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Regulating temp in small apartment building

jerauf
jerauf Member Posts: 1
in Strictly Steam
I'm not the owner of the building but I'm trying to do some research into cost-effective solutions to present to the building owner.



I live in an old building with 6 apartments. It has single-pipe radiators and a single thermostat (that resides in my apartment). The other tenants have told me that the first floor is always cold, the third floor is always hot and my floor (second) is always spot on.



What I'd love to be able to find is a solution that would monitor temp across the entire building and adjust the thermostat accordingly. Is there such a thing?



I don't think that the owner would invest a great deal of money into another solution. But finding something that would make everyone happy would be amazing.

Comments

  • TomM
    TomM Posts: 233
    balance

    You would need to balance the system.



    Steam systems are balanced by adjusting or replacing the radiator air vents and main vents so that all radiators heat at the same rate/speed.  It takes a bit of trial and error, but can be done very easily if you have the time. 



    I would assume that the air vents on the third floor are wide open, and the ones on the first floor are not working. 



    Hoffman 1A air vents are adustable, and run about $25 a pop.  your results may vary depending on your situation. 

    There was an error rendering this rich post.

  • BobC
    BobC Member Posts: 5,495
    Venting problem

    I agree this sounds like a venting problem. Make sure the main vents on the system are working and adequately sized. Generally you want to vent the mains fast and the radiators slowly. The Hoffman 1A is a good vent but it is the devil to adjust because of the way it is made. What kind of radiator vents are being used now?



    i would suggest using the Maid O mist that comes with 5 orifices that make it pretty foolproof to adjust vent rates, they are very affordable.



    http://www.amazon.com/Maid-O-Mist-0220-5L-Steam-Angle-Radiator/dp/B003DV3AGE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391092225&sr=8-1&keywords=maid+o+mist+5l



    Bob
    Smith G8-3 with EZ Gas @ 90,000 BTU, Single pipe steam
    Vaporstat with a 12oz cut-out and 4oz cut-in
    3PSI gauge
  • H20HeatingInfo
    H20HeatingInfo Member Posts: 2
    You guys gave that building owner in disguise great information. Too bad he didn't have time to say thank you
  • nicholas bonham-carter
    nicholas bonham-carter Member Posts: 8,578
    What leads you to believe that he was the owner in disguise?
    It wouldn't be the first time someone was frightened away from here by the thought that money would have to be spent on some part of the heating system, instead of merely relocating the thermostat.
    Had he continued with this thread, he would have found happy, comfortable tenants, and a large reduction in fuel use.--NBC

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