Radiators Not Heating

Cold radiators while the boiler still fires usually mean something local in that loop, so call and mention exactly which rooms went cold.

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When this becomes an emergency

A radiator or two stays stone cold while the rest of the house warms up.
The upper half of a radiator is cold and the lower half is hot.
Gurgling or knocking starts in the pipes shortly after a call for heat.
The far end of the house never catches up on the coldest nights.

What a pro does

One dead radiator rarely means the boiler's in trouble. Trapped air is the leading suspect on a hot-water system, and it collects at the high points of the loop, which is why an upstairs bedroom in an old farmhouse goes cold while the main floor stays comfortable. A zone valve that has stopped opening or a circulator that has quit produces the same room-by-room pattern and needs a meter to tell apart from an air problem. Balancing valves left half closed after past work are worth checking too, and a tech will confirm system pressure is high enough to actually push water to the top floor.

Frequently asked questions

Why does the upstairs go cold before anywhere else?

Air rises through the loop and collects at the highest radiators, and system pressure has to be adequate to lift water that far in the first place.

Is a knocking pipe a sign the radiator is failing?

Usually not. Knocking normally comes from piping that expands against a joist or a hanger, or from water sitting where it shouldn't in a steam line.

Do old cast iron radiators wear out?

They last a very long time. Failures show up in the valves, the vents, and the connections far more often than in the iron itself.

Can furniture in front of a radiator matter?

It does cut output noticeably. A couch or a heavy drape across the face traps convection that's supposed to be circulating through the room.

Radiators Not Heating?

Get connected with a local pro now.

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Keep going

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