Steam radiators how do they work

On a one-pipe steam radiator it must be fully open or fully closed. Throttling the valve leaving it halfway open can lead to very noisy steam hammer.

The heat from a single-pipe steam radiator is controlled by restricting the air that can exit. Steam vents allow air to escape from the radiator but shut automatically when the radiator is full of steam. An air vent uses two mechanisms. The first is a bi-metallic strip made from two different metals, as the steam heats the valve it causes one metal to bend more closing the valve and is tuned to spring closed just below boiling point.

The second mechanism is an actuator filled with water and alcohol which is set to boil just below the temperature of the steam. When the liquid inside the actuator boils, it expands and thereby closes the vent, preventing steam from leaving the radiator. This violent interaction between the two warring states of H2O takes place and the dread noises are created.

To solve this problem, first, open your supply valve all the way to let the water drain out. If water remains inside, you'll need to disconnect the radiator body from the pipes and drain the water out.

Water remaining inside the radiator can cause serious problems down the road, so you'll want to address this as soon as possible. As the radiator body is often very heavy and since disconnecting it involves special tools and experience, this should be done by a professional or the building super.

If you've found an issue described above, or need any help in doing so, give us a call and we'll be happy to give you a hand. Steam radiators must be pitched slightly towards the supply valve so that the condensate can easily drain out from the radiator in other words, the air valve side of the radiator must be elevated slightly higher than the other side that is connected to the supply valve.

If the pitch is not enough to drain the water, the condensate will pool at the bottom of the radiator and block the entry of steam, causing the banging, clanging and other unpleasant noises. If you cannot tell by simply looking at it, you can check the pitch by placing a bubble level on top of the radiator.

It should be pitched towards the supply valve. If it isn't, carefully lift the end of the radiator that seats the air valve and try to elevate it by wedging a firm, flat piece of wood beneath the feet just enough to raise it slightly over the other end with the supply valve.

There's other ways that a radiator can be pitched the wrong way to cause problems, but this is the most common problem. This is a repair that should be performed by someone with experience, like your building super, so read this first. Condensate can be very corrosive to metal and eat away rubber gasket, washer and seal inside the valves. So, if you hear hammering, banging and other loud noises, and find that the pitch of your radiator is off or your supply valve is only partially turned, address this right away.

The longer that condensate sits idle inside your radiator, the more damage it can cause to its cast-iron body and valves, leading to unforeseeable water leaks and related expenses.

Problem 3: Hissing, spluttering or other strange noises. A normal radiator should not emit any noises. Any hissing, spluttering, spitting, gurgling, whistling or other strange noises should flag that something is wrong and needs to be looked at. Reason 1: Air Valve stuck open:. Air valves are meant to release air, but never any steam. Moreover, when air is released through air valve, it should exit quietly. If the air valve releases steam or makes strange noises like excessive hissing or whistling, it should signal that something is wrong with the air valve and that perhaps it is ready for replacement.

Ignoring these noises can be costly down the road. If the air valve is stuck open, you can clean it with vinegar and see if this works to remove any possible blockage. However, you may want to just replace it, especially since air valves are relatively inexpensive these days and easy to find a local hardware store. Reason 2: Air valve wrong size, type, pitch, etc. Gurgling or other spitting sounds may indicate that water is getting trapped inside the air valve.

Air valves should not leak or trap any water. If it does, it may be that the air valve is installed or positioned wrong, or is the wrong type for your radiator. The air valve should be connected to the radiator by screwing into the radiator body to create a snug, air tight seal.

Condensate may leak when the metal threads inside the radiator body are ruined and not holding tight, or if there's a mismatch with the threads on the air valve, leaving it wiggling loosely. Also, you will need to look at the orientation of your air valve. It must be positioned right-side up so that the air hole is pointing straight up, or on some valve types, turned to sit at the highest part of the body. An air valve shouldn't be leaning over or pointing sideways. Using the wrong air valve type can lead to similar issues.

