Alright everybody, here's the deal:
I'm a student renter in Wisconsin. It's cold.
I was bleeding all the radiators when I noticed that the one in our bathroom was stone cold. All of the pipes around it were cold too, but I'm pretty sure they're fed by the inlet valve. I opened up the bleeder. There was a puff of air and then nothing. I waited... and waited... Pretty soon it became clear that no water was going to come out, and the whole thing was still stone cold. There's no handle on the inlet valve, but I made sure that it was fully counter-clockwise with a wrench. Tried bleeding again and still nothing.
Since I had my trusty wrench handy, I started to remove the bolt on the inlet valve to try and see if it was getting any flow whatsoever. I got it about halfway off and filthy water started trickling out steadily.
Now, I'm assuming that this means there's some kind of problem with the inlet valve and that the pipes don't need to be flushed to fix it. I should just need a replacement, right? Do I need to go to the hardware store and tell them what I need, or can I fix this myself by shutting off the water and cleaning the valve somehow? I've heard that boiling in vinegar and water helps for a bleeder, but will it work for the inlet?
That's about it. Thanks for your help!
I'm a student renter in Wisconsin. It's cold.
I was bleeding all the radiators when I noticed that the one in our bathroom was stone cold. All of the pipes around it were cold too, but I'm pretty sure they're fed by the inlet valve. I opened up the bleeder. There was a puff of air and then nothing. I waited... and waited... Pretty soon it became clear that no water was going to come out, and the whole thing was still stone cold. There's no handle on the inlet valve, but I made sure that it was fully counter-clockwise with a wrench. Tried bleeding again and still nothing.
Since I had my trusty wrench handy, I started to remove the bolt on the inlet valve to try and see if it was getting any flow whatsoever. I got it about halfway off and filthy water started trickling out steadily.
Now, I'm assuming that this means there's some kind of problem with the inlet valve and that the pipes don't need to be flushed to fix it. I should just need a replacement, right? Do I need to go to the hardware store and tell them what I need, or can I fix this myself by shutting off the water and cleaning the valve somehow? I've heard that boiling in vinegar and water helps for a bleeder, but will it work for the inlet?
That's about it. Thanks for your help!
