4 ms·
Pretty sure the steam is ran through radiators and not just dumped directly into the air.
by darknavi 2y ago
Pretty sure the steam is ran through radiators and not just dumped directly into the air.
- lxgr 2y agoPart of it is definitely dumped directly into the air through an over-pressure valve on each radiator. At least that's been the case in all steam-heated NYC apartments I've ever visited or lived in. But what counteracts this is a loss in humidity caused by the heating of cold air from the radiator itself (cold air warmed up reduces relative humidity), and in my experience, this more than counteracts the little bit of steam hissing out of the radiator valve. As a side note, I've always wondered if the steam being vented that way is actually coming from the steam plant, or whether there's a heat exchanger somewhere in between that isolates a building's steam network from the distribution one (which is the case for liquid water heating, as far as I understand).
- mindslight 2y agonit: The valve is a thermostat that vents the air/steam in the radiator when it's not hot enough, letting new steam come in and replace it. This gets heat to the radiator quicker (over pure diffusion), and provides a mechanism of controlling its individual heat output. Of course, these valves are often broken.
- lxgr 2y agoInteresting, that explains why it's going off so consistently and makes a lot more sense than just avoiding overpressurization. Thank you!