Gas and Oil Home Heating Furnaces - Radiator Heat Maintenance
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franfrey
10-15-02, 09:47 AM
My husband and I recently purchased a 60 year old home with hotwater radiator heat, which we love. From what I can gather, it is a two-pipe, direct return closed system. The system works great, so we are somewhat of the "if it ain't broke" mindset. HOWEVER ...
1) we have discovered a small leak around the stem of the valve on one of our radiators. It's evidently been leaking for a long time, but at a very slow rate. We want to repair it while we are redoing the floor and the pipes leading to the radiator are accessible.
2) while redoing the floor, we also noticed that the pipes feeding to and leading away from the radiators (two separate pipe systems) are all galvanized. This worries us!!
3) we'd just like to know how to maintain the system for best efficiency, and it's hard to find info out there. We have no way of knowing when it was last drained, flushed, bled; but we suspect that it hasn't been done in a LONG time (the previous owners were NOT into home repair, at all).
Our plumber advised us to drain the system, but NOT to flush it. He indicates there are chemicals in it that inhibit oxidation. He also said that we shouldn't need to replace the valve, but that we can buy "packing" for it. He's reluctant to advise us on replacing the galvanized pipe. He's a good plumber, but we sense that he doesn't want to open up a can of worms if he doesn't have to.
Question: what's the best thing to do (even if it's expensive)?
Question: should we purchase a new valve and add chemicals to the boiler?
1) we have discovered a small leak around the stem of the valve on one of our radiators. It's evidently been leaking for a long time, but at a very slow rate. We want to repair it while we are redoing the floor and the pipes leading to the radiator are accessible.
2) while redoing the floor, we also noticed that the pipes feeding to and leading away from the radiators (two separate pipe systems) are all galvanized. This worries us!!
3) we'd just like to know how to maintain the system for best efficiency, and it's hard to find info out there. We have no way of knowing when it was last drained, flushed, bled; but we suspect that it hasn't been done in a LONG time (the previous owners were NOT into home repair, at all).
Our plumber advised us to drain the system, but NOT to flush it. He indicates there are chemicals in it that inhibit oxidation. He also said that we shouldn't need to replace the valve, but that we can buy "packing" for it. He's reluctant to advise us on replacing the galvanized pipe. He's a good plumber, but we sense that he doesn't want to open up a can of worms if he doesn't have to.
Question: what's the best thing to do (even if it's expensive)?
Question: should we purchase a new valve and add chemicals to the boiler?
resercon
10-15-02, 02:37 PM
Sooner or later you are going to replace that galvanized pipe. If you're doing the floor, you don't want them ruined by a leaky pipe. Have the plumber change the pipe and fix the valve.
http://www.heatinghelp.com/heating_qa.cfm This is site that will give you some insights on how your system works. You might want to read this before you get the plumber to do the work because you might want him to identify different parts of the system for you. It will be a lot easier for you to understand with him pointing out the different parts. At the same time you can ask him his opinion.
http://www.heatinghelp.com/heating_qa.cfm This is site that will give you some insights on how your system works. You might want to read this before you get the plumber to do the work because you might want him to identify different parts of the system for you. It will be a lot easier for you to understand with him pointing out the different parts. At the same time you can ask him his opinion.