Steam Heat Not Reaching certain areas in old building

Paul48

Until

you find the problem, a pot of water with orange peels, or spices in it should do the trick. It might be a good idea to take a bottle brush to the radiator in question. You may find that bologna sandwich that disappeared.

LarryC

Glad to hear you are making progress.

156,



I am very glad to hear that you are making progress with the neglected / knuckle headed system. 



Have you contacted Barnes and Jones about performing a trap audit yet?



I am sure there will be more replacements.  Good luck in finding and fixing all of the failures so you end up with a quiet efficient comfortable building heating system.



EDIT 1:  Have you checked out the air vents on the steam mains and vertical risers?  Checking out means verifying proper vent operation and that they are correctly sized.



EDIT 2:  Any progress on finding or getting an accurate system diagram made?

156yroldCityHall

Thanks..

Hi Larry..

I proposed everything you had mentioned to the public works director, and at this point, as I expected..."Funds are too low to perform such an audit at this time."

As is the case to perform an air test in the dept. that is complaining of the moldy smell...It was mentioned to use orange peels in a pot of water...Does this have to be heated, or do I just let it sit there?....ALso, any other tricks or ideas on how to bypass paying for the air test, that can be done by me,..just to show this dept I am trying....I have already put a dehumidifier in the area, but that doesnt seem to be good enough for them.,....



Thank you

Paul48

156

Post the question about the funky radiators that didn't work for a long time and now work, in "Strictly Steam" and see if any of those folks have an old trick.

nicholas bonham-carter

Smell moderation

I hope this is not the beginning of a legionella infestation. The water that has now begun to leak out of the Baseboard heaters has been in there festering for a long time. Get the superintendent to equip them all with masks, just as a precaution. An opinion from the health department as to whether there is any immediate danger would be a good idea as well. The electrical heaters will do nothing to reduce humidity, or bacteria.--NBC

156yroldCityHall

MOLD SMELL

The days they complained the most, the steam heaters and the electrical heaters were on, and I was told that the office felt like it was 100 degrees in there...I was not in at the time, but as soon as I got back to work, is the day I had the huge leak I was referencing in an earlier post. For that, the heat was off for 2 whole days, and to try to narrow down the problem, the girls said during those 2 days, they did not get a headache or they didnt smell the moldy smell....

They have about 50 plants scattered throughout the 6 person office and was also thinking that could be a possible cause of the smell...I cannot smell anything they are speaking of no matter what time I go in there...I am not in there 8hrs straight like them either....It's been about about 2 weeks now, and still havent got an approval to get the air tested from my superior and in the meantime everyone in that office is looking to me for answers and I'm not too sure what to do.....

Paul48, thanks for the info...I will post it in there now...

D107

Sure it's mold smell?

Longshot from HO here. leaking steam--perhaps from rad, or vent or shutoff valve or from somewhere below the floor -- in an area that hasn't had heat in awhile can smell funny to residents. if you can get there at the start of a heat cycle you might hear or see something. I used to run a coop and I know some people can't understand so much attention and funds on a heating system they expect just to keep chugging along forever with no maintenance. Since boards relate to numbers and reports, if you can possibly find the time in your busy day to write up a one-page note that clearly and in layman's terms the current conditions and risks/options, they may see that doing nothing can prove more expensive than doing nothing. May have to emphasize as the good experts on this site have said that the system may be salvageable if a good steam tech can do some repairs and bring it up to spec. in your note you can say you have consulted long-distance with top experts in the heating field. Unfortunately you have to deal with both the heating AND the politics. The warm winter probably works against you in terms of making it a priority. good luck!

156yroldCityHall

Dave

Thanks for the reply Dave..For the first time today when I walked into the office I could smell what they were talking about....I will hang around that office in the morning to see if I can hear or see anything coming from the 3 radiators in that room...Could all the plants in the office possibly be a cause of the odor?

Mark Eatherton

Uh, yeah...

Over watered plants will and can make a stinky situation. But old air inside a steam main will stink when its vented as well. Kind of a musty odor.



ME

D107

Plants

But did they tell you the plants were put there recently? if not the only new factor you describe is that those rads are getting hot for the first time, which by itself might smell different if they never were hot before, especially if they were recently painted. add a leak to that and they might mis-identify the smell. If you just keep following the great diagnostic procedures you've been given here by the pros, you'll be able to eliminate a lot of things. For dealing with the board, if you can propose to them the expenditure of a few hundred dollars for an on-site consult with a REAL steam expert --first find one and get their rates--who can analyze the whole system and give them a report--or you can create the report based on what he says--then they will have the peace of mind of having definitive answers and options. The repair costs may very well be manageable and be much less than a new steam boiler and MUCH less than a tearout and install of a new hot water system. The will to spend money can suddenly manifest itself if the choice is to spend a little and have heat.

LarryC

Bumpedy Bump Bump

156,



Anything new on the update or survey fronts?



Larry C

LarryC

El-Bumpo

156,



Any luck on getting a steam trap survey done?



Larry C