The radiator tag has no wiki summary.
0
votes
0answers
64 views
Why is it taking so long for my house to heat up with no quality to the heat generated? [duplicate]
I'm in the UK.
I have a small modern, well insulated and double glazed semi detached home which is heated with a traditional gas boiler feeding radiators and a hot water system.
The heating had ...
2
votes
2answers
155 views
How can I replace the bleed plug for my towel rail?
I have a very similar type of radiator as this:
However doing a bathroom refit, I have somehow lost the radiator bleed plug which is shown in the picture above. So if I turn the radiator on, it ...
0
votes
1answer
169 views
How can I stop my radiators “clicking” when they're turned on or off?
I have a central heating system on a timer, and whenever the timer turns on or off, for around ten / fifteen minutes, some of the radiators in my home make regular clicking noises, kinda ...
4
votes
1answer
63 views
How tight should a Maid-o-Mist steam valve adjustment screw be?
I have a single pipe steam heat system with radiators. To use this system I use the Maid-o-Mist brand valves. These valves come in different sizes. The website provides a nice diagram about what ...
2
votes
2answers
150 views
How can I stop heat loss due to an uninsulated porch?
I have an enclosed porch with very little insulation, it is typically very cold in the winter. However, there is a radiator in the enclosed porch. I have a gas boiler heating system in the house.
...
2
votes
1answer
76 views
Is there a way to make a thermostat based heating system more accurate through either adding probes or hacking?
In my Brooklyn apartment, heated via steam radiator, my thermostat is in the unheated hallway between all the rooms. The temperature it reads is often different, than both the rooms with heaters and ...
0
votes
0answers
89 views
Why isn't water running through our radiators?
We had a plumber in today to bleed our rads. He also changed the batteries on the thermostat and fiddled around with the boiler. Since he left the temperature has dropped dramatically and he's refused ...
4
votes
1answer
173 views
How do I remove the head off this Giacomini thermostatic radiator valve?
How do I remove the head off this Giacomini thermostatic radiator valve?:
Click for larger view
I was expecting part of the white bit to twist off easily, to reveal the inner pin on the valve. It ...
2
votes
1answer
103 views
How to remove radiator pipe and value?
We just had central air installed and the contractor removed the radiators. However, the pipe and valves are left over sticking out of the floor upstairs. I tried using a plumber's wrench to at ...
0
votes
0answers
164 views
What could cause my radiators to go cold when the hot water is turned on?
when only heating is selected on my program timer the radiators all work fine and are hot. But when both heating and hot water are on the water gets hot but all the radiators go cold. When the hot ...
1
vote
1answer
192 views
How can I stop my house from waking my wife up every day in the winter?
I'd like to preface this post with the fact that I'm a complete diy amateur. I may say stupid things, or things that make no sense. Please feel free to correct me as I'm always open to learn.
So, ...
1
vote
1answer
166 views
Is this radiator too small?
We have steam heat in our 1930s-era home and one of the bedrooms is much colder than the other two. Here is a picture of the radiator in the cold room:
The room is 12'x12'x8'. This radiator is ...
1
vote
1answer
187 views
Why aren't my radiators heating up?
Two of the eight radiators in my house get only lukewarm. All eight radiators have been bled. The inlet pipes to the two dodgy radiators are red hot so the problem appears to be with the valves. I ...
1
vote
2answers
143 views
Can I build storage in front of heaters?
We're in an NYC pre-war apartment building. Under every window, there's a built in radiator:
Each has a knob that supposedly shuts the radiator off but it doesn't always work. Meaning you can ...
3
votes
3answers
291 views
Do home radiators waste water?
I received my second quarterly water bill and cannot believe it says I'm using 49,000 gallons of water each quarter. That's over 500 gals per day!
So I started thinking about average water usage per ...
3
votes
2answers
262 views
Can I use a spray sealant to seal a leak in my radiator?
one of my steam radiators has a leak on the bottom, away from the valve (has been checked, my husband has changed out the valve). can I use a spray sealant to seal this leak? (like FlexSeal)
2
votes
1answer
579 views
How can I repair a radiator bleed valve that fell out?
