Steam heat and boiler help in University City
University City grew up in the early 1900s, and many of its brick homes and apartment buildings were built with boilers and radiators. Plenty still have them, some on steam and some converted to hot water.
Housing and heating in University City
ZIP codes: 63130. What you'll commonly find:
- Brick single-family homes from the early 20th century, many with original radiators
- Older apartment buildings with central boilers
- A mix of steam systems and systems converted to hot water over the years
- Additions and finished basements that were never tied into the original heating
Steam and boiler problems that come up here
- Not knowing whether the system is steam or hot water, which changes everything about the repair
- Cold rooms in additions or sunrooms far from the boiler
- Leaking radiator valves and stuck air vents
- Old boilers in apartment buildings where repairs keep adding up
These are common patterns in older housing like this, not a diagnosis. Every building is different.
When you call
If you're not sure whether you have steam or hot water, send a photo of the boiler: a glass water-level tube on the side usually means steam.
STL Steam Heat is a free referral service operated by Thurr Solutions LLC. We pass your request to an independent local heating technician, who quotes and does the work.
University City steam heat questions
How can I tell if my University City house has steam or hot water heat?
Steam boilers usually have a sight glass (a small glass tube showing the water level) and a low-pressure gauge. Hot water systems are filled completely and usually have a circulator pump and an expansion tank. Radiators on hot water often have a small bleed valve; steam radiators on one-pipe systems have an air vent on the side.
Why is the room in our addition always cold?
Additions often got a radiator tied into piping that was never sized or vented for it, or no heat at all. A technician can check whether the existing system can serve it properly or whether a separate solution makes more sense.
General steam heat questions
Why do my steam radiators bang?
Loud banging (water hammer) almost always means water is trapped where steam is trying to pass, usually in a pipe or radiator that has lost its pitch, or because the boiler water is surging. Steam condenses back to water and has to drain back to the boiler. If a radiator tilts the wrong way, a pipe has sagged, a one-pipe radiator valve is half closed, or the boiler water level is too high, the water pools and the next rush of steam slams into it. Common fixes are re-pitching radiators (a shim under the legs), re-pitching or re-hanging sagging pipe, opening one-pipe valves fully, correcting the water level, and skimming or cleaning dirty boiler water. Light ticking as metal warms up is normal; loud bangs are not.
Why are some of my radiators cold while others get hot?
Most uneven steam heat comes from air that can't get out: a stuck or undersized radiator air vent, missing or failed main vents in the basement, or on two-pipe systems a failed steam trap. Steam can only fill a radiator as fast as the air inside it escapes. Radiators far from the boiler need the air pushed out of the main pipes first, which is the job of the main vents near the end of each steam main. Other causes are a closed valve, a radiator tilted so water sits in it, or the pressure set too high, which makes vents close early. On a two-pipe system, one failed trap can let steam into the return and leave other radiators cold.
Should I repair or replace my old steam boiler?
Repair it if the boiler itself is sound and the trouble is controls, vents, water level or piping; consider replacement if the cast-iron sections are cracked or leaking, repairs keep piling up, or parts are no longer available. Age alone isn't the deciding factor: many old cast-iron steam boilers keep running for decades with basic care. Signs that point toward replacement are water leaking from the boiler sections, a firebox or heat exchanger that is rusted through, unsafe combustion or venting, and repeated major repairs. A new boiler has to be sized to the radiators you have, not to the old boiler, and piped correctly, or it can run worse than the one it replaced.
No heat in University City?
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Talk to someone about your heat
(314) 260-1210Tap to callCan't talk right now? Send the form and a local boiler technician can call you back.
- Free to request, no obligation
- Your info goes only to the technician handling your request
- A photo of the boiler helps: you can text it after the call