Rest easy--Gateway Plumbing is a fine reputable company to deal with. As an ex plumber and now salesman, I've encountered problems the same as yours. It can be very frustrating to find these kind of leaks. Alot of the time finding the leak will cost more(time spent finding it) than the actual repair, but if you delay, the damage to walls, etc can out weigh the cost of diagnostics and repairing the leak.

Good luck, Bill

Posted by: wholesalerbill at November 14, 2007 4:51 PM in response to Leak in the walls

There should be what they call a coin key vent on each radiator. You can get the key for it at any supply house or hardware store. Sometimes they're slotted for a screwdriver to fit in. Get yourself a cup with a bucket near by and open it up(just a little) until all the air is bled and water starts flowing from the radiator without any air. The best thing to do is have a Heating contractor come in and check out your system. Installing a device called a 'spirovent' at the boiler supply line is the best thing to have. It bleeds the air out automatically. You'll never have to worry about bleeding the system again. The spirovent does that for you. The cost of the spirovent varies depending on the pipe size required to install.
Also think of your boiler as you would a car. You maintain your car regularly(I hope) and a boiler needs regular maintenance also, after all it is a power source. It's good to have a heating contractor come in towards the end of the summer or early fall every year to do a quick overall maintenance on your boiler. Think of it as an oil change.

Posted by: wholesalerbill at November 14, 2007 8:40 PM in response to Bleeding radiators

If your putting plumbers tape(teflon tape) on the union face(smooth round part) then you'll be putting tape on it for ever. You will probably have to replace the valve. Especially if it's very old. Dem old pipes are more stubborn than my 90 year old mother. Unless you have the right tools and are mechanically inclined then I suggest you call a Heating contractor. Sometimes the valves are easy to remove. Most times they're a real pain in the keester to remove. Yeah yeah, you don't want to pay someone cuz contractors cost what your mortgage payment is, but a good reputable contractor will treat you fairly and when your boiler craps out in the middle of a cold cold night you'll be glad you had them repair your radiator. You'll get them to your home faster because your a past customer. And don't forget to tip the guy that comes to your house...These guys remember the folks that took care of them.

Posted by: wholesalerbill at November 14, 2007 8:55 PM in response to Leaky radiator connection

If the 'brown water is only coming out in the showers and bathtubs then most likely it's your water heater. Your mixing hot and cold at the same time through the shower and tub valves. More so if they're single lever valves. Check the serial # on your water heater. the date is on every serial #. When I was a plumber, I wrote in magic marker the date installed so the home owner wouldn't have a problem knowing the date of installation. If any doubts about the age of the water heater, you can contact the manufacturer via the internet or call their customer service number. If it's an old unit then flushing isn't really going to help. It means the tank is rotting and it's time to have a new water heater installed. Most water heaters come with a 6yr or 10yr warranty. If it's beyond the warranty then I suggest you get it replaced. A flooded basement is no fun. And it always goes when your sleeping in the middle of the night or away from home.

Posted by: wholesalerbill at November 14, 2007 9:58 PM in response to Brown water?

Having the right amount of water in your boiler WILL NOT STOP YOUR PIPES FROM CLANGING! Your boiler probably needs to be flushed and the ph levels should be checked also. Foaming and acidic water in a steam boiler will eat the cast iron alive. Yes, you probably do need a heating contractor to come to your house. Check out the video on this website--The Anatomy of a boiler. John Cataneo from Gateway Plumbing will give you some great tips, but if your unsure of what to do then I suggest you call his company and have them come and give your boiler a check up. They're a company that you can trust and rely on. Yes, Dan Holohan is the king of the lost art of steam heating, but Dan's been in the industry for a long long time and learned what he writes about from expierience, not from reading a book.

Posted by: wholesalerbill at November 14, 2007 10:08 PM in response to clanking radiators

If you have a fuse on your transformer than you better get a new transformer--cuz the thing should be in the Smithsonian.

Posted by: wholesalerbill at November 14, 2007 10:09 PM in response to No Heat - bad thermostat?

You do not want--I repeat....do not want an electrician for this job. You want a qualified heating expert to wire up these controls. As good as a qualified licsened electrician might be, they are not trained for wiring heating systems. Ask masterplvmber(on this site) for advice. He's the best person(and his company) for these issues.