I over-tightened the bleed valve on the radiator and it fell out! It seems to look like a screw but I can't seem to get it re-attached, luckily it's locked so not leaking.
I can't see well enough to ...
1
vote
1answer
137 views
Why would a newly installed radiator only heat when on constant bleed?
We have changed a gas central heating radiator. It is the last radiator in the circuit. It will not communicate with the boiler and only brings hot water into the pipe leading to the thermostat when ...
2
votes
3answers
1k views
Why does my radiator leak if it's not fully opened or closed?
I have a hot water (or steam?) radiator that leaks water unless it's completely open or closed.
The side has a valve that can be turned to open or shut the connecting pipe. The other side has a steam ...
2
votes
3answers
4k views
Why is my hot water baseboard heater not heating?
I have classic cast iron radiators in my house and then one "modern" one pictured below. It was installed in the 80s from what I know. It doesn't seem to produce much heat at all.
It is properly ...
1
vote
2answers
337 views
What is correct way for radiator plumbing/connection in multi-story flat
We have some problems with central heating in our multi-flat house and I would like to understand something. Some flats have old-style radiators, and almost every flat has different way to connect to ...
2
votes
3answers
344 views
How do I unstick a radiator valve?
Having moved house, we find one particular radiator doesn't heat up, despite the pipes that lead to it getting hot. One of the valves must be stuck, and I've worked out which one by feeling the pipes ...
5
votes
1answer
341 views
Why does a single radiator need regular bleeding?
Almost all of the radiators (forced water) in my house heat up fine. However, a single radiator needs regular bleeding (~1/day) in order to heat. Note, this radiator is not at the highest point in the ...
4
votes
1answer
836 views
How can I get my third floor radiators working?
I have two radiators upstairs. One is slightly warm, and the other is not warm at all, leaving the room very cold. When I tried to bleed the radiators in the house, all of them released water and ...
1
vote
2answers
1k views
How can I stop the boiler from heating the radiators when only hot water is wanted?
I have Baxi Boiler (model unknown at this precise moment in time) which British Gas have fixed up to a seperate control panel (see image - not our actual panel, image from Google!).
The problem is ...
2
votes
1answer
129 views
What to look for in a new water radiator?
The water radiators I have under each window are 50 years old, and I would like some new ones. They measure HxLxD 50x100x20 cm.
The new ones I would like should be as thin as possible.
I live in an ...
6
votes
1answer
823 views
What type of paint and how many coats should be used to paint a radiator?
We've moved into a new house with a fairly incompatible sense of interior design. To illustrate one room in particular, the walls are orange, the floor to ceiling shelves are orange, the fireplace ...
5
votes
2answers
659 views
Are radiator reflectors as effective as claimed?
I recently completed a survey to determine the energy efficiency of my home. The results weren't great but got me thinking about the quick and affordable things I could do to improve things and ...
2
votes
1answer
578 views
When bleeding radiator why does the same amount of water go out through the overflow?
I have a really old central heating system. It was working fine until a plumber bled the whole system to replace a radiator. Since then we have had to replace the pump and the system doesn't seem to ...
2
votes
1answer
844 views
Does adding metal plate/foil behind radiators increases their heat distribution?
There is this theory that if you put a metallic foil behind radiators, will make them distribute heat better in the house rather than heating the wall next to them.
Is this true, are there any ...
0
votes
1answer
486 views
Seebeck generator to run a fan on a radiator
I asked in this question if there was a heat powered fan for residential steam rads, to increase air flow over them since natural flow is pretty weak.
Alas, looks like some wood stoves can use such a ...
2
votes
2answers
804 views
need feedback on radiator heating systems and carbon monoxide
I live in an old apartment with radiators for heat, The gas boiler is down two levels in the basement. oddly enough there are no cold air returns...is this correct? Our carbon monoxide alarm ...
4
votes
1answer
2k views
How to design a radiator cover for good heat distribution?
I want to replace some battered, ugly radiator covers in my 1910 home. I have read that to function effectively, a radiator cover needs openings at the front top and bottom, so that natural ...
