Keep bleeding the radiators till water comes out.

What the max height from the boiler to the top of the highest radiator?

ps. we went over this a couple of weeks ago, google it.
(it has a lot of good info in it)

--
kjpro
_-~-__-~-__-~-__-~-__-~-__-~-__-~-__-~-__-~-__-~-__-~-_

( kjpro @ starband . net ) remove spaces to e-mail

Want it done yesterday? Or done right today, to save money tomorrow!!

_________________________ __


"Rogue Petunia" wrote in message
...
Hello All,
In my 3 story (plus basement) 1901 townhouse the top floor radiators
are hot on the bottom half and cold on the top half.

It's a hot water system. The piping is original, the Burnham boiler
is 14 years old. It has a circulator, but no pump. In the last three
years the following parts have been replaced:
- Expansion tank
- Pressure safety relief valve (Watts Regulator)
- Feed Water pressure regulator (Watts)
- Pilot
- Every radiator valve and bleeder throughout house

That's about all the parts that can be replaced

The pressure is set to 15 lbs.
The circulator is a Taco Cartridge Circulator, 1/25 HP, 3250 RPM

Today the carpenter and I removed one top floor radiator which is
going to be relocated a few inches in about a week or two after some
remodeling. We drained about 10 buckets of water, removed the
radiator and ran a pipe between the feed and the return of the removed
radiator.

We filled the system back up, but all 3 top floor radiators won't fill
all the way. The bottom half is hot, the top half is cold. When I
open bleeder valve only air comes out, no water. How can I get the
top floor radiators full?

Please bear in mind, they may have always been like this and I'm only
noticing it now because I'm paying attention to it. Or maybe we
caused this problem by draining the system only partially. When we
refilled we didn't bleed each radiator from the ground floor up. We
bled them after it was full. Which I know is wrong to do when you are
filling an empty system, but is it ok to do it like that if the system
was only partially drained?

Either way, any tips on how to fill the system to get the top floor
radiators full? I remember when the plumber was here 2 years ago and
drained the system to replace some radiators. He said it was a real
pain in the plumber's crack to refill my system and get the top floor
bled. He had some tricks of the trade he employed to do it. I just
wish I could remember what he told me, specifically!

He doesn't work at that particular company now and I can't track him
down to ask his advice. Before I call in a plumber and cut off my arm
and leg (you know, to pay the bill , what's your advice?

Thanks,
Rogue Petunia

This is the thread:



glug-glug sound in hot water baseboard

Good Luck.


--
kjpro
_-~-__-~-__-~-__-~-__-~-__-~-__-~-__-~-__-~-__-~-__-~-_


( kjpro @ starband . net ) remove spaces to e-mail

Want it done yesterday? Or done right today, to save money tomorrow!!

_________________________ __


"kjpro" ( kjpro @ starband . com ) see-my-sig-for-e-mail wrote in message
et...
Keep bleeding the radiators till water comes out.

What the max height from the boiler to the top of the highest radiator?

ps. we went over this a couple of weeks ago, google it.
(it has a lot of good info in it)

--
kjpro
_-~-__-~-__-~-__-~-__-~-__-~-__-~-__-~-__-~-__-~-__-~-_

( kjpro @ starband . net ) remove spaces to e-mail

Want it done yesterday? Or done right today, to save money tomorrow!!

_________________________ __


"Rogue Petunia" wrote in message
...
Hello All,
In my 3 story (plus basement) 1901 townhouse the top floor radiators
are hot on the bottom half and cold on the top half.

It's a hot water system. The piping is original, the Burnham boiler
is 14 years old. It has a circulator, but no pump. In the last three
years the following parts have been replaced:
- Expansion tank
- Pressure safety relief valve (Watts Regulator)
- Feed Water pressure regulator (Watts)
- Pilot
- Every radiator valve and bleeder throughout house

That's about all the parts that can be replaced

The pressure is set to 15 lbs.
The circulator is a Taco Cartridge Circulator, 1/25 HP, 3250 RPM

Today the carpenter and I removed one top floor radiator which is
going to be relocated a few inches in about a week or two after some
remodeling. We drained about 10 buckets of water, removed the
radiator and ran a pipe between the feed and the return of the removed
radiator.

