· 3 min read
Radiators that stay cold or bang: what is going on, and what to do
Older Bergen County houses often have hot water or steam radiators. Most cold radiators and noisy pipes have simple causes you can deal with yourself.
Steam and hot water heat
Radiators, boilers and the noises they make. Older Bergen County houses run on these systems, and most radiator problems are simple once you know which system you have.
If your house was built before the 1950s, there is a fair chance it is heated by a boiler and radiators. Steam systems, in particular, are common in the older boroughs of Bergen County. They are durable and comfortable, and they have their own habits: hissing vents, banging pipes, a radiator that stays stubbornly cold.
The one thing to learn
Whether you have steam or hot water. It changes what every symptom means and what to do about it. The tip below explains how to tell, and works through the common problems for each.
Every autumn
Have the boiler serviced before the heating season, test the carbon monoxide alarms, and bleed the hot water radiators or check the steam vents. It is an hour of attention that buys a winter of quiet.
Leave to a professional
The burner, the gas supply, the relief valve, the circulator pump, the low-water cut-off, and any pressure problem. A gas smell means leaving the house and calling from outside.
What this topic covers
- Cold radiators and how to bleed them
- Why steam pipes bang, and the usual fix
- Boiler pressure, and the yearly service
Common questions
Is a banging steam pipe dangerous?
Not usually, but it is telling you something: water is pooling where it should drain back to the boiler. A radiator tilted the wrong way or a valve left half open is the common cause. Persistent banging from the basement pipes is worth a professional look.
Should I turn radiators off in rooms I do not use?
On a hot water system, yes, by closing the valve. On a one-pipe steam system, the valve must be fully open or fully closed, never in between, and closing several can affect the balance of the system.
Tips on this topic
· 2 min read
Baseboard heaters that stay cold: what to check
Hot water baseboard heat is common in Bergen County houses built after the 1950s. When a room stays cold, the cause is usually air, dust or a damper, and rarely the boiler.
· 3 min read
The steam boiler's water level: the weekly check that prevents the big repair
A steam boiler must have the right amount of water in it. Too little and it can be destroyed; too much and the radiators bang. Checking takes a minute, and so does flushing the safety control.
· 3 min read
A radiator valve that leaks: the packing nut fix, and when the valve must go
Water around the base of a radiator valve usually comes from the packing around its stem. Tightening one nut often stops it. Here is how, for hot water and steam radiators.
Need a professional?
When it is more than a quick fix, search for plumbers near your town and verify the New Jersey license in a minute.