Joe wrote:
On Nov 25, 2:39 pm, Tony Miklos wrote:
On 11/24/2010 9:54 PM, Joe wrote:



On Nov 24, 7:26 pm, Vic wrote:
On Wed, 24 Nov 2010 16:47:47 -0800 (PST),
wrote:
On Nov 24, 5:57 pm, Vic wrote:
On Wed, 24 Nov 2010 13:04:27 -0800 (PST),
Except for the leaker, which you should get fixed, if the valves are
open you should have no problem.
If the leak is at the valve stem it just needs new packing, but you'd
have to lower the system water to below the valve.
Thats not a problem. ;-) It is a stem leak and its at the very top of
the system. Strangely though, when I went back and tried it I
successfully bled the radiator. I only opened the ball valve a crack,
and that seemed to work better than opening it full. or some other
random event is taking place that I dont understand. Anyway its
working for the moment. Problem is I will probably have to do this
every time I heat the room, which is only s afew nights per week.
A typical radiator holds some gallons of water, and I assume the leak
from the valve won't empty the radiator in the time span you're
talking about, but only you know that.
That's the trouble dealing with incomplete information.
I don't know if the valve is dripping constantly, or just shed a drop
or two when you open or close it.
Its a slow, steady drip.
Think you said it was a new boiler, so chances are the radiators were
never bled properly by the installers.
And since you can't get water out of the top radiator, your fill valve
isn't opened, which means you probably don't have a regulator.
Just a valve from your water source to the boiler, the same source
that supplies your sinks and tub.
If that valve is open the water will fill the entire system if bled as
I said.
Can't be otherwise in my experience.
--Vic
No, I've bled the radiators many times since I got the boiler. My
boiler only gets filled when I take the hose out and fill it manually.
Its not hooked up to my water lines and there's no regulator like my
old pressurized boiler had.
What is the water pressure in the boiler? Sounds like it is low, or
even zero if the bleeder sucked air into it. Is this hot water or steam?

There is no pressure gauge, its a vented hot water system. And to
answer previous comments its a self contained private residential
system, not municipal.

Vented?
Meaning there is a tank at or above the highest radiator and the tank
has an open top? If that is what you have the tank water level has to be
above the highest radiator.

Other wise there should be a tank that has an air cushion. As water and
the pipe expand at different rates the water has to have somewhere to
go. I goes into the tank and compresses the air. The other thing this
tank does is pressurize the system. The compressed air maintains the
pressure. If the tank doesn't have a diaphragm to separate the air and
water the air can dissolve into the water and the air cushion
disappears. Then you close the valve from the system to the tank and
drain the tank. This is similar to a well system. The open top tank does
the same thing.

If you don't have an open tank above the top radiator there should be a
pressure gauge. You fill the system to a pressure at least 1/2 psi for
each vertical foot from the gauge to the highest point in the system.

If the water (not bleed) valve at the radiator is leaking it should
never let air in. The pressure should always be positive so water would
leak out.

--
bud--