Posted by: wholesalerbill at November 24, 2007 3:59 PM in response to elecrician needed for boiler control of heat timer

Check your air vents on the rads that aren't getting hot. You may need to replace them. Get the Gorton brand and a chart. It will tell you which vent to put on each rad in proximity to the boiler location. IE: distance from the boiler. Check out Bruce Supply in Bay Ridge. They're one of the best supply houses in Brooklyn. Get the 1-1/2" thick insulation if you can. You can also get the fittings to cover the elbows, tee's etc., which will make it a nice well done job. If you have a hard time finding the insulation call: Westside Plumbing Supply. We're in New Joisey but we stock it all. Ask for Bill(dats me) I'll be glad to help you out if you feel like taking a drive over the bridges. Not too far from the Goethals Bridge. 908-351-3600

Posted by: wholesalerbill at November 24, 2007 4:09 PM in response to Insulating steam pipes in basement

You absolutely want to get the galvanized pipe out of there. As a plumber of 25yrs+ and in sales for the past ten yrs, I've seen many rotted pipes in my day. Get it all done at once and bite the bullet on the cost. The cost to have a plumber in your home on emergency repairs will not be pleasant. Look into pex pipe for potable water. I'm not sure of the codes in New York for use of pex, but I'm pretty sure it's excepted. It'll save you a bundle of money on material and labor. And it's proven to be reliable.

Posted by: wholesalerbill at December 21, 2007 1:50 PM in response to Galvanized Plumbing

At $25.00 an hour it's a wonder this guy has time to eat, let alone answer his phone. I've been out of the plumbing business for over ten yrs now and back then we charged $85.00 an hr. But then again we didn't have the label of 'handyman'. Hire the professional and get the job done right. There's a reason they charge what they do---they're trained to do a 'professional' job. Hire a contractor that a friend may have used in the past. Don't go to the yellow pages. If the contractor comes reccomended then they're usually competent.

Posted by: wholesalerbill at December 21, 2007 2:09 PM in response to How much does your handyman charge?

$200 per day or less depending on the job.

Posted by: guest at December 21, 2007 2:55 PM in response to How much does your handyman charge?

I pay my handyman $40 an hour, and he's so worth it. He can do everything on my punch list, and he does it well. Don't even ask for his contact info...I'm not giving him away.

Posted by: guest at December 21, 2007 4:16 PM in response to How much does your handyman charge?

When I'm not busy on large jobs I do peoples punch lists for them at $35. per hour. Those interested can reach me at bottlecap@mindspring.com

Posted by: Rick at December 21, 2007 4:21 PM in response to How much does your handyman charge?

Wholesalerbill, the topic of contractors came up recently at a party and not one person in the room said they could comfortably recommend any that they had hired. Everyone had some kind of difficulty that at worst ended up in court, but at best kept them from recommending friends/family use the same "professional". For me and many others, these professionals seem to run there businesses unlike any other.

Rick, I'll give you a call the next time I need to hire someone. I still believe there have to be competent, skilled people out there. Maybe you're one of them.

Posted by: guest at December 21, 2007 5:04 PM in response to How much does your handyman charge?

Thanks 5:04. There are skilled, honest, contractors around. The trouble is finding them. Personal references are always best however, all references should be checked and go see their work if you can. If you find someone you really like, try to book them in advance. Really good contractors are always busy and often worth waiting for.

Posted by: Rick at December 21, 2007 6:10 PM in response to How much does your handyman charge?

The problem is that often when making a repair the old galvanized pipe will fail some where else due to movement or vibration. The threaded joints tend to break due to corrosion as stated above. Also I wouldn't trust any old valves to hold in cases of emergency shut offs. Sometimes they are frozen in the open position. Replacing all the lines especially those that feed the fixtures will be lots of work making repairs to tile /plaster/flooring/ what ever.

Posted by: guest at December 21, 2007 9:46 PM in response to Galvanized Plumbing

Replace all the supply line plumbing throughout the house at the same time. And I would certainly use copper - don't mess with Pex or some other newfangled plastic pipe. Plastic pipe such as pex is notorious for leaking after a few years.

Get a few bids to have the entire house done at once...

Posted by: guest at December 22, 2007 6:51 AM in response to Galvanized Plumbing

I second econosewer. Used the camera in our sewer to see exactly where the tree roots had grown in, treated it and now comes every 6 months to snake it out to prevent further growth. Reliable, honest, decent price.

Posted by: guest at December 23, 2007 10:56 AM in response to Sewer Pipe Leak Outfit

Pex is notorious for *not* leaking, it's why they use it in hydronic heated floors.

Posted by: guest at December 23, 2007 10:06 PM in response to Galvanized Plumbing

Hey, I didn't know they could do that! I mean, it makes sense - if they can do it for someone's urethra they can do it for a 1 1/2" pipe.

http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=sewer+camera

Posted by: Capn Transit at December 24, 2007 12:35 AM in response to Sewer Pipe Leak Outfit