Steam radiators not hot

In case anyone was wondering, I had the guys from Parkset Plumbing come out and they fixed my issue. They replaced a few of the radiator vents in several rooms, giving more heat to the back rooms that were cool and reducing heat to the room that has the thermostat. Now it works much better. I really didn’t think it was a radiator vent problem because it was all working fine last year but I guess I was wrong…

MDR

in General Discussion 1 year and 2 months ago

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MDR | 1 year and 5 months ago

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We live in a brownstone with a one-pipe steam system and it usually works great. Early in the fall, when we first needed heat the gas valve at the boiler was making a loud buzzing sound so we had it serviced to replace the valve. They suggested that they also do some maintenance of the boiler and they flushed it really well and replaced some smaller pipes that had become clogged with sediment. After that, we needed heat only occasionally and the house has been warm enough but the radiators at the back of the house do not get hot. I assumed that when it got colder and we needed more heat they would all warm up but they have not. I do hear a little hissing of the vents occasionally but no heat. Anybody know what would cause this?

Guest User | 1 year and 5 months ago

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Ideally, your vents should not be hissing. Pictures of radiators, vents and location references would be helpful. Plumbers here may tell you to hire a licensed plumber to make any adjustments on this system. That is extreme. While some work on this system should be done by a licensed pro only, I can tell you from much experience that I correct licensed pros about these kinds of issues often. The plumbers on this forum seem generally more informed than average. But average and sub average plumbers in this city (even if licensed) should probably not be hired to work on these systems if you don’t want to waste money and possibly create additional problems

MDR | 1 year and 5 months ago

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The plumbing company that I usually use is good and I have a call in to them but they’re very busy now. I was just hoping someone knew of the likely cause of this problem I’m having. By the way, the vents are not really hissing, it’s more like a quiet wheezing when the boiler is running.

justinromeu26 | 1 year and 5 months ago

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Is the thermostat at the front of the house? I wonder if the room where the thermostat is is heating up before the back of the house has a chance get warm and thus shutting the boiler down to soon.

It sounds like everything is working as it should. Something is off a little.

Also, how is water level? I might be wrong to suggest water level but because i do not know what happens if it is say a little low, i can’t say. But with expensive equipment, it does not hurt to check.