Cleaning Steam Radiators

Matt_28

I assume this is the steam section you are having radiator issues with? If so, your vents could be clogged. Test each one individully by unscrewing the air vent to make sure steam is reaching the end of the radiators. Be careful when doing this since the steam is hot. Get ready to put the air vent back on quickly or shut down the system once you see steam. If it is the vents, then cleaning them in a pot of boiling vinegar can often work or just replace.

Also, if you boiler pressure is reaching 4-5 psi and you have the settings you mention something is not working right. It should be shutting down at about 1.5 psi.

I am only a homeowner, so my opinion comes from what I have read here on the wall. Take it as you will.

Matt

Rob Brown_2

Cleaning Steam Radiators

I live in Northern New Jersey. I am looking for a services that performs steam radiator cleaning. I just had a new Lennox 150k BTU steam boiler installed to heat my Cape Cod style home. The system is also set up with a hot water loop to supply heat to hot water baseboard system heating a ground level addition on the house. I just had the company that installed boiler out to the house as the radiators were taking a long time to heat up. The cut in is set to 1/2 psi with a 1 psi differential. The service tech believes that the radiators are clogged and need cleaning as the supply line and valve is getting hot quickly but it is taking significant amount of time to get heat to the opposite side of medium and large size radiators in certain rooms. Also the boiler pressure is reaching around 4 to 5 psi and he informed that a steam boiler should really operate at no pressure or at minimum less than 2 psi due to the hot water loop. He flushed the boiler and the hot water loop. He then recommended taking out the radiators and cleaning them and/or having them replaced. 1. Does this sound right? and 2. If it does, does any one know of such a service company in the Northern New Jersey area. Thanks.