There's different valves, for instance, with different shapes depending on where or how it screws into on the radiator. There's also different-sized air holes, depending on how far your radiator is from the boiler. So, if you're on the highest floor furthest from the boiler , the bigger the hole should be.

Conversely, the closer your radiator is to the boiler, such as an apartment on the first floor, the smaller the air hole should be. T he principle behind this setup is that every radiator in the system warms up at the same time and no apartment is overheated before another one starts to warm up.

Problem 4: Water leaking from the radiator. By far, the most common type of emergency call during the heating season is a water leak from a steam radiator. The lucky calls are from those who catch the leak quickly from their own radiator. But, more often are the calls from a distressed neighbor who lives below the leaking radiator and is finding the condensate winding its way - surprise! Damages to property and a neighbor's frustration may be reason enough for you to head out looking for possible leaks around your radiator, but the possibility that it can foster mold and mildew inside your apartment or within the cavity of the walls may seal the deal for you to proactively tackle this problem before it becomes progressively worse.

Take a look around your radiator. Are there any traces of water or moisture? The water may not be visible but if there is a leak, you're bound to see its damaging effects on the surrounding wall or on the floor beneath. It can look similar to the one in this photo, right at the supply valve shutoff:. Did you find replacement radiators that fit a decor? I think safety is really important. So I think that kind of thing is good to consider. I live in a colonial my upstairs is usually quite cool.

When I turned my heat on last week, I was so happy to have flowing and feeling really hot! What is the knob on the radiator near the floor for? I have never touched it. I have a home full of radiators but the boiler is no longer in the home. I would love to sell them if anyone out there would like to pick them up.

Very cheap. Just would like more room in the house. A furnace has been installed. This guide is amazing as to figure out the solution for a problem long been in the homes—one room is extra hot than other rooms. With this, one can install the right system according to the requirement and size of the room. Yes, I have seen cast-iron radiators installed in an old fireplace that has had the flue damper permanently sealed.

You can also buy a special radiator that goes in the fire place and is hooked into the radiator hot water system. Use this to refill your radiator system before you use it. If your boiler is running but the radiators are cool, you probably need to top off the water. There should be a water libel gauge somewhere near the boiler to indicate that you have it filled correctly.

I am new to this style heat. I recently moved into a home attached to a commercial building. My heat is all baseboard heaters thru out the perimeter of the home. It then connects to an attached garage. As far as I can tell there are no separate devices to control room by room. I would like to lower the temp in the master bedroom for sleeping. Is there someway of doing this? Could I cover the covers with blankets or towels or would that cause a fire hazard? Any advice would help. Yes, that valve is what regulates flow of water and gets water upstairs from boiler.

Turn it right to shut it completely off and left to open it all the way. Keep turning left till you cannot turn it left anymore.

And vice versa This is open all the way. Anything in between is partial. Like your sink per say. Hope this helps. One leading directly up from kitchen to upstairs bedroom will cool or heat bedroom, etc. My apt is same way. Neighbor below freezes me often by closing HER valves! OH My bedroom remains 64 or 66 Deg when 32 Deg outside. Hope this helps you! Question: is it safe to run an old gas boiler when the ball and grosset circulator pump is not working. The boiler is in the basement, the radiator on the third floor is boiling hot, second floor radiators are warmish, first floor radiators are barely warm Thanks!!!

The reason that radiators can get very hot on lower floors, but not that warm on upper floors is because of the build up of air inside the upper floor radiators that needs to be bled out. These radiators are basically hollow, and hot water circulates through them from a central boiler. In more contemporary buildings, you'll often find baseboard heaters that work on the same principle.

If you have radiating heaters in your house, it's important to understand how they work so you'll know what to do when they don't heat as they should. If your house has radiating heaters, there is a dedicated system of pipes to service them, and they emanate from a central boiler. The boiler, which is often similar to a hot water heater, may be powered by electricity, gas, wood heat or even solar energy.

When a room thermostat calls for heat, the boiler powers on and heats the water inside it to the boiling point, producing hot water and steam that circulate through all the radiators connected to it. When the boiler shuts off and the pipes cool, water flows backwards from the radiators to the boiler.