Forum: Heating

November 6, 2009

Heating system not auto filling

I have a Weil-Mclain heating system. I just turned it on for the first time this season. It worked fine for a few hours but when I checked after 3 hours, the gauge glass was empty. The system was simply not refilling automatically. What could be wrong? I'm really heating system illiterate so please explain in non-jargon! Thanks.

Furnace or Thermostat Issues

My furnace is not turning off. The temp is kept at around 68-70. Two days ago, I woke up to 82 degrees due to the furnace not stopping, thermostat was set to 68. I shut the heat off from the thermostat and reset it. Yesterday, I replaced the batteries. This evening, I turned on the heat and it kick off and continued to run up to 7 degrees, even when the thermostat was set at 68. Again I set the thermostat to off and reset it. This was not an issue back in early October, when we go some cold days, the furnace/thermostat was running ok for about 1-2 weeks. Any ideas? or Technician recommendations?

November 4, 2009

Furnace Malfunction?

Morning headaches during heating season. We have oil heat, have regular maintenance done on our furnace. Has anybody else had this problem? Any ideas for how to investigate? Thanks!

November 3, 2009

Furnace 'False Starts'

just wanted to throw this out there before i call someone to look at this.
our 3 yr old furnace (weil-mclain) seems to make that click 'on' sound and ignite then goes no further and just stops. this is happening when there actually isn't a call for heat from the thermostat.
it's working fine when the thermostat requests heat. this is just happening in it's 'down time'.
any ideas or suggestions?

November 2, 2009

Modern Steam Radiators

In midst of reno, and have a couple of rooms with huge radiators that take up a fair amount of space that we'd rather use for furnishings. We're considering replacing the original units with more modern wall mount ones that will give us back some square-footage on the floor. Are there companies other than Steam Radiators that do this? (We have a steam system). Does anyone have experience with these? Thanks.

October 30, 2009

Cast Iron Radiators - $75

Various Sizes - $75 each, good condition, Can deliver this weekend (small fee) for this weekend only.
listing = w" x h", # of fins

1. 12" x 37 1/2" , 4 fins

2. 34" x 38', 12 fins

3. 27" x 38", 10 fins

4. 25" x 41" , 8 fins

5. 25" x 48", 8 fins

6. 22" x 38", 7 fins

7. SOLD

8. SOLD

9. 31" x 34", 10 fins

10. 26" x 38", 10 fins

11. 28" x 38", 11 fins

12. 32" x 30, 10 fins

13. SOLD

Heat Timer - oil tank gauge

My building is looking to upgrade our Heat Timer (MPC Platinum) to include some of the remote monitoring features (apartment temps, etc).

One of the options is a oil tank gauge. Does anyone know how accurate these are?

We currently have a glass petrometer, which is only useful for pretty gross measurement.

October 29, 2009

Cast Iron RADIATORS - for sale

No pictures yet. We are renovating and have about 10 radiators (varied sizes) to sell. Will post pics tomorrow. THinking of selling for $100 each. Any interest?

Hissing, But No Heat

Still trying to troubleshoot heating problems in my building...What could be the cause of the problem if some radiators are hissing but are staying ice cold while other radiators are getting warm. What causes hissing without heat? Any ideas?

October 28, 2009

Those Clanging Pipes

Not a brownstone question, but a familiar problem: clanging pipes in a coop building. How to figure out where the problem lies? I hear a lot of it in my bedroom, even though I never have the heat on there. (enough ambient heat)
It is steam heat, the radiators have those little valves, should I ask management to get all the radiators in that line checked out?

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