steam heat

Robert O'Connor_12

Site unseen it sure sounds like a venting problem. When you say "The valves were all changed last year" it sounds as if you may have threw off the balance of the system. What was the reason for changing these vents in the first place? Were you losing water in the system and saw that they were leaking? Other vents located on the mains in the basement are also potential culprits. Without enough (or the right size) main vents can also be problematic. Have you noticed alot of banging? Whats the boilers pressure-trol set at? Got any information or pictures of the boiler?

Robert O'Connor/NJ

mary ann

steam heat

We have problems with our steam heat in a 15 unit apartment building. The timer and gas boiler are located in the basement. Several people are too hot and I am usually too cold. More of the people are colder in the front of the building, but everyone in the back is too warm. The valves were all changed last year-( larger openning for more heat, smaller for less heat). Some have suggested I get new windows and more carpeting. But I think there is a bigger problem. What should we be looking at to resolve this problem.

c.t.kay

what type of control ?

what type of control are you using to run the heating system? where is the building located?how many stories is the building?

mary ann

steam heat reply

There is a timer in the basement, and a sensor heat timer under the stairs outside,. Building is in Brooklyn, NY and is 4 stories.

mary ann

steam heat reply

They thought that the hot apartments would get less heat if the valve was set with smaller outlet, and the colder apartments would get more heat with a larger outlet vent. There have been some radiators that leak, and we ususally have to call a plumber to fix the leak. There has been some banging noises in some radiators, and some hissing noises. I'd have to find out more about the boiler pressure. Occasionally there are some loud noises coming from the boiler room too, but it may be the hot water heater considering it makes noise during the summer too..

Steamhead

Main

> They thought that the hot apartments would get

> less heat if the valve was set with smaller

> outlet, and the colder apartments would get more

> heat with a larger outlet vent. There have been

> some radiators that leak, and we ususally have to

> call a plumber to fix the leak. There has been

> some banging noises in some radiators, and some

> hissing noises. I'd have to find out more about

> the boiler pressure. Occasionally there are some

> loud noises coming from the boiler room too, but

> it may be the hot water heater considering it

> makes noise during the summer too..

Steamhead

Main Vents

sound like the problem here. You have to vent all the air from the mains quickly before steam starts rising to the radiators. I'll bet the hotter units are the ones closer to the boiler, while the ones further from the boiler are cold.

Many old systems did not have main vents. When boilers ran on coal you could get away with this, since the steam was up all day. Once the air was out, it stayed out- so what if it took an hour or two to get heat to the ends of the system? Nowadays we don't have that kind of time.

There are many good steam men in the NYC area, but I'd suggest you talk to Matt "Mad Dog" Sweeney of Triple Crown P&H in Floral Park. He put a brand-new steam system in his own house and it works perfectly. So I know he can make your system work properly. Go to the Find a Professional page of this site, type in your zipcode and follow the instructions to locate his information.

mary ann

picture attached, also pressuretrol at top.

mary ann

picture attached

mary ann

picture attached

bob young

balancing problem

what say the boss at vigilante plumbing ? he should be more than cabable of correcting the problem if possible. they have always been a reputable & knowledgable firm. coupled with the advice gotten here maybe you could give him a shot at it. doesn't seem like a major problem but steam can be a little tricky to balance.

JohnNY8

Mary Ann,

My company has been servicing Brooklyn and Manhattan since 1976. We are skilled steam system troubleshooters, I assure you, and I'm certain we can work together toward a solution to your problems. Please feel free to contact me at your leisure.

John A. Cataneo, Jr.

Gateway Plumbing and Heating

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"