Floor to Ceiling Pipe in NYC

zpellecchia

I’m a first time renter and have no experience in steam heating systems. I live on the top floor of a 4 floor building and today, the steam pipes turned on and my room keeps on getting progressively hotter and hotter; even with fully open windows. I have a floor to ceiling steam pipe with a valve near the top that keeps spitting out hot air every 10-15 minutes and it makes my entire room unlivable. Is there any way I can shut this pipe off or should I contact management about it? I don’t think I can keep living in an 80°+ room the entire winter.

JohnNY

I live in a 4th-floor steam heated apartment in NYC too. Multi-family buildings like ours tend to flood the building with heat. It keeps landlords from getting "cold" calls, which for them, can become a legal problem. Most buildings have been doing this so long that asking them to change their ways is a fools errand. Then again, buildings that fix their heating balance distribution shortcomings enjoy lower fuel bills and overall happier tenants, which somehow is less attractive to many of them. I can solicit your building for a consultation on your behalf if you have a management/owner contact there. See my contact info below.

SlamDunk

And if @JohnNY1 is not a viable option, order 1 or 2" thick fiberglass pipe insulation and insulate the lower half of the pipe.

Or, you could do what my mother did. Tape hooks from coat hangers to pipe with duct tape and turn it into a clothes drier/humidifier. Or, hang your coat on it. It will be toasty warm when you leave the apartment.

ChrisJ

SlamDunk said:

And if @JohnNY1 is not a viable option, order 1 or 2" thick fiberglass pipe insulation and insulate the lower half of the pipe.

Or, you could do what my mother did. Tape hooks from coat hangers to pipe with duct tape and turn it into a clothes drier/humidifier. Or, hang your coat on it. It will be toasty warm when you leave the apartment.

Duct tape on a steam pipe?

That sounds.........wonderful.

Zman

Is something actually spitting out of the pipe or is it just getting hot? 2 completely different problems...
Covering the radiators and insulating the pipe are good solutions if you are only dealing with an overheating issue.

DanHolohan

I've seen apartment dwellers wrap the pipe in rope. They said that worked for them.

Zman

DanHolohan said:

I've seen apartment dwellers wrap the pipe in rope. They said that worked for them.

Brings a nice "Nautical" them to your interior design as well.

zpellecchia

Zman said:

Is something actually spitting out of the pipe or is it just getting hot? 2 completely different problems... Covering the radiators and insulating the pipe are good solutions if you are only dealing with an overheating issue.

The pipe itself isn’t spitting anything out but the valve releases some air with a hissing noise that keeps me up for the night

zpellecchia

SlamDunk said:

And if @JohnNY1 is not a viable option, order 1 or 2" thick fiberglass pipe insulation and insulate the lower half of the pipe. Or, you could do what my mother did. Tape hooks from coat hangers to pipe with duct tape and turn it into a clothes drier/humidifier. Or, hang your coat on it. It will be toasty warm when you leave the apartment.

The steamer might be a good idea for some of my button ups! I ordered a fiberglass pipe insulation and it’s coming on Friday. Will update when I install it.

zpellecchia

JohnNY said:

I live in a 4th-floor steam heated apartment in NYC too. Multi-family buildings like ours tend to flood the building with heat. It keeps landlords from getting "cold" calls, which for them, can become a legal problem. Most buildings have been doing this so long that asking them to change their ways is a fools errand. Then again, buildings that fix their heating balance distribution shortcomings enjoy lower fuel bills and overall happier tenants, which somehow is less attractive to many of them. I can solicit your building for a consultation on your behalf if you have a management/owner contact there. See my contact info below.

Thank you so much for giving me some info on the system! I’m glad I’m not alone in this. I will get my management’s contact and send it your way when I have the time.

SlamDunk

This brings back memories. Like tenants banging on the pipe to let the super know they are cold. And communicating in code to the kids on other floors at night. Oh, and mom turning it into a coat rack because there was enough heat in the kitchen.