Grit falling from gap near bathroom heating pipe (photos)
Hi Everyone, I am an owner in a 1940 pre-war 6 story co-op building. I have lived here 8 years and just last winter I started having problems with grit and sandy particles falling from the gap by the heating pipe on to the bathroom floor. There is about a quarter inch gap between the pipe itself and the metal sleeve that it fits into before it goes into the ceiling. When the heat goes on, grit is generated somehow and starts falling. My coop building will not address this any further than telling me to stuff steel wool in the gap, which I did last winter, but the steel wool started becoming dislodged almost immediately and also the grit still manages to make its way around it. Has anyone heard of this problem and what can be done to address it in a coop building? According to my building’s management, other sharehholders also have this issue and the manager is “all ears” about what I can do to solve it. I still think it should be fixed by the coop, but I don’t mind hiring someone to solve the problem if I can figure out what to ask for. Is there some sort of contraption like a metal tray that could be attached to the upper part of the pipe to catch the grit so it doesn’t fall on the floor? I am attaching photos. Thanks in advance.
parker444
in Plumbing 10 years and 7 months ago
4
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4 replies
parker444 | 10 years and 7 months ago
Green Mountain — thank you very much for your feedback. I will check with the contractor who just did my kitchen a few months ago to see if he can accomplish what you suggest. I am not very handy myself, unfortunately. I am on the 3rd floor of the 6 story building.
Green Mountain | 10 years and 7 months ago
You said you live in a 6 story coop, but did not say which floor. You are on the 4th or 5th floor. If you were on the 6th floor, the grit would not be falling because the steam heating pipe would not extend in to the ceiling. If you were on a lower floor your pipe and the escutcheon would not keep moving enough to dislodge such an annoying and unhealthy amount of paint and plaster fragments from your ceiling, and all the other stuff people stuffed in there to solve the problem. The pipe rises from the cellar where it rests. It sits on the floor, or is attached to a block of concrete or to a wall). With each steam cycle, it expands. Each time the steam condenses and water drains and the pipe cools, it contracts. The higher up you are, the more the pipe expands upward, followed by the opposite movement, contracting downward. You may be on the right track to stuff pliable putty between the pipe and the ceiling, but how long it works may depend on how much the pipe moves. If it moves only 1/16″ up and down in relation to the ceiling, try it. If the pipe moves 1/4″ or more, I wouldn’t bother. Forget trying to get your coop to address the problem. The building is working exactly as it was designed 100 years ago, but now you are demanding much higher standards, which neither you nor your fellow shareholders are not willing to pay for. You have two options: 1\. vacuum out the accumulated grit and dust (construction debris, sand, cement, plaster, dust, paint chips including lead paint). Wear a properly fitting dust mask. Using tin snips or aviation snips, remove the escutcheon (sleeve). With a narrow vacuum nossle and a bent wire hanger, remove as much dust and grit as you can through the narrow opening. Replace the escutcheon with a “split escutcheon” of the correct inside diameter. If it slides down or falls off, you need to get it closed and clipped, and you can also support it with a a large hose clamp. Allow the pipe to move freely and repeat cleaning as often as you like. You can also cut a second, larger hole in your ceiling a foot or more away from the pipe and more thoroughly clean the dust and debris, and re-plaster and paint. Perhpas you would do that when you renovate or professionaly paint. 2\. Box out the pipe with screened ventilation holes. Remove the box periodically to clean.
parker444 | 10 years and 7 months ago
I posted my issue on another home improvement board and this $3 product called GB duct sealant compound was recommended to me. Apparently it never hardens (remains pliable) and has a temperature range of up to 350 degrees, so it should be safe to use near a heating pipe. I will report back with my results but will probably give it a week or two to make sure it’s really effective. In the meantime, if anyone else has ideas, let me know!
parker444 | 10 years and 7 months ago
Here is the other photo