A couple of possible problems.

1. The radiators no long pitch correctly due to house settlemnt. You can use a level to make sure that they pitch TOWARDS the pipe.

2. Pressure is set too high, although that normally mainifests itself all over the house.

If the valves are spitting, actually spitting water, there's a problem because they're supposed to close when steam hits them.

It sounds as if they're not closing.

Take a valve (1) that's spitting and swap it with a valve (2)on a radiator that isn't spitting. If valve 1 continues to spit, the valve is the likely problem.

If valve 2 starts to spit, and valve 1 is fine, then you likely have a problem that's endemic to the system, such as improper pitch.

Pressures over 3 PSIG will destroy most steam valves on the market today.

It's possible that the system pressure is too high, and because of the system design (smaller diameter pipe or reducers for the first floor, larger feeders for the second with no reducers) that pressure problems are only being seen on the top floor.

Pressure settings on residential steam heating system should be no more than 1.5 to 2 PSIG -- many houses heat just fine with under 1 PSIG of pressure.

I grew up in a HUGE house that had steam heat, and it heated exceptionally well with pressure set to 1.5 PSIG and a differential of .5 PSIG, which gives a mean system pressure of 1 PSIG.

Many Thanks! I'll give your suggestions a try and if it is a matter of pressure being set to high, I'll call our heating/cooling guys. One of my primary problems is that most of the heating guys here rarely work on home steam boilers and when they do we usually get a cursory diagnosis and a quick fix (we'll just throw some new valves on etc..). Not much analysis at all. Your insight is probably deeper than any $200 visit we've had. Thanks Again!

Mike,

Go to this website http://www.heatinghelp.com/, and seriously consider purchasing the books that are there.

You can also tool around that site and perhaps find a contractor in your area who has steam heating experience.

Where do you live?

I grew up in Central Pennsylvania, and steam heat was still fairly common there in the 1970s and 1980s, but I learned to do a lot of the regular maintenance on our system just by watching my Father and Grandfather.

A few other thoughts based on your initial message.

Yes, steam will condense in the pipes as it travels to the radiators. That's a given, and the men who designed and installed your system initially figured that into the equasion. That's one reason why the pipes are as large as they are.

I've alluded to this in previous messages, and I've heard a lot of horror stories about untrained steam people "fixing" steam heat systems...

There's perhaps one great truism about steam heat...

"More pressure is NEVER the answer and it is quite frequently the cause of all a system's ills."

As I noted above, the home steam heat system was designed to work effectively at 1 PSIG.

1 PSIG of steam pressure will force a head of steam roughly 3,500 feet STRAIGHT UP a pipe.

The rule of thumb is (joking, of course) that you raise the pressure 1.5 PSIG for each extra mile you add on to the top of your house. If your living room is 3 miles above your boiler, you need 3 PSIG.

That's why home heating systems can operate so effectively with steam pressures under 1 PSIG.

The reason most are kept at 1 PSIG is apparently because most boiler controls don't go much lower than that.

I'm having the same problem, also on the top floor. I replaced the valve twice.

I'm not sure of what kframe19 said about pressure. The people who worked on my boiler said that the pressure should be between 4 and 5 PSI.

Here is a link that might be useful: my web site

It probably wouldn't hurt to make sure all the problem radiators slope corretly before doing anything else. A few big, thick washers under the feet of a radiator on the non-pipe side should do the trick.

"The people who worked on my boiler said that the pressure should be between 4 and 5 PSI."

Pardon my French, but BULL SHAT!

They have NO clue what they're talking about!!!

Tammy, get those idiots back to your home and TELL them to set the pressuretrol for ONE, that's ONE pound of system pressure. NO MORE.

A lot depends on the type of pressuretrol as to how it's set, but it should be set so that the system pressure never rises above more than 1 PSIG.

As I said in a previous message, pressures above 3 psig will frequently DESTROY a steam radiator valve, and those things are not cheap.

Don't let them snow you, don't let them talk down to you don't let them intimidate you.

Tell them exactly what you want, and if they won't do it tell them to get the hell out of your house and find another heating contractor.

In fact, I would suggest that you find another heating contractor no matter what you do.

Also, get the books I referenced in the web page above.

You're not to use this site to promote your personal business ventures.

"Here is a link that might be useful:"
Useful for what? Lireral weenieism?

problem, , ,skimmed, .5.

Still spitting on 2nd floor after replacing valve, setting .5,and shimmering.