Posted by TIM HODGSON on January 22, 2000 at 22:33:56:
In Reply to: What the hech would you do? posted by Robert Niosi on January 22, 2000 at 20:07:59:
: My family and I just moved into our new home which was built in 1937. It has a converted coal burner which provides steam and hot water. It seems strange that only the hallways and the bathrooms have steam heat. The rest of the house relies on and out dated forced air furnace which barley get heat to the far end of the system. All this works so poorly that the previous owners added electric baseboard. What an inefficient and expensive energy hungry mess!
: OK, I want to start with a clean slate. I was thinking of eliminating the forced air and adding rads to the existing steam system. A new boiler etc.. I don't know a thing about this stuff. I assume there are modern devices which can zone each rad. No? A thermostaticly controlled valve? How do I know which rads are the most efficient?
: I have a cotractor coming of Thursday and I afraid I will be at his mercey.
You will need to find out if your contractor has a lot of customers with a STEAM system like yours. Call the local utility and check his references. A steam system can give great heat and comfort, but the sizing of the system & piping is critical. Good luck, Tim