[mhudd100]

I've got a 100-year-old, 3-story house with a gas boiler, 6 zones, and many radiators. Three on the second floor do not get hot. They probably are in the same zone, but honestly, it's hard to know where all the pipes go.

The boiler is working. All Thermostats are working. Air in the radiators is not the problem. The main feed lines in the crawl space are hot as are the individual feed lines, but not the return pipe from the 'bad radiators. I cannot feel any heat at the base of the 'bad radiators' were the water comes in.

I have hot water in the horizontal feed lines in the crawl space, but not 12 feet up the vertical pipes in the wall.

All my pipes are galvanized steel. Age unknown. I suspect corrosion is the issue and dread replacing pipes in the wall. I see drain plugs on the vertical pipes. Could they save me? Maybe the crude/sludge can be drained/removed there?

Could I drain the 'bad radiators' and ream out the vertical feed pipes? use a cleaning agent?

Yes. I want a quick, easy, cheap, short term fix. If that's not available what should I replace the galvanized pipes with? Pex?

Thanks in advance, Mike

 

[jmon]

Please post some pics of your boiler. If all 3 radiators are on the same zone it may be a failing circulator.


thats why some pics would help. some have one main circulator, others have one for each zone.

 

[mhudd100]

I'm having trouble getting you a good pic. The system is large, due to all the pipes. I have a Peerless PF-210 gas feed boiler. My system has a water pipe leaving the boiler. It splits into six pipes, each with it's own circulating pump.

I'm sure the problem is not any of the six circulating pumps. I can feel the pipes going to and leaving the pumps. They all are hot.

The 'bad radiators' are 20-40 yards away from the boiler. (it's a big house)

I can follow the pipes. They are hot. The feeder pipes leaving the main lines are hot. I lose access to pipes when they go up into the wall. I find them again as they enter the radiators. The pipes feeding the 'bad radiators' are cold.

 

[mhudd100]

here are some pictures of the Peerless system.

 

[Old Thomas]

Convection can make pipes hot quite a way from the heat source without any circulation. I would suspect a turned off valve, faulty circulator, or faulty solenoid valve.

 

[BrisVease]

It will be much easier for you to just replace the radiators since repairing them can be much more expensive than you think. Especially now, there are many radiator options available to you. When I was doing repairs in my apartment, I also decided to change radiators, as the old ones did not give the right heat. I used a radiator outlet, with the help of which I was able to find the right option. What do you think about it?

 

[supers05]

It will be much easier for you to just replace the radiators since repairing them can be much more expensive than you think. Especially now, there are many radiator options available to you.

Welcome to the forums. You'll want to note the date of the OP before replying. This thread has been dead for over 2 years. Replacing baseboards isn't the solution either.