1
vote
1answer
330 views
How to balance thermostat settings between zones to maximize efficiency?
I recently purchased a house so this is my first winter in it. The house was built in 1939 so most of the house is on a single heating zone using hot water radiated heat. The radiators are cast iron ...
2
votes
2answers
584 views
Why are my radiators not heating up?
The boiler is on; the pipe near the boiler is hot, but the pipes furthest away are cold. What does that mean, and how can I fix it?
2
votes
1answer
1k views
Why would only half a radiator heat up?
I'm having some trouble with a radiator. It doesn't bleed well, often not letting either air or water come out of the valve. And sometimes, only half of the radiator will be hot (well, warm). I was ...
2
votes
3answers
809 views
Are there fans for radiators to improve performance?
I lived all my life with forced air heating and cooling, but my house now has steam radiators. They perform ok, I suppose, but I know from trying that just letting the convection cause the airflow ...
4
votes
1answer
520 views
Why are steam radiators used in the USA?
In the UK, we use water radiator systems when the boiler heats the water to about 70°C, this allows the boiler to get most of the energy out of the gas (or oil) by condensing the steam you get ...
8
votes
1answer
4k views
Why is my radiator hissing?
I've never had a radiator before, all central air for me, but I'm living in an apartment that has them now. All of the radiators in my apartment have been hissing, and pouring out steam from the ...
4
votes
1answer
246 views
Understanding my radiator
I'm in my first apartment and it's a bit colder than I'd like it. Can I tweak the settings on my radiator so that it's warmer? I'm motivated to learn more about my radiator and it's hard to find ...
4
votes
1answer
1k views
Why isn't water coming out of a radiator in my freshly pressurized system?
I live in an old Victorian with three stories, plus a basement and an attic. I tried to bleed the radiators in preparation for turning the heat on, but was unable to get any water out of the radiators ...
2
votes
4answers
319 views
How do I fix radiators that come on at different times?
We have radiators in all rooms but the ones in the bathrooms come on at different times to the rest of the house. This is particularly annoying when getting up at 6am and stepping into a freezing ...
2
votes
1answer
402 views
Steam Baseboard vs. Steam Radiator
We currently have a single pipe steam heat system. We've had a couple of plumbers in to give us estimates on recessing our exposed radiators. Neither of them seemed thrilled with the idea and one ...
1
vote
4answers
4k views
Why can't I bleed my radiator?
I am living in an apartment in Belgium. My bedroom radiator is basically useless; it's about 1m long but only the left 10cm ever gets warm.
I have been told to bleed the radiator by opening the valve ...
2
votes
3answers
2k views
Combination boiler pressure zero after heating
I generally don't notice a performance problem with the boiler, but after I run the heat to the radiators and turn the boiler off, after cooling down the the pressure gauge shows zero. I can easily ...
0
votes
2answers
120 views
Fixing metal grille on a wooden radiator enclosure
My kids tend to be rough when playing in the living room and have banged up the metal mesh grille on our wooden radiator enclosure.
Does anyone have any tricks to bang out the dents? Or will it be ...
1
vote
2answers
2k views
Why is my radiator not getting hot water or have air in it?
All except one radiator are working fine. The one that stays cold is in the room with the thermostat, so the system keeps running more than it should.
I tried bleeding it and just water came out. I ...
4
votes
1answer
514 views
Radiators need bleeding regularly (at least once a fortnight) - why?
Last winter, our radiators regularly lost their heat and consequently needed bleeding frequently. I couldn't see any obvious leak. What could be causing this and what should I check for?
3
votes
2answers
418 views
Where can I find central heating system with radiators?
Coming from Europe, I am used to radiator heating systems and thinking about putting one into a fixer-upper house I intend to buy. Where can I find such a system in the North-American market?
7
votes
2answers
620 views
Should I insulate steam pipes in the basement?
I have a steam-radiator heating system. The furnace is in the (unfinished) basement, and the steam-carrying steel pipes spread out across the basement ceiling before going up into the rest of the ...
