Steam heat radiator issue

My tenant complained some of the steam heat radiators are not hot. The apt is on the top floor. Per the tenant when the heat is on the middle room’s heater is burning hot. The other rooms heaters are only 50% hot and towards the front of the house only 75% hot. The boiler is towards the back of the home. I need some recommendation how to resolve this issue.

Guest User | 7 years and 3 months ago

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Guest User | 7 years and 3 months ago

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Thank for taking the time to write suggestions and offer assistance. After speaking to the tenant in more details it turns out they just wants us to turn the heat up higher. No issues with some heaters hotter than others.

eman134 | 7 years and 3 months ago

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Drop me a line at errol832000@hotmail.com I design, install and troubleshoot gas fired hydronic and steam heating systems. I could swing by and take a look. Is this a recent development or has this always been problem?

slopefarm | 7 years and 3 months ago

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Well, Master Plvmber is always right.

But as a cheapskate homeowner, I always try a little cheap and safe troubleshooting first. Usually I learn something about what is going on and have more to tell the plumber when I call. Try putting a Gorton C or D vent on the poorly-heating radiators (change the vent when the system is cold and use teflon tape on the threads). See if that makes a dent in your problem or not.

Also, how is the heat in your radiators on the lower levels that are connected to the front and back risers (ie those feeding the radiators that are not fully heating up)?

Do the radiators your tenant is complaining about eventually heat up, just more slowly, or do they never fully heat up no matter how long the heat is on?

Master Plvmber | 7 years and 3 months ago

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It sounds like your boiler may very well be too small for the system it serves, or for some reason its output has been diminished or reduced. The only way to really know is to do the math calculating all the combined potential output of all the connected pipes and radiators attached to the system. It’s called an EDR (equivalent direct radiation) calculation. www.72fLLC.com

empathie00 | 7 years and 3 months ago

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Agree with replacing the vents, or at least making sure none of them are blocked (I one managed to drip a small drop of paint exactly on the valve opening … I didnt even notice until the next winter when my radiator wasnt getting hot; finally figured out what had happened and as soon as I scraped the paint off, the radiator blew out a bunch of air and got super hot again!) Also, yes, check the pitch. Water may be pooling b/c it’s not draining properly back into the system; once that builds up enough not only are you at risk for a leak, but it blocks the new steam from entering. The OCD part of me hates that all my rads are at imperfect angles 😉 but it does help – you can put small blocks, pipes or shims under the side opposite the feeder pipe. In one case all it took (thanks to my boiler tech) was a single quarter. Last option, if that doesnt work, would be to have your tech rebalance the system so you’re getting more pressure toward the front of the house (if that’s where the issue is) . We had the opposite problem as you – radiators at front ground level getting way too hot to quickly, and leaking – the tech slowed down the system in the front of the house but kept it the same in the back and voilà — everything now working perfectly. Good luck!

Rick | 7 years and 3 months ago

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Check to be sure that the radiator is shimmed so water drains back when cold. The radiator can be full of water at the bottom, preventing steam from entering the radiator. Check the vent too. If old, replace it . Top floor radiators should have a large opening to get quicker response . I like Gorton vents , they are high quality .