hey all,

I’ve just moved into a 1905 limestone with a fairly old hot-water boiler system (not steam heat), and recently fired it up. The radiators on the parlor level and garden level seem to be heating up nicely, but the ones on the top floor are merely luke warm. There is a single thermostat for the whole house on the parlor level. The resuslt of this is that the top floor is pretty cold while the parlor is comortable. Any solutions/suggestions? Does the system need to be flushed out? All the valves on all the radiators are wide open, so why are they different temperatures?


What's Your Take? Leave a Comment

  1. If it’s a steam system, try installing air valves with bigger holes on the top floor. That way the steam will rush to the top faster.

  2. There are a lot of variables that you need to look at. First, make sure you bleed all the radiators, especially the ones on the top floor. Then, turn off the radiators on the parlor floor, push the thermostat up and see if the top floor radiators get warm. If you still are not getting heat on the top floor you need to call a plumber. You may need a new circulator pump or you may have some other problem