First time with steam heat

Gary Myers

Hi Mary,

I have similar problems with my system. I kept my thermostat at a constant 65 all winter and still had what I consider to be large gas bills (using around 300 "gas units" roughly $1.20 per unit in coldest months)

Read the "Steam Problems" section of this site to see why the steam may not be moving efficiently through your pipes. I changed some air vents on the Main pipes in the basement per the advice of Steamhead and others on this site and I am getting closer to proper operation. Next I am going to check the pitch of the pipes because when these old houses settle the original pitch can change.

Good Luck,
Gary Myers

Mary Z.

Understanding steam

I'm living in my first house with steam heat. It's been very cold this winter and the heating bills have been high and I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong. Is it okay to turn off the radiators in rooms I'm not using? I've adjusted the steam valves in some rooms and can adjust the amount of heat in the room that way. I've kept the thermostat at 55 except for 3 hours of the day when I turn it to 65. I didn't expect such high heating bills when I've kept the house so cold. Any suggestions? My current plumber does not seem to understand the system.

ed wallace

1st time steam

you should click on to find a contractor and find someone in your area who understands steam heat get system evaluated

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Steamhead

Mary, often we find

a lot of little things adding up to the situation you are in. We have a lot of good steam people in the Find a Contractor area of this site. If you're near Baltimore, e-mail me!

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Bryan_5

Mary,
I am in the same boat as you. I have just bought my first house with steam heat. As you will find there is alot of things going on with your heat. The first thing I would do is order Dan's "The Lost Art of Steam Heating" found in the Books and more section of this site. The book will help with undersanding what you have in your house. I also agree with the others use the find a contractor section and find a local expert.

Also I have found that I use less fuel by leaving the thermostat set at one temperature. Boiler has to run less then. One more thing I learned a very valuable lesson and that is to make sure that the steam carying pipes in the basement are well insulated. Yours maybe already I know mine were not. As I said I am no expert and just a homeowner with similar problems as you.

GW

pipes

are they insulated in the basement? If not, they should be. You'll save some fuel.

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Drod

Steam

Having good functioning main vents (mine were totally plugged), plus adding several more main vents, and keeping pressure settings low on the furnace's Pressuretrol control helped me save about 25-30%. I heat about 2400 sq. ft., and during my coldest month my bill (natural gas) was $180. I should add that while my house is very old and not insulated, it is not overly drafty. I also keep my thermostat at one setting (reluctantly 70 degrees-my wife can't stand it any cooler).

Ben_3

Mary

Dear Mary,
You must be freezing!! Does the house even get to to 65 in three hours. I can sympathize with you, her in Chic. they just bumped the gas price up again, now up to 73 cents/therm!! My gas bill was the most it's ever been. However I always keep in mind those gas bills I've seen from some of the larger steam heated homes that I service, some more than my mortgage payment. If you can tell us a little about your system we can probably identify what type of system it is and so on. You can also use this information to test the contractors in your area to see if they really know their steam or just say they do to get your buisness. If your near Chicago you can E-mail me and I may be able to give you a few names if you can't find anybody on the Contractor site link Dan offers. Good Luck