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No big deal. A properly maintained system is no more of a big deal than a properly maintained forced air system.
Hot water heat is cleaner - no dust gets blown around the house all day. I was astounded at the difference when moving from houses with hot water heat and houses with forced air heat.
I like radiator heating. those things get hot but you can use a cover for safety. I've never felt hot baseboard heat. My father's house in NJ has forced air heat and that's good too. I live in south Florida so we don't need heat. I do have forced air heat with my HVAC unit, but I moved in , in April so it wasn't cold. I did buy an electric oil filled radiator for future cold nights where I just need a little heat. I also have one of those small heaters with a fan for my bathroom because I hate to shower in cold bathrooms.
I lived in a custom built Ranch house in my youth and we had cast iron baseboard heat - I loved it as the whole house was a "even steady warm" in the winter!
The listing says "Heating: Steam, gas" and all the pictures show exposed radiators.
Hence the use of "probably"
Given the OP knows nothing at all about radiated heat, there is a good chance they saw radiators and assumed steam. Many people do. In fact many people have no idea there are hot water heating systems that use the same cast iron radiators as steam systems. If the OP has a house that is in use and none of the radiators have covers, then it is more than likely not steam. It could be, but probably not. The title used on the Original post does not change this.
Pictures? I cannot find any pictures.
If there are pictures then we might be able to tell for sure. If they are one pipe, then it is steam. If two pipes, it cold be either, but still likely hot water.
BTW OP, if it is steam and you want covers, look around on the internet, some of the radiator covers that are available are gorgeous. Some have bench tops so you have a nice warm place to sit or nap. I saw one that was made for cats. It was really neat with different compartments for each cat. Another had boot things that holds boots upside-down on top of the radiator. Most are just pretty. Some are metal, some wood.
Given the OP knows nothing at all about radiated heat, there is a good chance they saw radiators and assumed steam. Many people do. In fact many people have no idea there are hot water heating systems that use the same cast iron radiators as steam systems. If the OP has a house that is in use and none of the radiators have covers, then it is more than likely not steam. It could be, but probably not. The title used on the Original post does not change this.
Huh? I am the OP. The pictures that I was referencing are the ones from the MLS listing (and what I saw when I toured the house). The MLS listing is where it says "steam" as the heat source.
But thanks for the radiator heat cover tip. I'm thinking we may budget those into our offer.
I always liked the steam radiators, and they were all the buildings in NYC had since forever, so all older and even newer apartment buildings have steam heat. The amount of large ducts needed to run forced air around a 32 story building into every apartment would get ridiculous, but pipes are much smaller.
My 1,000 sq ft loft on the 7th floor of a commercial building in NYC on lower Broadway had steam heat with 2 huge radiators and 6 huge, almost floor to ceiling windows, the 1892 building was brick and stone, no insulation, they would turn the heat off at 5 PM, and the heat shut off on Saturday around 1 PM and didn't come back on until Monday morning.
When it was around 10 degrees outside I used to HOPE it would get colder because at 1 degrees one boiler would kick on to generate at least some heat to keep fire sprinker and water pipes from freezing.
When the steam was on oh boy it was like having 2 fireplaces, and the radiators would stay hot/warm for a long time after the heat went off.
I'd have a steam radiator system in my house today if I didn't already have a forced gas furnace.
I have hot water heat in my 1940 house. The radiators are recessed into the walls, and have covers. The heat is fantastic. The one thing I love about hot water, or steam heat, is that when the boiler cycles off, the radiators are still giving off heat. When a forced air system cycles off, no heat is being generated, and the house begins to cool down much more quickly. If your house is poorly insulated, or your thermostat starts to act up, your house will get chilly between cycles.
I have three young children. Will it be a nightmare keeping them safe?
I hope you're sold! I'll sure miss my steam heat if my next place doesn't have it
I have an exposed radiator in each room. No full covers although a few came with metal toppers that slide to fit whichever radiator I want it on.
My house also came with a bunch of plastic hanging buckets that go on the back of the radiator. I fill it with water in the winter, and the theory is that as the radiator gets hot it will put some moisture in the air. I don't keep the temp high though so they are not on often, just 2-3 times a day.
Get the book called We've Got Steam Heat from the aforementioned site. It's a quick read full of great tips. They are very easy to get working right. Tip: follow the instructions to clean the vents before buying new ones. I wish I knew that many many years ago, as I spent a long time trying to figure out why some weren't getting full heat and then buying new vents. Cleaning them actually worked. Once I got them working right, I was able to adjust some of them to less than full power.
