Posted by Kim
Those of you who have an old home (75 yrs or older) will know what I mean when I say that after awhile, you know all the creaks, groans, knocks and squeaks of your home and what they are. This is especially true if you have a boiler! You also learn that if you hear a new groan, knock or squeak, you'd better investigate!
So I knew that something strange was going on the other day when I heard a major whistling sound coming from the two radiators in the servant's dining room. It also seemed to be getting very humid in the kitchen area. Our director, Jim Goss, went into "detective mode" to see if he could discover the problem.
He uncovered part of the wall in the basement upon which hung a tool pegboard. Behind the pegboard was a small access door approximately 16 x 24 inches. Upon opening this door, a rush of steam escaped and he could see that there was a hole in the steam pipe.
Before repairs to the steam pipe could take place, it was necessary to remove all asbestos from the area, which was done by a certified environmental company, contracted through the Oklahoma Historical Society. Then Brown Plumbing was called in to do the repairs. I have to say that I felt sorry for whoever had to crawl through that small opening and make the repair. For Randy Brown, it was "just all in a day's work".
You can see in the photo the very small amount of space in which he had to work! Repairs completed, and we are back to the "normal" boiler sounds again.
So I knew that something strange was going on the other day when I heard a major whistling sound coming from the two radiators in the servant's dining room. It also seemed to be getting very humid in the kitchen area. Our director, Jim Goss, went into "detective mode" to see if he could discover the problem.
He uncovered part of the wall in the basement upon which hung a tool pegboard. Behind the pegboard was a small access door approximately 16 x 24 inches. Upon opening this door, a rush of steam escaped and he could see that there was a hole in the steam pipe.
Before repairs to the steam pipe could take place, it was necessary to remove all asbestos from the area, which was done by a certified environmental company, contracted through the Oklahoma Historical Society. Then Brown Plumbing was called in to do the repairs. I have to say that I felt sorry for whoever had to crawl through that small opening and make the repair. For Randy Brown, it was "just all in a day's work".
You can see in the photo the very small amount of space in which he had to work! Repairs completed, and we are back to the "normal" boiler sounds again.
