Hello I have gas fired steam heat with the old cast iron radiators.
My question is that recently over the past 2 years when the heat is turned
on
I hear the cast iron pipes banging or clanking in the first few minutes and
then it stops.
All the radiators get very hot which leads me to believe they are not
clogged.
All of them have new vent valves. Only some of the exposed pipes in the
basement are
insulated. This banging has become more frequent as the years pass.
What could cause this? Is there air in the system or does that problem only
pertain to
hot water baseboard. Should I insulate the pipes? I also frequently drain
water from
the low water cut off valve and refill it to the proper level. Should the
return pipes
also be insulated? Thanks for any info.