I've had up to 7 cats in this house and not one sat on the radiators in the winter. They will sit in front of them. Your kids will be fine.
I love coming home on a cold day to hear my radiators singing.
We had steam heat radiators in our last house, built in 1920, and I loved them. The heat is even and clean.
Ours were kind of noisy at times, even though I seem to remember having things serviced and bled, but it's the kind of sound that you only notice at first. After awhile it just kind of became a comforting wintertime background noise, and never bothered me. I certainly wouldn't consider it a reason to avoid buying a house with radiators.
Ours were all directly under windows, and most had very nice wooden covers with metal screening on the front. (My husband and a neighbor built covers for the ones that were bare.) They were the perfect window seats, especially in winter. I really miss sitting on the one in the dining room on a cold morning....drinking coffee and looking out the window on a warm cozy perch.
I would only see the steam heat & radiators as a positive in any house I was considering!
This...and I agree that I wouldn't pass up a home because of radiators as long as it met all of your other requirements. Good luck with your decision!
We also have radiators (which I completely agree with all those who have said they are much cleaner than forced air) and the warmth is so wonderful.
Radiator "keys" to bleed the pipes can be purchased at a hardware store, Lowes, Menards, etc. Something along the lines of these, depending on your particular radiators I suppose.
Radiated heat is more comfortable, more efficient, more healthy, quieter, reduces the re-heat time form someone going in or out. . . . . not sure why you would not want them. Most quality high end modern houses have radiated heat. Cheap houses have forced air.
The only issue you have it that you need a separate system for conditioning. There is no radiated air conditioning.
Only steam heat makes banging, clunking and popping and only if it is malfunctioning and not properly maintained. Steam heat is pretty rare these days.
Forces air makes noise, the rush of air through the ducts and registers, the sound of hte air handler. Radiated heat makes no sound whatsoever except at the furnace where your gas, oil or coal may make a hissing sound as it burns.
With forced air you get ick blowing out of the ducts into your face, your sinuses dry out, the heat is very uneven. Mice and other vermin crawl into the ducts and die and then the air blows across their rotting corpses and into your face. (Or maybe just dust, skin, hair, bugs, ect get in there. Any way you look at it forced air can be pretty gross.
Radiated heat heats your home. The heat radiates out to your walls, floors, furniture, - the house itself becomes warm. Forced air heats the air inside our house rather than the house itself. Thus, if you open a door or window, the warm air goes rushing out and you have to start over. However usually, when you open the door, your warm couch does not go rushing outside, so when you close the door, your warm couch is still there and still warm.
We use programmable thermostats with radiated heat and as long as we remember to reprogram them when the power goes out, time changes etc, they work just fine.
Steam radiators can burn you under some circumstances. Hot water will not (unless someone messes with your boiler). If you have steam, you might want to put covers on your radiators. The nice thing about steam is it often does leak a tiny bit. You have a built in humidifier in every room. hte most comfortable winter heat I have ever experienced was in our house before we switched it from steam to hot water. Steam is a bt more work but it is a wonderful way to heat a house.
The nice thing about radiated heat is the radiators do not need to be exposed. You can put your couch in front of them or your table over them. It makes no difference. The heat radiates, it is not about heating the air, so airflow is irrelevant. Also you can use the radiators to keep boots, gloves and socks toasty. Radiators also make a convenient shelf, especially for something you want to keep warm. Plus your cat will sleep on top of them and be the happiest cat ever. We put our towels on the radiator in the bathrooms, then we always have heated towels when we get out of the shower.
The only downside I can find with radiated heat, is it costs more to instal, especially if you have AC.
What amazes me is some people will pay to tear out a radiated system that is working perfectly fine and replace it with forced air. That is like junking in your perfectly good McClaren P3 and buying a Nissan Versa to replace it.
( 3rd paragraph)..........."Steam heat is pretty rare these days ".....
Yes indeed !
The vast majority of people who brag up their " steam heat" actually have a house heated with a hot water boiler and NOT a steam boiler.
( 3rd paragraph)..........."Steam heat is pretty rare these days ".....
Yes indeed !
The vast majority of people who brag up their " steam heat" actually have a house heated with a hot water boiler and NOT a steam boiler.
The MLS listing says steam heat. Is it likely to be wrong? Since I wouldn't be able to tell them apart, what should I look for when I go to see the house on Sunday to verify steam vs hot water?
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