New to Steam Heating

Frank Repensek

We moved into a wonderfull hundred year old American Four Square in Haverhill, MA this last September. The house has a one-pipe steam system and a new boiler and indirect water heater that were installed in the Fall of 2000. The boiler is a Weil-McLain series 4, gas unit and the water heater a Superstor. I just finished "We Got Steam Heat" and don't quite know where to start.

This is for Dan. Your little book should be required by law to be attached to every steam heating boiler sold. In the several months before I found it, I got loads of "expert" advice from people who presented themselves as "Pros". After "We Got Steam Heat" about 10% of the information was valid and the rest worse than useless.

The near-boiler piping is copper and has developed two leaks so far - nothing serious at this point but in need of attention before long. I know I will need a "Pro" and will start the search shortly.

The pipes had oriinally be covered with asbestos which has been mostly removed and replaced with the fiberglass tube type of insulation. For the areas that are not covered, I am going to follow Dan's suggestion and use regular fiberglass insulation and duct tape. First question: there are still several elbows that are covered with asbestos. Can I encapsulate these in something? A friend suggested using the material that they use to make hard casts for setting broken bones.

There are pipes that go through the first floor to the second floor. Three of these are inside walls and I don't hear any noise coming from them. Two run through the living room and are snug against the wood floor at one point. When the heat comes on strong, there is a loud sound of expansion at these points. The holes in the floor are more than big enough if the pipes were centered. If I'm very careful, can I center them? If not, has anyone had experience with the best way of cutting the wood with a pipe against it? Along this same line. With a number of the radiators, the wood under the feet appears scorched. Is this possible? Again someone said scorching was not possible but rather rust.

That's it for now. Thanks