[Chat] Radiators

[Karen Morley]

I too love my radiators.  I grew up in California and no one had radiators.  When a new family moved from the east to our neighborhood, they insisted on putting in steam radiators.  We thought them very eccentric but they sure loved those steam radiators.  I moved to Baltimore many years ago and bought a house with steam radiators..........and discovered how wonderful they are.  I've lived in a lot of places and had forced air heat, in floor radiant heat, baseboard heat, and wood stove heat.....all have advantages, but radiators are coolest.  However, they do need adjusting to function properly.  When I first bought my house I bought a book by Dan Holohan called The Lost Art of Steam Heating and besides explaining how they work and how to adjust them, it contains a wonderful history lesson on steam heating.  It's an incredibly complex SYSTEM.  According to the author, a properly working steam system should be perfectly quiet. - but everything
 from the boiler, the pipes, the vents and the radiators themselves have to be perfectly balanced for that. So find a plumber who knows these systems because the clanking (water hammer) and hissing are not normal although I find some radiator noise comforting - it's like knowing an old friend is alive and kicking.   In the meantime, Eric's hints in an earlier message are excellent first steps to take. Lifting one side of the radiator solved many of my original problems. One hint from an old timer - make sure all the radiator vents are from the same manufacturer because different valves have different venting rates and you need to be able to balance them based on the distance the radiator is from the boiler.   
 
 
 
Karen Morley
kdmorley at yahoo dot com









________________________________
 From: Kathleen Wilsbach <kwilsbach8 at gmail.com>
To: The Charles Village Chat List <chat at charlesvillage.info> 
Sent: Thursday, January 19, 2012 11:24 PM
Subject: Re: [Chat] Radiators
 
I have to disagree with Eric.  I love our steam heat.  When we had ducts put
in for the central air, we left the radiators right where they were.  Although
the air in our house is still somewhat dry during the winter, I'll take steam
over forced air any day.  SSSSSSSSSS!

I do agree that it's a good idea to hire an expert to deal with problems.
When we've had trouble with our radiators, we've had very good service
from Saffer plumbing.  Faulty valves do need to be replaced if they're
not working right.  Also if the valve near the floor is leaking, it might
need some new lamp wick which works as a sort of gasket.
Sadly we had a leaking radiator that had to be
replaced.  Of course, you can't buy new but Saffer tries to keep a stock
of used ones on hand for just such situations.  When we first bought our
house, David Saffer was very helpful in explaining the ins and outs of
the steam heating system and giving it an initial tuneup.

Kathleen Wilsbach

On Thu, Jan 19, 2012 at 6:32 PM, Eric Dymond <ericdymond at gmail.com> wrote:

> In short, it's sort of voodoo and it's best to hire someone to do it, rather
> than doing it yourself. I haven't really found anyone that I'd recommend.
> It's really a terrible way to heat a house.
>
>
>
>
> On Thu, Jan 19, 2012 at 6:18 PM, Jeanne Knight <jeanneknight6 at msn.com>
> wrote:
>>
>> Is it steam or hotwater?
>>
>> If hotwater, get a radiator key from the hardware store to turn the
>> valve.  It costs very little.   Bleed the radiator of the air that has
>> accumulated.  Have a bowl with you to catch the water that will come out
>> after the air is drained but before you retighten the valve.  Start with the
>> one furthest from the furnace.
>>
>>
>> Jeanne Knight
>> 2513 Guilford Avenue
>> Baltimore, MD 21218
>> 410 366-2849
>> 410 977-8851 cell
>>
>>
>> ________________________________
>> Date: Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:29:02 -0500
>> From: casey.e.miller at gmail.com
>> To: chat at charlesvillage.info
>> Subject: [Chat] Radiators
>>
>>
>> Does anyone have experience with steam radiators?  I know they're supposed
>> to make some noise, but I've got a few that bubble, gurgle, and whistle all
>> night long and I'd rather not be forced to make the choice between being
>> warm and getting a good night's sleep.  I've heard that the system may need
>> to be balanced, but I'm a complete novice to this stuff.
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Casey
>>
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