We filled the system back up, but all 3 top floor radiators won't fill
all the way. The bottom half is hot, the top half is cold. When I
open bleeder valve only air comes out, no water. How can I get the
top floor radiators full?

Please bear in mind, they may have always been like this and I'm only
noticing it now because I'm paying attention to it. Or maybe we
caused this problem by draining the system only partially. When we
refilled we didn't bleed each radiator from the ground floor up. We
bled them after it was full. Which I know is wrong to do when you are
filling an empty system, but is it ok to do it like that if the system
was only partially drained?

Either way, any tips on how to fill the system to get the top floor
radiators full? I remember when the plumber was here 2 years ago and
drained the system to replace some radiators. He said it was a real
pain in the plumber's crack to refill my system and get the top floor
bled. He had some tricks of the trade he employed to do it. I just
wish I could remember what he told me, specifically!

He doesn't work at that particular company now and I can't track him
down to ask his advice. Before I call in a plumber and cut off my arm
and leg (you know, to pay the bill , what's your advice?

Thanks,
Rogue Petunia

Hi Kjpro,
height from the feed water regulator valve on the boiler system up to
the heighest radiator is 28 feet.

My Watts Regulator spec sheet says to calculate pressure, take this
height, multiply by .43 and add 3 pounds. That comes out to 15.04.
Pressure is set at 15 pounds.

What would happen if I increase the pressure beyond what is required?
Would it force the water to rise to the top of the heighest radiator?

I read the "glug-glug sound in hot water baseboard" thread you pointed
to. Thanks. Though I get the point that it just may take a while to
get the air out, a few things are different in my scenario.

1. I don't have baseboard radiators. I have the old fashioned
classic upright radiators from the turn of the century.

2. I do not have a pump.

Specifically, in one of Bubba's responses he said stuff that sounded
like some good tricks of the trade : "Try bleeding with the pump off
first. If that dont work, try with the pump running. Try
changing/raising the water pressure. You can also try rigging a piece
of tubing to the vent fitting and run it to a tub or floor drain or
outside and just let it purge wide open for a while."

I don't have a pump to try running. And here's a real layman's
question - Does an upright radiator have a vent fitting? Is the vent
fitting where the bleeder is screwed in?

If so, I cannot drain water from my radiators in that fashion because
the bleeders are at the top of the upright radiators. And that is
where I don't have any water.

And I have no glug glug noise.

Thanks,
Rogue Petunia

On Sun, 16 Nov 2003 06:23:41 GMT, "kjpro" ( kjpro @ starband . com )
see-my-sig-for-e-mail wrote:

Keep bleeding the radiators till water comes out.

What the max height from the boiler to the top of the highest radiator?

ps. we went over this a couple of weeks ago, google it.
(it has a lot of good info in it)

A circulator is a pump, Be sure it runs. bleed til water comes out. Be
sure level is correct, Psi is relative to hight of highest radiator
in ft from boiler

"Rogue Petunia" wrote in message
...
Hi Kjpro,
height from the feed water regulator valve on the boiler system up to
the heighest radiator is 28 feet.

My Watts Regulator spec sheet says to calculate pressure, take this
height, multiply by .43 and add 3 pounds. That comes out to 15.04.
Pressure is set at 15 pounds.

What would happen if I increase the pressure beyond what is required?
Would it force the water to rise to the top of the heighest radiator?


Close off the valve to the expansion tank and raise the pressure from the
PRV, make note of where the screw was and how many turns you made, bleed
your radiator(s), go backdown and reset the PRV to previous place, reopen
expasion tank valve.

`The line below is true.
The line above is false.'