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steam heat problems

6K views 8 replies 7 participants last post by  AllanJ 
#1 ·
Info: old house, one pipe steam heat, no main vents .

Problems: radiators hissing, build up of water in radiator vents, ,house heating unevenly.

Would not just having the Main Vents be the fix for everything? if not, what else could be the problems.

Thanks Alan
 
#3 ·
Info: old house, one pipe steam heat, no main vents .

Problems: radiators hissing, build up of water in radiator vents, ,house heating unevenly.

Would not just having the Main Vents be the fix for everything? if not, what else could be the problems.

Thanks Alan
Make sure the steam pressure is turned down low. You probly have a small gray pressuretrol there are 2 settings the scale on the front (set to .5) and another dial on the inside set as low as it will go. There are may additional things but lets see what this was set at 1st.
 
#9 · (Edited)
Are the air vents in each radiator working properly?

The vent is supposed to be open most of the time. When the heating system starts up, steam won't come up into the radiator unless it can push any air out (through the vent). Once the radiator fills up with uncondensed steam (which won't happen until the radiator is good and hot) the steam will try to escape through the vent and the vent should now close itself. When the furnace cycles off and the steam condenses, suction should re-open the vent to let air back in.

By the way, if someone jarred or twisted the vent (valve) so it doesn't point up, it won't work properly.

"Horizontal" feed pipes going up to radiators in a one pipe system are supposed to be tilted slightly up towards each radiator. Settling of the house can cause tilting the other way and water from condensed steam collects and prevents steam from reaching that radiator. Banging noises at that radiator are usually the symptom. In some cases jacking up the radiator a half inch or maybe one inch and setting it on blocks will fix this problem.

Really old systems can have piping clogged with scaly rust. If this is the case you would have to replace the pipes. Some homeowners faced with this problem decommission the system, remove the radiators, and string new baseboard forced hot water pipes horizontally from room to room through the walls and down to a new furnace.
 
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