Those Who Came Before

1Matthias

Saw this on a job I worked and thought I'd share.
Since January 15th, 1948 when this system was first installed, everyone who worked there has signed the date and what they've done on the wall next to the boiler room entrance.
Not often around here that the Dead Men make their presence quite this known, and quite amazing to see the progression of records over the years!

STEVEusaPA

Interesting, but hackish. I guess paper and hanging tags didn't come out until after 1963?

jumper

Leaving a service record should be mandatory. May make it easier to figure out what goes on after boiler room has been knuckled multiple times.

Steamhead

STEVEusaPA said:

Interesting, but hackish. I guess paper and hanging tags didn't come out until after 1963?

I'd say that was started before hang-tags were a thing, then continued the same way afterwards.

@1Matthias , what's the earliest date shown there?

1Matthias

@jumper With some of the jobs I've been on, you could kind of tell what was done when by the type of fittings used and the quality of the work. But aside from that, it was anyone's guess who cooked which parts of the dog's breakfast.

@STEVEusaPA Paper tags tend to get lost or fall apart over the years. It's harder for a wall to go anywhere. ;P

1Matthias

@Steamhead January 15th, 1948. "System Installed". Interestingly, the house was built around 1910 if not a bit before. Guess it didn't have central heating when it was first built. Would actually explain quite a few of the piping oddities in the house.

Steamhead

Cool- what type of system is it?

1Matthias

@Steamhead Single pipe steam, like most of the local systems. Seems that the local installers skipped 2-pipe steam and went directly to hot water. It's the system from my recent post about the failed Big Mouth vents. Sadly it doesn't have the best piping, near boiler or in general, but it seems to overall be working fairly well despite that.

Gordy

I’ve always found random writings on frame work etc of old homes interesting. Far from unprofessional for the times.” April 16th snow”......

Maybe even a few pristine cone top beer cans in the stud cavities😂

Steamhead

That rad is much, much older than 1948. They stopped making ornate rads round 1920. That one might be a Richmond.

I bet the 1948 date was for a replacement boiler.

1Matthias

@Steamhead I've encountered a few "new old stock" installs locally; however I'm more than open to being wrong. This house has 3 different types of radiators; 3-4 hot water "tube" style made by American Radiator if I remember correctly, one hot-water style ornate radiator made by NYR, and 8 or so of the type pictured with no maker's mark that are single-pipe steam only.

Steamhead

More likely some rads were replaced over the years. The pictured rad was in production when the house was built.

1Matthias

@Steamhead That's quite possible as well. It's honestly hard to tell what's where/when with this house, as it was split into 4-5 apartments in the late 40s, then reconverted back into a single family home some time later. The infrastructure is at best a colossal mess. Most of the steam pipework seems to have been untouched since initial installation however, despite a few oddities.