Steam Radiator with no heat.

chad444 · November 10

I am trying to troubleshoot why a radiator is not getting steam. Sending details here. The radiator is on 2nd floor of the house. The steam pipe that is feeding the radiator was reconfigured years ago. The steam pipe is either 1.5" or 2" There is a horizontal run in the basement that is ~10 ft long and the pipe is pitched downward not upward and has a drop of about 1" (going from the main across the basement ceiling over to the wall where it goes up).

So I am wondering if this is definitely the issue and if so what is the correct pitch in the pipe needing to be?

There is also a very old shutoff valve at the radiator that I was going to replace but I am thinking that this is not an issue as no heat is even getting upstairs.

Here are a few photos.

Thank you in advance for any suggestions.

ethicalpaul · November 10

The horizontal section is pitched down away from the boiler? It needs to be pitched so that the water runs freely back to the boiler.

Does it make a banging noise?

Two inches or even 1-1/2 is really big for a radiator supply pipe. How big is this radiator?

109A_5 · November 10

Hello chad444,

If I understand the pictures correctly and assuming the floor joists are level it looks like the end (of the horizontal radiator runout pipe) near the wall is lower than the end near the main pipe. The end near the wall is probably full of water cutting off the steam flow. If you shorten the vertical pipes at either or both ends so the pipe is pitched correctly the condensate can't puddle in a low spot, that will probably fix the issue.

Jamie Hall · November 10

A pipe pitched that much the wrong way likely won't bang — perverse of it. The reason being that at the far end it's really full of water, and banging will only happen when there is enough air (or steam) flow to drag the water along — if the pipe is full, it might as well be capped and the air or steam will go somewhere else instead.

chad444 · November 11

Thanks. Radiator is smaller size for a bedroom. Pic below.

ethicalpaul · November 11

I agree Jamie but I can’t judge the pitch from these photos so I can’t tell if the pipe is completely full

chad444 · November 11

To **** more info. The pipe is 1" lower on the side where it goes up to radiator.

109A_5 · November 11

Hello chad444,

As a test you could maybe raise the radiator a few inches. I would probably just fix the pipe pitch.

delcrossv · November 11

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1819290#Comment_1819290

Maybe. If the run is straight up. If the pipe doesn't lift easily, STOP.

Fixing the pitch is as easy as a Sawzall, a couple of nipples and a union. More straightforward IMO.

Union should be on the takeoff so the condensate gets past it easily

delcrossv · November 11

I assume you removed the vent to confirm no steam to the rad?

RTW · November 11

FYI to poster: My second-floor radiator just stopped heating up and is closest to the boiler while the other second floor radiator to the second bedroom furthest from the boiler heated up No Problem

Solution: I removed the radiator vent on problem radiator and it heated up. This happened yesterday - SUNDAY - with no access to my local plumbing supply shop. I then boiled the vent in white vinegar for 5 munutes or more, let cool, then reinstalled. The problem was fixed though I may invest in spare as a backup since Im not very thrilled with this vent - likely made in China designed to fail

Regards,

RTW

Steam Radiator with no heat.

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