My 100 year old house have a single pipe steam heat system. The kitchen was expanded some years ago by a previous owner and the pipes were moved to accommodate the move of the radiator. This radiator never worked since.
This is the last radiator, on the first floor, away from the boiler. All radiators upstairs and downstairs works fine and efficient. Whole house is balanced and heats up evenly.
I changed the vent, check the pitch of the radiator for the water to return to the pipe, etc. Nothing. If I open up the radiator, even after it was cold for a long time, lots of water drains out of the radiator. Once drained of water, it will work for the 1st or 2nd cycle of steam, until it gets filled again and then the steam pressure will force the water spitting out the vent and will not heat the subsequent cycles.
The pitch for the 25" long radiator is 1.5" high at the valve end. The pipe that leads from the main to the radiator is about 10 feet. The 10 feet of pipe only 2 feet or so until someone extended it to move the radiator. The pitch at this pipe is better than 1". Looks like I am doing every thing right.
Is it possible the radiator is nice and big in a room that is the most leaky, and coldest, have steam condensing into water at a rate too fast for it to drain? i.e. The pipe is too small and quickly overwhelm by the water. I would doubt it is a case of vacuum lock. The vent would allow air into the far end to let the water drain.
When I first bought the house, 18 years ago, I cranked the pressure up to 20 psi, then 10, then 5, and now, I am running it at 3-5 psi. Yes, high pressure causes all sort of weird problems. I want to go lower psi but the adjustment is at the very low end and no longer consistent and repeatable. I can set it to 2 psi but often, the boiler just shuts off and stays off. The spring tension that loads the adjustment arm is practically at zero. So, I suspect the boiler/system for this house was designed to run around 3-5 psi. I leave it a bit less than 5 because it is as low as I can set it. The system has worked fine for the last 18 years, except for THAT radiator.
I lived with a slightly chilled kitchen all these years by cranking up the heat in the adjacent rooms. Now I am thinking of experimenting with a chunk of pipe in place of the radiator. With a smaller “radiator”, the rate of condensing water may be less and drain faster. You think?
WHAT KIND OF THREAD SHOULD I TAP INTO THE HOLE that I attach the vent, which is *** NPT? I measured the vent. I.D. is ¼ inch. O.D. is 3/8 inch, tapered.
Another very remote option is to restore the radiator back to where it was originally. It would put it near the middle of the tiny room. I can tuck it next to a kitchen cabinet. Far from the cold side of the room but better than nothing.
This is the last radiator, on the first floor, away from the boiler. All radiators upstairs and downstairs works fine and efficient. Whole house is balanced and heats up evenly.
I changed the vent, check the pitch of the radiator for the water to return to the pipe, etc. Nothing. If I open up the radiator, even after it was cold for a long time, lots of water drains out of the radiator. Once drained of water, it will work for the 1st or 2nd cycle of steam, until it gets filled again and then the steam pressure will force the water spitting out the vent and will not heat the subsequent cycles.
The pitch for the 25" long radiator is 1.5" high at the valve end. The pipe that leads from the main to the radiator is about 10 feet. The 10 feet of pipe only 2 feet or so until someone extended it to move the radiator. The pitch at this pipe is better than 1". Looks like I am doing every thing right.
Is it possible the radiator is nice and big in a room that is the most leaky, and coldest, have steam condensing into water at a rate too fast for it to drain? i.e. The pipe is too small and quickly overwhelm by the water. I would doubt it is a case of vacuum lock. The vent would allow air into the far end to let the water drain.
When I first bought the house, 18 years ago, I cranked the pressure up to 20 psi, then 10, then 5, and now, I am running it at 3-5 psi. Yes, high pressure causes all sort of weird problems. I want to go lower psi but the adjustment is at the very low end and no longer consistent and repeatable. I can set it to 2 psi but often, the boiler just shuts off and stays off. The spring tension that loads the adjustment arm is practically at zero. So, I suspect the boiler/system for this house was designed to run around 3-5 psi. I leave it a bit less than 5 because it is as low as I can set it. The system has worked fine for the last 18 years, except for THAT radiator.
I lived with a slightly chilled kitchen all these years by cranking up the heat in the adjacent rooms. Now I am thinking of experimenting with a chunk of pipe in place of the radiator. With a smaller “radiator”, the rate of condensing water may be less and drain faster. You think?
WHAT KIND OF THREAD SHOULD I TAP INTO THE HOLE that I attach the vent, which is *** NPT? I measured the vent. I.D. is ¼ inch. O.D. is 3/8 inch, tapered.
Another very remote option is to restore the radiator back to where it was originally. It would put it near the middle of the tiny room. I can tuck it next to a kitchen cabinet. Far from the cold side of the room but better than nothing.