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I've yet to watch the video, but it seems weird to see praise for steam heating systems to me when I've had literally nauseatingly overheated apartments due to

I've yet to watch the video, but it seems weird to see praise for steam heating systems to me when I've had literally nauseatingly overheated apartments due to it. Was I just unlucky enough to have to cope with lowest-bidder systems?

astura 8y ago
There's nothing particular about steam heating that will cause overheating on its own; it works identical to any other heating or cooling system; there's a thermostat where you set the temperature and it turns the system on and off to maintain the temperature at its set point. You change the set point if you are uncomfortable. Sometimes for multi unit buildings the landlord or super controls the heat for the whole building, that can be a case of the heat being set hotter than the occupant prefers, or perhaps just due to poor maintenance the system isn't maintaining temperature properly. I'm not sure why they couldn't just turn off individual radiators in this case though. A properly set up and maintained steam heating system keeps temperature properly and doesn't overheat the occupants.
- tvprod1203 8y ago
  > I'm not sure why they couldn't just turn off individual radiators in this case though. Mine had no valves or anything. If you wanted to turn it off, good luck.
- bootlooped 8y ago
  I looked at an apartment that had steam heating via radiators in every room. The landlord was very adamant that the tenants were not to adjust the radiators. My guess as to why is that turning one off/down could make the others hotter.
  - tvprod1203 8y ago
    Reading up on some of the links provided in this thread, I think that would indicate a badly maintained system/too much pressure. And I'm now quite sure I had to deal with a single-pipe system modified to not have individual valves. Quite insane, but I guess that's what cheap owners will do.
- alexhutcheson 8y ago
  In NYC, the typical way this works out is that apartments on the lower floors get cold, because the buildings are uninsulated and hot air rises to the higher floors. They complain to the super, who cranks up the thermostat for the building until the lower floors are comfortable, and the upper floors are therefore stiflingly hot. Many people leave windows cracked open or even run their AC in the winter to overcome this.

astura 8y ago

There's nothing particular about steam heating that will cause overheating on its own; it works identical to any other heating or cooling system; there's a thermostat where you set the temperature and it turns the system on and off to maintain the temperature at its set point. You change the set point if you are uncomfortable. Sometimes for multi unit buildings the landlord or super controls the heat for the whole building, that can be a case of the heat being set hotter than the occupant prefers, or perhaps just due to poor maintenance the system isn't maintaining temperature properly. I'm not sure why they couldn't just turn off individual radiators in this case though. A properly set up and maintained steam heating system keeps temperature properly and doesn't overheat the occupants.

tvprod1203 8y ago
> I'm not sure why they couldn't just turn off individual radiators in this case though. Mine had no valves or anything. If you wanted to turn it off, good luck.
bootlooped 8y ago
I looked at an apartment that had steam heating via radiators in every room. The landlord was very adamant that the tenants were not to adjust the radiators. My guess as to why is that turning one off/down could make the others hotter.
- tvprod1203 8y ago
  Reading up on some of the links provided in this thread, I think that would indicate a badly maintained system/too much pressure. And I'm now quite sure I had to deal with a single-pipe system modified to not have individual valves. Quite insane, but I guess that's what cheap owners will do.
alexhutcheson 8y ago
In NYC, the typical way this works out is that apartments on the lower floors get cold, because the buildings are uninsulated and hot air rises to the higher floors. They complain to the super, who cranks up the thermostat for the building until the lower floors are comfortable, and the upper floors are therefore stiflingly hot. Many people leave windows cracked open or even run their AC in the winter to overcome this.