We Got Steam

DanT

This is my first post.  We are buying a home built in 1930 with steam heat.  I just finished reading "we got steam." We are in the process of closing so all my pictures were taken before I knew what I was looking for. 



The inspector fired up the system.  many of the radiators worked great, a few didn't get hot but the supply pipe did, and for a few neither got hot.  in one room you could hear a whistling/air movement but the radiator wasn't getting hot. 



Here are some pictures. What do you think of the near boiler piping?  the boiler is apparently from 1976-1980.



Also, does anyone recommend a steam pro in Detroit?



Thanks!

BobC

Near boiler piping

It looks like this system has no real header or equalizer or anything resembling a hartford loop. It's single pipe and probably a parrallel flow system.The question is does it heat the house without any undo banging and clanging?



In the best of worlds you would want to correct the problems in the near boiler piping but with a boiler thats 30+ years old you have to be careful about tearing things apart less you end up looking at an emergency boiler replacement.



I'd look at the mains venting as well as the radiator air vents first, some of them might be defective. A plugged up main vent will cause radiators to heat slowly and partially. A plugged radiator vent can cause a radiator not to heat at all. Also make sure the steam piping slopes towards the boiler return pipe. While the system is steaming check for steam leaks at the supply valve at each radiator and make sure all the radiators slope back towards that supply valve.



If you can't hear the radiator air valve venting air before and while the radiator gets hot use a piece of tissue paper to see if there is any air movement.These are the kinds of things a homeowner can do without getting into too much trouble Once you understand how steam works and are familiar with your system, you can do more involved work. Hopefully the steps above can get you through this winter.



Once you do find a good steam pro, have him asses the system and the pro's and cons of fixing whats there or a replacing the boiler.



good luck,



Bob

DanT

Thanks

Thanks a lot Bob.  Do you think this is dangerous?  it seemed like it would heat the house ok how it is with the exception of a few rooms. 



From the pictures I didn't see any type of main vent. There was a ceiling radiator in the basement that has been removed and left of the floor.



Thanks Bob,

Dan

DanT

two more pictures

Here are the two other pictures I have of the basement.  I think the exposed valve cover in the one picture may have been where the ceiling radiator was attached. Would this be hard to reattach?  I can't imagine how to hold it up to attach it.

BobC

dangerous?

Your description and the pictures give me no reason to suspect the system isn't safe to run. Do you know when it was last serviced? It might be worth having someone look at the system and show you how to keep it in good working order. He can show you where the vents are (or should be) and tell you about any irregularities the system has.



I'm just south of Boston so I haven't a clue about contractors in your area. If you look under the FIND A CONTRACTOR heading you can go down to the states section (the zip code search doesn't work right) and see which ones are in your area. There should be some good men in your area because there's a lot of steam in Detroit. With any luck, one of them will see this thread and give you a heads up.



I bought Dan's "Lost art of Steam Heat" and Greening Steam books last year and i found them just packed with good information. The books are listed under the SHOP heading. In the mean time take a look at this article -



http://www.heatinghelp.com/article/236/Homeowners/1486/Steam-Heating-Dos-and-Donts



Getting that ceiling radiator back in place will take a few good strong young men, I know I'm way past that stage. The first thing is to try and figure out why some of you radiators don't seem to be getting steam but that's usually a bad vent, bad inlet valve or piping/ radiators that are sloped the wrong way.



good luck,



Bob

crash2009

Detroit Pro

girouxhc@comcast.net



Pat did a great job on mine this summer.  It runs silently, and the radiators are hotter now.  I expect to save $$$ on my bills this winter.  kendillen@sbcglobal.net

crash2009

Detroit Pro