Home Improvement Stack Exchange
Home Improvement Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [steam]

61 questions
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2 answers

Should I insulate steam pipes in the basement?

I have a steam-radiator heating system. The furnace is in the (unfinished) basement, and the steam-carrying steel pipes spread out across the basement ceiling before going up into the rest of the house. Should I insulate these pipes in order to…
Vebjorn Ljosa
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1 answer

Why is my radiator hissing?

I've never had a radiator before, all central air for me, but I'm living in an apartment that has them now. All of the radiators in my apartment have been hissing, and pouring out steam from the "valve" on the side. I'm not sure what the "valve" is…
Tin Can
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6
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2 answers

Should light bulbs above showers be "steam proof"?

In replacing the lighting in my apartment with LED bulbs, I noticed that the recessed can lighting above the shower (to be fair, the light is centered on the shower curtain) does not appear to be steam proof. I'm only assuming that the bulb/fixture…
Paul Hazen
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4
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2 answers

Banging pipes/radiator

I just moved into a new apartment and the steam heating is driving me insane. There are three kinds of noise: banging pipes when the heat comes on (seems to be coming from the floor/walls); hissing noise from the air vent; the radiator itself…
jy928
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1 answer

Can baseboards be used in one pipe steam heating system?

I just switched to natural gas and had a new Weil-McLain steam boiler installed. (I originally had an oil boiler with steam heat.) It is a one pipe system and I have the old style radiators, except for wrought iron baseboards in two rooms (main…
Doreen
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2 answers

Will batt insulation ignite if it is laying against my steam pipes?

I have steam pipes behind a wall that I loosely packed R30 batt insulation against. Is there a possibility that the insulation will ignite?
Michael Cardillo
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1 answer

How tight should a Maid-o-Mist steam valve adjustment screw be?

I have a single pipe steam heat system with radiators. To use this system I use the Maid-o-Mist brand valves. These valves come in different sizes. The website provides a nice diagram about what should go where: And it seems that the difference…
Hogan
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4
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2 answers

Combining a 10-2 with a single 10 guage THHN for 25 amp circuit for steam generator

This feels like a bit of a dumb question, to preface. I need 50 feet of 10/3 to run from my panel in basement up to attic for a steam generator. It needs 25 amps, so 10 guage at 240v. I'm being frugal, and have access to some free 10/2 with ground…
David S
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1 answer

Why are steam radiators used in the USA?

In the UK, we use water radiator systems when the boiler heats the water to about 70°C, this allows the boiler to get most of the energy out of the gas (or oil) by condensing the steam you get from burning gas. I can’t understand why anyone would…
Walker
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4 answers

Best way to stop boiler steam from entering attic

I have a cape cod. The boiler is in the basement and vents to the outside about a foot above ground level. I get a considerable amount of snow melt and ice buildup in the attic section directly above the vent. I have recently been remodeling and…
rtaft
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Steam Baseboard vs. Steam Radiator

We currently have a single pipe steam heat system. We've had a couple of plumbers in to give us estimates on recessing our exposed radiators. Neither of them seemed thrilled with the idea and one suggested steam baseboard. Does anyone have…
mberkow
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3
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1 answer

Should the sight glass of a steam boiler always be within the recommended range? Or only when firing?

We just had a new steam boiler installed and it is working great; all radiators are hot when the heat turns on etc. One thing I noticed though is that the site glass for the water level reads too high when the boiler is off: notice the water level…
Karl R
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1 answer

Does the steam function on a dryer produce more humidity than a normal dry cycle?

Just moved in to my new condo and bought my first steam dryer only to realize that the condo syndicate prohibits us to use the steam function on our dryers because of a problem in the construction of the vents that would cause water to accumulate…
user33355
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1 answer

Hissing vent on a steam heating pipe

In the kitchen of an apartment I've just moved in there's a vertical pipe running floor to ceiling, not connected to any radiator nearby. It gets hot, so I assume it is a part of steam heating system. There's a vent on the pipe that emits very loud…
9000
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1 answer

Can I use a 1/8 water supply line for a dryer with steam refresh option?

I have a whirlpool steam refresh dryer that is not next to the washer or a water pipe. Can I use a 1/8" flexible pipe tapped into a pipe and then increase to fit on the dryer?
Pat
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