Steam Riser

Lis

I live in a 6 story apartment building in NYC. The steam risers in my bath and kitchen have been cut and capped, rather than continuing into the ceiling and the top floor (the 6th floor owner didn't want them in their apartment). Should they be reinstalled into the ceiling? I've been told that the risers are then connected back down to the boiler. Is this true or should I just replace the caps? Is it dangerous or a problem that the risers have been cut and capped and not reconnected to the boiler?

Many thanks.

Lis

nicholas bonham-carter

orphan risers

are these risers connected to your radiators, and are the radiators heating up well?? presumably the top floor now has some other form of heating system, and those radiators have been removed/abandoned, so that the risers no longer need to go up to the top floor. the caps should remain on them to keep you from being steamed.--nbc

Rod

Leaking Steam Riser.

You mentioned that the risers were cut and capped and from a previous post, are leaking. The cut pipe should be threaded and capped with a threaded cap. A threaded cap shouldn't leak!   If they are leaking, demand that they be fixed properly.

The pressure in residential steam pipes is very low and should be under 3 PSI so there is no danger there.  If the caps are tight and not leaking, the capped pipes shouldn't get hot.



As NBC asked do the radiators in your apartment function properly? It's not likely but depending on how the piping is configured, cutting the pipes to the apartment above could be affect your radiators. If they are heating fine then this isn't a concern.

- Rod

Ray Binder

steam risers

As a child I lived in an apartment in the Bronx. I can picture those risers in my mind. There were no radiators in the bathroom, or kitchen. The riser provided heat for those rooms. If they are capped at your ceiling they are not going to get warm. They probably need a vent just below the cap to continue to function.