Noisy vent in old NYC (East Village) building. Video & images provided.

lucid_2

https://youtu.be/VvhnLwPyPzU
https://youtu.be/jUzasuK3jKE (more information for the first video)
https://imgur.com/a/6aDdP

Hi guys. I don't know a lot about this stuff but I figure video & pictures should be sufficient.

I rent a place in Manhattan (East Village to be precise) for almost a year now. Whenever the cold weather comes around, this vent makes a lot of noise. The super said it's normal and that the heat for the building comes through here, so the vent has to let a bit out (he also said the vent is brand new and he replaced it a couple of months before I arrived). However this thing comes on probably 4-6 times a day and it's very very loud, to the point where I basically have to put earphones on. (and it can get much noisy and whiney than in the video).

The heat is currently down right now and from my research on this forum, I have some reason to believe that this isn't normal and that it could possibly be fixed (and it would be a great time to fix it now that the heat is down). Any ideas?

If there is someone in my area that can fix this or at least come take a look and explain to my super that this isn't normal, that repair would be something I'd be willing to pay for out of my own pocket. But let's not get too hasty here... I just want to know if this is normal or not and if it can be fixed relatively easy. I can answer any questions you have. Thanks.

(by the way, the last picture is how it used to look... I did a fair bit of cleaning for that... I have no idea what that black stuff is... whether it's dirt or mold or what.. that would also be useful to know. Thanks).

Fred

That vent is to push air out of the pipe as steam pushes in. Once the steam get to that vent, it should close and be very silent. Where is the boiler relative to your apartment. This could most likely be a case of the system pressure being set way too high or the lack of adequate venting on the mains. Is that pipe all that heats your apartment? You need a steam Pro to come in and evaluate/adjust the steam pressure and probably add much needed Main Venting.

lucid_2

Yeah that, and the pipes themselves are very hot so that's heating the place as well.

My problem basically, is that I rent, I don't own anything, and the super has said it's how it works because it's an old building. I'd love to get it fixed and I'd probably do so out of my own pocket depending how much it costed, though perhaps with the amount of energy savings the building would get from getting it fixed they would possibly reimburse me? I'd have to ask. But this is tricky as I'd most likely need to know if this is something even possible to fix in our building before I could suggest to my super that it's something I'd like to get done. Is there any chance that, because it's an old building (or any number of reasons) it can't be fixed?

I'm not too worried about the heat of my apartment... I'm much more concerned with the noise, and the possible ramifications for mold or dry air, both possibly contributing to fatigue issues I'm having.

Do you have any specific recommendations for my area? Would anyone be able to evaluate whether there was an actual problem before paying a big amount of money? Basically just come in, evaluate, ascertain the problem, give me a quote, and then fix it?

Edit: I found the contractor link... I wish that would show up on the forum pages themselves. Anyways... I just send this exact post to everyone in my area (5 companies) and we'll just see what everyone says. Thanks.

Fred

You've got some good contractors that service your area. I am sure the problem can be fixed, it just remains to be seen if the Landlord is willing to pay to have the problems corrected. The fact that it's an old building has nothing to do with the proble. Most of us on this site with steam systems have homes/buildings that are 100+ years old and steam systems that are dead silent.
One question for you: Where does that steam pipe go? Do you know if there are other vents on that pipe? One test you can try, for your own temporary peace and quiet is to tape over the opening in that vent or close the opening with a tooth pick so that it doesn't vent and is quiet. If there are other vents on that line, they may blow a little harder until the problem is fixed but it may give you a good night's sleep. Doing that won't hurt the system. Air will take the path of least resistance to find its way out.

Mad Dog_2

You need John Carano from Gateway. He is is on Find a Contractor tab. Mad Dog

Mad Dog_2

Cataneo...my hands are just thawing out from 11 hrs in a 49 mph. Wind

JohnNY

It's not "normal" but it is common. It can be fixed but your building has to agree to pay for a qualified company to come and evaluate the system and make adjustments.

lucid_2

Thanks for all the suggestions guys.

I did contact all the contractors in my area with a link to this page... no takers. And hearing that it'll possibly cost thousands of dollars... yeah that's unfortunate.

As far as installing a vent that doesn't whistle: I'd probably need to hire someone to switch that in (unless the vent is screw on and off) and if I install this new vent and it creates problems in other apartments (e.g. the pressure goes elsewhere like someone commented) then I'd want something a little more temporary I could remove myself, just in case anyone came poking around.

@Fred that is an AMAZING suggestion if that works. Yeah I mean if I can block the hole and nothing bad happens then I'll gladly do that. I tried putting some tape over it and it seemed to block out most of the sound...

That thing is really hot and blows out air rather forcefully so just need to figure out a strong tape, that won't melt / catch fire, and get a toothpick.

If that doesn't blow up in my face somehow (which it seems like it doesn't), this will be amazing. Thanks for all the suggestions so far, really helpful forum.

Fred

That vent does just screw on and off. That vent is bad and needs to be replaced. If it were working properly, it would close when steam gets to it. It would not continue to blow steam. I know you said the Landlord said it was new but not likely. Buy a Hoffman 1A vent it has variable settings from 1 to 6 and you can basically turn the dial to pretty much close it off, like the tape or toothpick suggestion. When the boiler is not running that vent will be cool. If you replace it, make sure the boiler is not running and the pipe is cool. Otherwise, you will burn yourself and have a sauna in your apartment if you take the vent off while the system is running.

RomanGK_26986764589

Based on the video it looks like it functions as a main vent too.

Fred

RomanGK_26986764589 said:

Based on the video it looks like it functions as a main vent too.

Even main vents should close when steam hits them. It is a defective vent, for sure. Besides, it's way to small to be an effective main/riser vent.

RomanGK_26986764589

@Fred It could also be a high pressure that is ruining them.

Fred

RomanGK_26986764589 said:

@Fred It could also be a high pressure that is ruining them.

May well be. I was thinking the same thing.