Radiator and Boiler Leaks in Somerville, MA

Radiator and boiler leak cleanup is a Somerville specialty because so much of the housing still heats with cast-iron radiators on steam or hot-water systems. These systems are durable, but valves, air vents, unions and old boiler fittings leak. The leaks are often slow, and slow leaks under a radiator can soak a hardwood floor and the ceiling below for weeks before anyone notices.

Steam versus hot-water leaks

• Steam systems leak at the radiator valve packing and air vents, spitting water and steam onto the floor each heating cycle.
• Hot-water systems hold pressurized water and can leak steadily at valves, bleeders and joints, or dump water when a fitting fails.
• Boilers in the basement can leak from the relief valve, the tank or piping, flooding the boiler room.

Boiler water sits in iron piping for years and carries rust and treatment chemicals, so it is often treated as Category 2 rather than clean water.

Saving hardwood floors

Old-growth oak and softwood floors are part of what makes Somerville homes valuable, and water under a radiator makes them cup. Cupping does not mean replacement. The drying team uses floor drying mats that pull water up through the boards, with LGR dehumidifiers and air movers keeping the room dry. Readings from the boards and subfloor are taken daily, and many floors flatten back as they reach the drying goal and can be refinished instead of replaced.

The ceiling below

In a stacked building, the room under a leaking radiator usually shows a brown ring on the plaster ceiling. Thermal imaging shows how wet the ceiling is and whether it can be dried in place. See structural drying for how plaster is handled, and condo unit leaks when the room below belongs to a neighbor. The Energy Saver pages and the EPA indoor air quality pages cover heating systems and damp rooms.