Uneven Radiator Heat
The back ground floor apartment in my brownstone and the apartment above it have the same problem: barely half the (steam heat) radiator slats get hot. The rest of the radiator slats are hardly warm or they are cold. There are two radiators in each of those apartments. The radiators in the smaller third floor…
The back ground floor apartment in my brownstone and the apartment above it have the same problem: barely half the (steam heat) radiator slats get hot. The rest of the radiator slats are hardly warm or they are cold. There are two radiators in each of those apartments. The radiators in the smaller third floor apartment and in the other apartments in the building do better.
Before changing anything in the structure of the system, check to make sure the boiler is firing with a strong flame. The city uses PVC piping, which can cause debris to come down the line and clog the screens in the gas valve on the boiler, causing a weak flame.
9 times out of 10, the system has been in place for a while and things are pitched properly and so on. If the steam isn’t getting as far as the vent, it’s also unlikely the problem is there (since the vent needs to get hot in order to close). Make sure the vents are sized properly for the distance from the boiler (further from the boiler = larger vent).
Rule of thumb: start at the base of the system and check the simple and inexpensive things before moving on to the elaborate and expensive things.
Starfish:
I am guessing that your boiler is located closer to the front of the building than the rear, hence the front risers fill first.
If your boiler is old, it is probably inefficient at bringing up the heat quickly so the thermostat gets satisfied before the rear radiators even get any steam. I lived with an old boiler for years and when I finally changed it, the quality of the heat was astonishingly better. No more spikes of heat from Sahara to Antartica – even heat and better distributed.
Different valves can help with the boiler efficiency is a big part of the equation.
Maybe larger steam vents in the cooler radiators. Larger vents will allow air to vacate faster from what I am assuming may be the furthest radiators from the boiler and will allow them to get hot before the other radiators and rooms do – particularly the one with the thermostat in it (which in turn shuts the boiler down before steam has filled the furthest radiators).
Call me if you have any questions,
Steve
http://www.thetinkerswagon.com
Starfish, its either there is a problem with the amount of steam being generated or the system hasn’t been optimized properly. Steam radiators can get different valves on each of the radiators to release the air in the system and heat each radiator up properly. You don’t normally bleed a steam system as the valves do that each time the system heats up(when the valve gets heated to the appropriate temp it closes off and no more steam will reach that radiator). This something you can look off your self(when the heat is one remove the valve from one of the radiators not working properly – wear gloves and be prepared to put it back on. If steam is coming out get a new valve. If no steam then its a different problem. Any plumber who knows his steam heat can do this too.
How would peopes advice change if the system were hot water instead of steam? I have the same issue, but with hot water system which I already bled.
Didn’t notice the steam note; if it’s a closed system, there won’t even be bleed valves!
Yes, if you have water standing because of a lack of pitch, it could keep the new steam from filling the next cold chamber.
Rick,
so you’re saying that if there’s not enough pitch, that may be causing most of the radiator to not get hot.
Thanks. If that’s the problem it will be easy.
Check to be sure that the radiator has enough pitch so the condensed water can drain back in the system.