got to bang those things out of the radiator with a big wrench and a mallet. Get a rhythm going and they come out.

You’ll be surprised at the contraption once you get it out. There’s a picture of it in “We Got Steam Heat”, if you want to spoil the fun.

I looked at those things for an hour trying to figure out what the big spring did and how the thing operated. After much reading and pondering this is what I concluded: The big spring and cap on the end act as a plug on the radiator’s upper section when the unit is installed. This forces the steam to wind through the tubes pushing the air ahead of it until it gets to the top of the last tube. (These radiators could be used in hot water systems, which I take it is the reason for the big fittings on top.)

When I put the Gortons on, I got a couple of bushings and I put them where the In-Air Rids were. But after more reading I concluded that this is the wrong place. Once the In-Air Rids are out, the internal plug for the top section is missing. My radiators were only getting hot at the top because the steam was heading straight for the valve and not through the tubes.

If you don’t reinstall the In-Air Rids, the new air valve should be on the boss on the end tube that’s about 3/4 of the way down, not at the top. I just bought all the hardware today and am moving all the Gortons down and waiting for a cold front to test my theory. By the way, don’t bother with a screwdriver on the screw on that boss. Grab it with channel lock pliers and it will twist right out.

If I got this right, it’s only because of this website. Without these guys and their expertise, my contractor would have installed a new boiler 100,000 btus too big, the mains would have remained uninsulated, no Hartford Loop would have been installed because there wasn’t one to begin with, and the old Ideal main vents would still be in the pipes. Thank you to everyone on this site who helped me get this system up and running after 13 years non-use. If I got it wrong, it’s my own error.

Gilbert Buras_2

In Air Rids

I'm no steam expert, but I just replaced 8 of these in their original 1913 installation here in the house my great grandfather built. With the help of the guys on this website and Dan Holohan’s “We Got Steam Heat” , here’s what I learned:

You’ve got to bang those things out of the radiator with a big wrench and a mallet. Get a rhythm going and they come out.

You’ll be surprised at the contraption once you get it out. There’s a picture of it in “We Got Steam Heat”, if you want to spoil the fun.

I looked at those things for an hour trying to figure out what the big spring did and how the thing operated. After much reading and pondering this is what I concluded: The big spring and cap on the end act as a plug on the radiator’s upper section when the unit is installed. This forces the steam to wind through the tubes pushing the air ahead of it until it gets to the top of the last tube. (These radiators could be used in hot water systems, which I take it is the reason for the big fittings on top.)

Based on what I read here I decided to replace the In Air Rids with Gortons (I remembered the old vents spitting water 40 years ago when I was a kid) When I put the Gortons on, I got a couple of bushings and I put them where the In-Air Rids were. But after more reading I concluded that this is the wrong place. Once the In-Air Rids are out, the internal plug for the top section is missing. My radiators were only getting hot at the top because the steam was heading straight for the valve and not through the tubes.

If you don’t reinstall the In-Air Rids, the new air valve should be on the boss on the end tube that’s about 3/4 of the way down, not at the top. I just bought all the hardware today and am moving all the Gortons down and waiting for a cold front to test my theory. By the way, don’t bother with a screwdriver on the screw on that boss. Grab it with channel lock pliers and it will twist right out.

If I got this right, it’s only because of this website. Without these guys and their expertise, my contractor would have installed a new boiler 100,000 btus too big, the mains would have remained uninsulated, no Hartford Loop would have been installed because there wasn’t one to begin with, and the old Ideal main vents would still be in the pipes. Thank you to everyone on this site who helped me get this system up and running after 13 years non-use. If I got it wrong, it’s my own error.