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December 11, 2007
Radiator Air Valve Question
I have a one pipe steam heat system in a 2 story house. The upstairs is consistently about 6 degrees colder. Currently, I have Maid-o-Mist #4 air valves on the first floor and Maid-O-Mist #5 valves on the second floor. Would I benefit from installing #6, C or D valves on the second floor? Should I consider TRV's for the colder areas? Any other ideas?
I should mention that the basement mains are insulated and properly vented.
Thanks in advance...
Comments
There was an earlier thread today with the opposite problem. Before you play around with the valves, make sure your radiators are the proper sizes for your rooms, that they all get hot, and that you don't have any serious heat loss due to drafts. Once you've done that, then play around with the valves to tweak the system a bit.
If I'm wrong about all this, I am sure Master Plvmber will correct me. Go to heatinghelp.com for a sizing chart.
Posted by: slopefarm at December 11, 2007 8:52 PM
Thanks for the reply. I did insulate and weather stripped the area leading up to the attic hatch. Previously the area in question was about 10 degrees colder so the insulation obviously helped. Also, all of the radiators do get hot.
As for the radiator sizes, I truly hope it doesn't come down to increasing the size of the radiators.
Posted by: pwhite at December 11, 2007 9:08 PM
As a general rule, where it's colder you want to increase the vent size and vice versa. Try it, no harm done and the valves are cheap.
Actually balancing a steam system is pretty complex, but you seem to have only 2 floor=4 radiators? Not too much to play around with.
Posted by: cmu at December 11, 2007 9:52 PM
Right. 4 radiators total for living space and 1 small radiator for the hallway/stairway.
I guess I'll try stepping up to a #6 upstairs, but will wit to see if Master Plvmber kicks in his 2 cents.
Thanks for the comments so far...
Posted by: pwhite at December 11, 2007 10:26 PM
Try Gorton #D in the colder areas. That's right. I said NUMBER D.
(Their terminology, not mine)
TRVs only limit how hot a room gets, they won't make a room warmer.
As a previous poster said: Balancing a house is not easy. Sometimes you have to vent the risers to get the steam where you want it first.
Posted by: Master Plvmber at December 11, 2007 10:58 PM
Gotcha. I'll give that a try before doing anything more drastic.
I appreciate all of the responses...
Posted by: pwhite at December 12, 2007 10:03 AM
Good luck. I hope you don't need to change radiators, either, but you may still want to do a rough calculation so you know if that is part of your problem, even if you can work around the problem with less costly and intrusive solutions.
A follow-up for Master Plvmber,
I am doing some fine tuning on the balance by experimenting with different vents. I have an undersized radiator in one corner of a lower floor. If I go to a Gorton C or D, will I divert too much from going up the riser to teh top floor? I can live with a bit less heat at the top, but not none, and it seems once I put a C on the lower radiator, the upper on the same riser (two flights up) is no longer getting hot.
Posted by: slopefarm at December 12, 2007 1:02 PM
Slopefarm, it seems to me like there's not one thing you're going to do to balance that riser.
You may have to put the C vent on the lower small radiator and then add a vent to the same riser near the ceiling on the floor above.
It may be that the C vent is diverting all of the steam to the branch and leaving little for the riser until the C vent closes. By then the thermostat may be satisfied and shut off the boiler.
You've got to split the distribution better.
Posted by: Master Plvmber at December 12, 2007 3:28 PM
insulate the space between the ceiling and the roof - if you can get to it. a lot of heat escapes through the top of the house.
Posted by: guest at December 12, 2007 5:56 PM
The "Attic" area is somewhat insulated, but I do realize that at some point I will need to improve on it as the layer of insulation (Blown in) is not quite as thick as I think it should be.
As for the #D Valves, can somebody point me to a local reseller in the Park Slope/Windsor Terrace area?
Thanks...
Posted by: pwhite at December 12, 2007 6:42 PM
dear master plumber, could we vent the riser by adding a T before the radiator valve on the top floor, and placing a large gorton vent in the T? we don't have access to tap the riser in the apartment just below the top floor.
thank you as always for your generous knowledge!
Posted by: guest at June 30, 2008 9:31 PM
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