Risers have sheetrock built around them

ericlewis · December 20

I live in an apartment building with a scotch marine boiler that connects to a single pipe steam system. The boiler connects to radiators in each unit. There are also risers that I understand are to provide extra heat to some rooms. My maintenance company called these "dead risers" but I can't find general use of this term on the internet.

In many apartment units, the risers have been enclosed in sheetrock. The residents of some of these apartments report their apartment is cold, which isn't surprising if the riser is intended to provide some heat and they are enclosed in sheetrock.

Is there general advice on whether these risers can be enclosed in sheetrock at all? And if they can be enclosed, how should venting be setup so that the riser delivers heat to the unit?

Some of the enclosed risers here have 3 or 4 inch vents at the top and bottom of the sheetrock enclosures. I don't think these vents provide that much heat.

Jamie Hall · December 20

Technically a riser can — and does — provide a small amount of heat to a space, assuming that it is feeding a radiator above it or it is vented. But… not that much. It wasn't uncommon, though, for a steam riser to provide the heat for a small bathroom.

Now if you go and enclose the poor thing in sheetrock, that's going to be cut way down. Having a vent at the top and bottom into the space may help… a little.

Big Ed_4 · December 20

Yes , standpipes were used in water closets for heat source . You will find a steam vent on the top floor .. I guess somebody thought the pipe was ugly ..

EBEBRATT-Ed · December 20

If the riser were supposed to provide heat to the space and they were enclosed, then someone made a mistake.

One common reason is the belief that children will get burned, or that the pipes are ugly. Some think radiators are ugly, so they enclose them which reduces the heat. Once risers are enclosed, they will provide little to no heat

ericlewis · December 20

Okay, thanks for the notes.

For these risers that are enclosed, removing the sheetrock completely would be costly. Some have floor and ceiling moulding on them, and the hardwood below them may be old compared to the rest of the apartment.

Will cutting some significant area of them open, and adding a grill, provide much heat? Is there any guidance on specific ways to do this?

mattmia2 · December 20

in theory with the chase and vent in the top and bottom could provide more heat than the open pipe would because the chase would increase the flow of air over the surface of the pipe. if the chase is not well sealed at the top and the bottom, that will instead pull cold air from between the floor and ceiling and walls and push the hot aur unp above the ceiling. the lack of air sealing is most likely why the vent idea doesn't work. the vents probably only need to be a ft^2 or 2 at the top and bottom.

Big Ed_4 · December 21

If you have the heat loss calulation of the room and the EDR of the riser you can calculate how much wood to remove …

EBEBRATT-Ed · December 21

If the chase is in fact sealed to the interior space and the other sides of the chase are sealed (not open to joist spaces, wall studs etc) You could cut an opening near the floor and another about 6 1/2' up and you would get gravity air flow like a chimney.

Risers have sheetrock built around them

Comments

Categories