21–30 of 161 posts
How is mildew and mold avoided in the pipeline and interior spaces being heated by steam?
Historically, you open a window.
How is mildew and mold avoided in the pipeline and interior spaces being heated by steam?
inside the pipe, can much life survive? is there anything to eat in there? has anything evolved specifically to live in NYC steam pipes?
Even Seattle has one of these! And the University of Washington as well. It’s amazing that the economics holds up even today. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle_Steam_Company
> in 1962, the anthracite seam under Centralia, PA – 25 miles to the west of Lehigh County – caught on fire and is still burning today.)
That’s crazy to think that for over 60 years there’s been an underground coal mine on fire. I wonder how long the mines will burn for. The pictures on Google are quite interesting.
I always thought watching films that steam in the dark streets was some cool 80s aesthetics. As in 'You are in this dark corner of the city where nobody can hear you' scary or edgy.
It would be a shitty steam network that allowed steam to just leak.
There's a stretch of sidewalk in the Financial District that gets so hot that you can feel it walking past on some days. And apparently, sometimes these things explode... [2]
As far as I've heard it's not (all) actual leaks, though, but rather water dripping on the exterior of the hot pipes carrying the steam itself being evaporated.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_steam_system
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_New_York_City_steam_explo...
I always thought watching films that steam in the dark streets was some cool 80s aesthetics. As in 'You are in this dark corner of the city where nobody can hear you' scary or edgy.
It would be a shitty steam network that allowed steam to just leak.
i don't think it's steam leaking. it's drainage/sewer water being heated by the steam system (and other heat sources down there) enough that it evaporates and rises up to the street, and then condenses into vapor/fog because the street level is cooler
I always thought watching films that steam in the dark streets was some cool 80s aesthetics. As in 'You are in this dark corner of the city where nobody can hear you' scary or edgy.
It would be a shitty steam network that allowed steam to just leak.
Apparently it's to regulate pressure.
At least the former seems to actually have been employed or at least studied as an option by ConEd in NYC: https://web.archive.org/web/20071008014254/http://www.coned....
Electrical transmission systems are roughly 85% efficient to the consumer; together with boring old resistive electric radiators which are 100% efficient. So is there any reason to subscribe to the steam system for new construction?