Indirect Heating Systems
In this video, Dan Holohan tells us about indirect heating. It is a method of heating that the old-timers used to warm fresh air before it entered a building. They placed...
Steam Heating Help Topics
This section is your comprehensive guide on steam heating systems with articles about proper steam piping, boilers, pressure, venting, radiators, water quality, and more. We'll also walk you through troubleshooting steam system problems like noisy pipes.
Steam Heating Categories
Basics
Boilers
Case Study
Combustion
Commercial Heating
Efficiency
Heat Exchangers
Heating System Conversion
Indirect Heating Systems
Indoor Air Quality
Insulation
One-Pipe Steam
Radiators
Safety Valves
Seminars
Steam Coils
Steam for Breweries and Food-Processing Applications
Steam Piping
Steam Traps
Steam Velocity
System Pressure
Thermostatic Radiator Valves
Thermostats
Troubleshooting
Vacuum
Venting
Water Hammer
Water Level & Steam Quality
Water Quality
Zoning
Recent Articles in Steam Heating
Steam Boiler Ratings Explained (Video)
In this video, Dan Holohan explains steam boiler ratings. When you look at a boiler manufacturer’s catalog, you’re going to see Input, D.O.E. Heating Capacity (Gross), an...
Why Many Old Steam-Heating Systems Are Oversized
In this video, Dan Holohan shares why many old steam-heating systems are oversized. The Spanish Influenza pandemic of 1918-19 had a huge impact on the development of hous...
Steven Gold's Mattress Radiator
Dan Holohan shares his knowledge about the first safe and successful steam radiator for house heating. Steven Gold patented his "mattress" radiator on October 3, 1854. It...
Spitting or Hissing Air Vents
Here are some reasons why the air vents are hissing or spitting water on your one-pipe steam heating system (and where to look for solutions). The system is dirty. Steam ...
The Pipes, The Pipes Are Calling!
If you look at the pipes in your old steam system you’ll notice that most of them are made of black steel. This was the standard in the old days. Nowadays, some contracto...
Air Vents and Oversized Radiators
Years ago, my friend Frank Taverna (who happens to be one hell of a good heating man) and I looked at a steam problem in a small church in New York City. Five one-pipe st...
Radiator Covers
Should you box in those radiators? Let’s take a look at radiator enclosures. Some people use them because they think old radiators are ugly (I sure don’t).
A False Water Line for Steam Heating Systems
Gordon Schweizer of All Steamed Up, Inc. says, "When 'modern' steam boilers replace their coal-fired antecedents, water levels in the system drop, often exposing purposel...
Why Steam Vents Die
Every steam system is an open system. Water expands 1,700 times when it changes to steam, and that shoves the air out. Steam condenses inside the pipes and radiators and ...