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steam heat

2K views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  H. Phillips 
#1 ·
only a portion of my radiator gets hot
 
#4 · (Edited)
This may or may not be a problem. If you have hot water heat (two pipes on the radiator) it IS a problem.

May not be a problem: Your thermostat reaches the ordered temperature before the radiator has time to heat all the way across - then your boiler shuts off.

May be a problem: (single-pipe info) Is your boiler still running, but the radiator is only partially hot? If yes, you have a problem.

Are your supply valves all the way open? With single pipe heat, are your main vents working? The radiator might be gunked up - when's the last time you blew down your boiler? Is it pitched correctly? The vent may not be working correctly. Properly functioning vents to no whistle, hiss, or spit. If it's not venting efficiently or quickly enough you have the same situation as 'may not be a problem' (this can be corrected and you can heat your space faster and by burning less oil).

On the coldest day of the year all your radiators should get 'hot' at the same time. If your boiler is still sending heat your radiator should heat all the way across.

I reccomend going to www.heatinghelp.com it is the BEST site for information about steam heating. Read Dan Holohan's books.
 
#5 ·
thanks for the info

Things seem to go better last night. I usually keep the thermostat on 62 deg.
but last night I turned it up to 64 and all the radiators kicked on at the same time and heated all the way thru.
Not sure if that was the problem-thermostat too low? The pipes in the basement are rapped so they shouldn't be cold enough to slow the steam.
any help?
 
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