How to turn on heat in brownstone?

Hi all! We’re new homeowners of a 2-family brownstone. Last year we paid a plumber to come turn on our heat. He checked the radiator and said everything looked good. We haven’t changed anything. I’m wondering if we need to pay someone to come out again or if we can just turn the thermostat up?

Guest User | 7 years and 8 months ago

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Guest User | 7 years and 8 months ago

string(1) "3"
string(6) "196601"

Thank you all so much! The heat is on! (just had to turn on the thermostat).

Guest User | 7 years and 8 months ago

string(1) "3"
string(6) "196601"

Thank you all so much! The heat is on! (just had to turn on the thermostat).

slimc | 7 years and 8 months ago

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Prior to turning the system on, I drain a little of the water out of the boiler, just until it runs clear, about 2 cups or so of sediment-laden water. I also check the water level in the glass tube on the boiler. Then as it heats up, I run around to every radiator to check for leaks and make sure they are all warming up.

daveinbedstuy | 7 years and 8 months ago

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If you have a programmable thermostat, the batteries may be dead. Dead batteries in these are the leading cause of heat going off during the Winter and pipes freezing in homes that are not always occupied.

anotherposter | 7 years and 8 months ago

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If the thermostat setting makes you think it should be on, look for a switch. Most boilers have a wall switch, usually just a toggle that looks like a regular wall switch placed higher, and someone might have flipped it to off. The ones I’ve known were either on a wall of the boiler room or at the top of the stairs up from the cellar. I was in an apartment in a brownstone where the switch was in a spot that felt like should turn on a light and other tenants were always turning it off so I just tapted it in the on position.

NeoGrec | 7 years and 8 months ago

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How programmable is your thermostat? If the answer is “not very,” this might be the time to get a new one. They are not expensive but can save you a lot on your heating bill. We don’t like a hot house so our heating is programmed to come on in the mornings from 6-9AM and at night from 5-11PM. It’s off overnight and during the day.

Arkady | 7 years and 8 months ago

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What did you do to turn it off for the summer? If all you did was fiddle w/ the thermostat you should be fine doing that again – taking Cate’s advice into account.

cate | 7 years and 8 months ago

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What kind of heating system do you have? You should be able to just turn on the thermostat. But be aware if your system runs on oil heat, it is important to have a once a year checkup by a licensed expert.

helen40

in Heating and Cooling 7 years and 8 months ago

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  int(189636)
  ["caps"]=>
  array(1) {
    ["subscriber"]=>
    bool(true)
  }
  ["cap_key"]=>
  string(15) "wp_capabilities"
  ["roles"]=>
  array(1) {
    [0]=>
    string(10) "subscriber"
  }
  ["allcaps"]=>
  array(3) {
    ["read"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["level_0"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["subscriber"]=>
    bool(true)
  }
  ["filter"]=>
  NULL
  ["site_id":"WP_User":private]=>
  int(1)
}

No.

Did you ever turn it off last spring? If the pilot is still lit, you can probably just turn the thermostat on to “heat” and you are good. This is not hard. Look on google and I bet you can find videos on how to turn on your exact make and model, or something close.