Heating Help

Removing Steam Radiator

Hi there,

I live on the 2nd floor of a 6 floor apartment building in San Francisco that was built around 1920.  The building uses steam heating.  I would like to detach the radiator in my unit and want to make sure I do it safely/correctly.  The reason I would like to detach it is because there is an extremely annoying rattling inside that my landlord just will not fix and it is keeping me up at night.

Attached is an image of the radiator's connection to the inlet valve. 

Since my buidling's heat has been running all night lately, and the rattling is keeping me up, I want to
see if I can detach the radiator before I go to bed, so I can actually
sleep. 

So, several questions:

If I turn the inlet valve so that it is completely shut, how
long should I wait until I detach the radiator?  Just until it cools
down?  Earlier today, I closed the valve, and then after the radiator cooled down, I removed the air vent on the opposite end to check if any steam was leaking out, and it was not.  So am I correct in assuming that no steam would leak once I disconnect the radiator?

From the image I've provided, can someone tell me if I need to turn the nut up and away from me, or down and towards me to loosen it?  I don't want to damage the connection.

What kind of wrench should I use to loosen the nut.  I am assuming a pipe wrench?  Also, if I need more leverage, is there something else I can use?

If I were to disconnect the radiator for a long period of time, would it be okay to just leave the valve closed, or should I put some sort of pipe cap on the end?

Any other suggestions would be very much appreciated.  Thanks so much much in advance.

Justin

flip vent upside down

I'm not sure how much help you will get on this since we suggested several times to flip vent upside down and you never tried it...in this thread..http://www.heatinghelp.com/forum-thread/134255/Steam-Radiator-Rattling

Removing Steam Radiator

I tried to turn the vent upside down with no success whatsoever.  The only result was an increase in hissing noise.

I am now convinced the sound must be transmitted from somewhere else through the piping just as BobC suggested in the previous post you referenced.

Would be grateful for any help.

Justin

long shot

One of my radiators once made a rattling noise. It turned out to be a piece of the valve had broken off inside the housing. Once I removed the broken piece (I think there's a photograph of it on the wall somewhere), no more rattling. I think it would be easier to check for that than to move the radiator. BUT my radiator was in my own house where I could turn off the boiler while I took apart the valve. The last thing you want is to have the boiler turn on while the valve is open. Given an unhelpful landlord, perhaps that's not possible. Have you tried using a stethoscope to isolate the source of the problem? I used a mechanic's version on mine. Even a rod of some kind might help.

Personally, I would be worried about disconnecting a radiator on a system over which I have no control. What are you going to do if the valve doesn't work and the boiler fires up?

Hmmm.

So this radiator vent is new and (presumably) in working order? Turning the radiator vent upside-down effectively turns it "off" and should prevent steam from entering the radiator- no air out, no steam in. However, if this doesn't do the trick- in fact you say the hissing is now louder- it may be that the hiss/leak is coming from the valve. If this is the case, removing the radiator won't help- in fact, it could create a dangerous situation where live steam is entering your apartment.
It could be that this valve needs to be repacked. The washers that seal the valve when closed and prevent steam from exiting via the stem (the control knob) can break or deform over time. Replacing them is not time consuming or expensive, but it would be risky to try this without the boiler turned off. Steam burns! If your landlord sprung for the new radiator vent, perhaps he would be amenable to this fix.
As others have noted, these old pipes are excellent ventriloquists. Perhaps the sound you're hearing is being generated several units away...
good luck,
Patrick

ok..in that case

find a 1/8" pipe plug and screw that in replacing the vent with it. let us know what happens then. it's obvious that your landlord had the system pressure up too high (greater than 2 psi)

Next step.

Thank you all for your quick replies.

Okay so I guess first I will try to cap the vent.  Yes, since the hissing is now louder with the upside down vent, I guess it makes sense that the pressure would be too high.  Air is still escaping.  So when I cap the vent, should I do it when the boiler is off?  If so, should the valve be open or closed or does it matter?  Or should I close the valve when the heat is on, wait for radiator to cool, and then cap?  Or does it matter?

If that does not work, I would eventually like to remove the radiator, to at least check for any broken debris inside the housing as Brian suggested.  The building's boiler always shuts off during the day and I could do it then.  This is also when I could add something to seal the valve completely.  Patrick, exactly what would I need to do this?

Also, as I mentioned previously, the other day when playing with the vent, it accidentally popped off and yes, live steam was blowing through the hole.  Scary indeed and I certainly understand why I would never want this to happen if I had the radiator detached.  So I quickly closed the valve and within seconds, no more steam.  I am assuming this means the valve is in good working order and completely sealed?

Thanks again for all your help.

Justin

not a vent cap ...

a plug..get plug from store..remove vent from rad (better when system is off)..insert plug into rad..use vent as paperweight..here's a plug...shipping may be expensive based on item cost.. http://is.gd/9YC0h3

Plug

Is the plug something I could pick up from a local hardware store?

Thanks
Justin

maybe...

need 1/8 th inch npt

Plug

So the image you sent is the exact item I need?  And can I get it at a hardware store?

yes and maybe

yes that's the item and maybe available at local hardware store

Plug

Will a brass plug work just as well?  I can only find brass ones in the store.  If not, I will order it online.
Thanks,
J

yes brass is fine

perhaps even better

rattle

Installed the plug earlier today.  Hissing, obviously gone, and the radiator has stayed cool, so no steam is entering the radiator, but the rattling has no change.  I guess this means the sound must be coming from elsewhere?

Sigh.

landlord paying too much for too little?

ask your landlord if he would like to reduce his fuel bill, and suggest  that he pay a visit to this site.
express sympathy for him, in trying to understand the complexity of an ancient heating system. he will see here that solutions are available which will improve the comfort [silence!] and efficiency [cost of operation] which probably would cost only a fraction of one month's fuel bill.--nbc