Forum Archive: Heating

I’m wondering how long the process is taking for people to convert from oil to gas. A neighbor said he had this done within a week of consulting with national grid. How long are permits taking for others? Are people going with plumber recs from national grid, or going with their own plumber? What are people paying? What plumbers are people using? Thanks

I’m in a two unit brownstone that is in the process of separating a forced air gas heating system so that each unit has its own heat. I’m looking for someone who will serve as a consultant for me, let me know how the plans being drawn up by the other unit will effect me and what work I’ll have to do. Any recommendations?

Ok, so the new steam radiators at the plumbing supply look different from the old ones I am looking to replace. I need one shorter and wider to fit into furniture.

The kid at the store told me the new style which has very sleek fins, will heat up faster. Is this true. Will it not also cool down quicker? Is this a better way to heat?

I am still waiting for spring to do this, does anyone know when global warming is gonna start

Hi!

I have tried to do research online regarding this type of heating but haven’t found anything. We have a very old forced air system installed in our brownstone. Since we are going to install central AC, we have been advised to install hydrostatic heating, using the AC ducts. They say that the air won’t be as dry since the air is heated circulating it with coils that are filled with hot water. I haven’t been able to read reviews on this, and was hoping that some of you have some ideas of the pros/cons, if it makes sense!

Thanks!
-Maria

Our 4-unit building has a 3 year old Burnham Independence boiler for our steam heat system. A couple of months ago the valve where you drain the boiler was dripping uncontrollably. We had a plumber fix it, but since then when I try to do the weekly draining of the boiler (open the valve and drain until the water turns clear), no water comes out – zero, nada. The plumber did say that after their fix, we would not need to drain it for the rest of the season. Does that sound right, or did they do something wrong in fixing it?

Note that before all this, the boiler stopped working and the plumber worked for a while before determining that the pilot light had gone out.

Shopping around for a full service home heating oil provider in Brooklyn as prices are skyrocketing. (Currently using Blue Diamond). Any recs?

Our water bill for the past 3 months was $670.00. Is that from the boiler? When the boiler is not running, it is $300 or so. Does this mean we have a leak in the pipes?

Our building is considering scheduling a site evaluation from a solar thermal contractor. Can anyone who’s installed the panels, or seriously considered it, advise us as to what we might be getting into? How are the panels working for you? Has it really done a lot to reduce your bills? Was the installation very difficult? What difficulties did you run into?

Hi there. I have a very dry, newly constructed condo and believe I need a whole house humidifier.

But there are some challenges. The HVAC set up is horizontally- installed, forced-air heat (boiler hot water to coil/air handler). The ducts begin very close to the coil on the supply side, preventing the adequate space for the placement of most models of whole house humidifiers. We tried a mister humidifier on the supply BEFORE the coil, but it leaked. No go.

Recently I learned that there are some models, like the Honeywell True Stream, that can be remotely installed with just a little space needed on the supply to allow for the installation of a hose.

Questions:

First, will this humifidier type work in the kind of HVAC set up I’ve described.

Second, are these steam humidifiers a good bet.

Third, does anyone have a recommendation of who could help me with this issue?

Just by way of FYI, the condo is about 2700 sq ft and has average air infiltration.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks.