Common Boiler Problems in Brooklyn Buildings
A lot of pre-war Brooklyn buildings heat with one-pipe steam, and steam has its own failure list. The low-water cutoff trips and the burner locks out. The pigtail under the pressuretrol clogs with rust, so the control never sees pressure and the boiler short-cycles. The automatic feeder sticks open and floods the boiler until water spits from the radiator vents.
Banging pipes - the famous steam hammer - come from water trapped in a sagging line or a radiator pitched the wrong way. Shimming a radiator fixes plenty of those calls for the cost of two wood blocks.
Hot Water Boiler Repairs
Hot water systems fail quietly. One zone goes cold because a zone valve motor burned out. Every radiator gurgles because air got in. The relief valve drips because the expansion tank lost its charge, and a waterlogged tank left alone eventually puts water across the boiler room floor. Our plumbers bleed the system, test the tank, and replace the circulator when the bearings go.
Heat Rules for Brooklyn Landlords
Heat season runs October 1 through May 31. NYC requires 68 degrees inside during the day when it drops below 55 outside, and 62 overnight, per HPD. A tenant call to 311 starts the clock on a violation. Plenty of our boiler calls come from supers at 5 a.m., an hour ahead of the first complaint.
When a Boiler Problem Needs an Emergency Plumber
Shut the boiler off and call if you see water on the floor around the base or hear the relief valve blowing steam. A carbon monoxide alarm means everyone leaves first. Gas smells go to 911 and National Grid, then to our gas leak repair crew. Working heat with no hot water usually points to the tank, and that is a water heater repair call. A soaked boiler room after a storm may need sump pump repair before the burner can run again.