therostatic valves in apartment buildings

nicholas bonham-carter

if i were you i would make sure of the following things were checked on any 1-pipe steam system before spending money on the thermostatic vents:
is your burner set up well for max combustion efficiency?
boiler in good shape producing DRY steam?
are your pressures at the ideal 4-12 OUNCE range?get a good 0-36 oz. gauge from www.gaugestore.com and a vaporstat so you know where you are and can regulate properly.amazingly low pressure steam moves more quickly in the pipes than high pressure steam.
is your thermostat [rated for STEAM] in the right place away from draughts which may start the system uneccessarily?you could try a moderate setback of 3-5 deg.honeywell vision pro seems to be one thermostat recommended for steam.
most 1-pipe systems were well thought out and installed to provide reasonable economy.only later on in the life of many systems did later improper repairs rear their ugly heads!
is the system silent?if not you should find the cause and correct the piping as noise ,hammer is wasted energy.
naturally check your insulation and your fuel bills will go down--nbc
p.s. almost forgot the most important thing--main and radiator air VENTS!
are they all there--not plugged--now is the time to check.
my guess is that after your system is once again operating as the "dead men" intended you will not need many TRVS ;so even can be the heat in a properly maintained steam system.
at the start of the heating season you can keep the thermostat lower than usual and then determine who is cold and why. iencourage my tennants to call me and tell me if they are chilly and what the exact temp is in the apartment and since doing all these things to my own system had very few calls and 10% fuel savings with more reduction possible this winter. get a copy of dan's book on this site and study it. good luck

Steve R

Installing thermostatic valves in apartment buildings

I manage a 30 unit building one pipe steam. with cost of fuel I think I will lose the building. Someone suggested that I install danfuss or honeywell thereostatic radiator valves. will this cause my boiler to underfire, over fire or work efficiently? Is this worthwhile, or am I throwing away money?

[Deleted User]

Should be mandatory...

It will allow your boiler to handle the REAL demand. It will also cause your tenants to quit using the double hung thermostats (open windows in the dead of winter). One pipe steam is the easiest system to retrofit as well. Just make sure you have a professional evaluate your system to make sure you are not creating other problems (vacuum relief a MUST).

It will pay for itself in very short order (2-3 years)

I say GO FOR IT. And not trying to be critical of your spelling, but they are Non Electric Thermostats, and the one brand you are seeking is Danfoss. THis will help fine tune your internet search.


ME

Bill_17

TRVs and energy savings in apartment building study

To see the results of a multi-yeat 1 pipe steam demonstration project using TRVs, go the the following http://www.osti.gov/bridge/purl.cover.jsp?purl=/119941-jEmrAM/webviewable/

Steamhead (in transit)

Steve, we have

a 32-unit building with a similar system. TRVs are being considered but not a go yet. However, we've saved them over 30% on their fuel consumption by fixing a lot of basic things. Click on our Find a Professional link below, and copy/paste this URL for a more in-depth discussion (but I think the pics are no longer linked, unfortunately):

http://forums.invision.net/Thread.cfm?CFApp=2&Thread_ID=29563&mc=59

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