Comments on: I hate steam heating

By: E. Kristin Anderson

E. Kristin Anderson — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 04:20:41 +0000

When I lived in Brooklyn, not only did the heat make gallons of noise turning on and off, but it would only come on at certain times of the day/if it was cold enough per some preset temperature my landlady made up. We started taping bags of ice to the thermostat to try and get the heat to come on during the day, but at night we were completely screwed. And I worked nights so by the time I got home to snuggle up in my bed, the apartment was icy. Lots. Of. Blankets.

By: Jen

Jen — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 17:46:08 +0000

I’m not the only suffering by loud banging steam heating trolls in the walls!

Really, I don’t understand why it’s so loud, but it definitely doesn’t help with the falling asleep thing.

By: yza

yza — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 01:54:20 +0000

Try some noise cancelling headphones hooked up to your iPod Gizmo of choice? Mine do not completely block out everything. For example, I can still hear the latest Teenaged Drama at work just fine… Sony makes a good and relatively inexpensive pair.

By: Bethany

Bethany — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 01:25:27 +0000

I’m in NYC right now too, and is is ridiculously cold. Teh absolute evil, definitely. I have lived all of my life in New York, so I should be used to it, but i never ever am. Your posts lasts winter about how stupid it is cheered me up enormously,because no one else seemed to despise it quite as much.

Just wondering, are you going to Australia for this year’s winter? And if so, when about? (I’m not a creepy staler, just curious, I promise.)

By: Brent

Brent — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 19:36:39 +0000

The clanging noises are generally air in the system. You can try to complain to the super or landlord. A properly maintained system shouldn’t be that loud. And 4am to 9am is pretty much the coldest part of the day inside (lags about 2 hours behind the outside temp).

By: Hillary!

Hillary! — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:39:56 +0000

What’s steam heating?

By: Sabrina

Sabrina — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:15:08 +0000

The problem with earplugs is that they blot out ALL sounds — so if the smoke detector goes off, or the alarm clock, you may not hear it. Then again, I’m right here with you. I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in ages because a certain someone lies next to me and snores so loudly that even if I’m already asleep he actually wakes me up. And earplugs won’t stay in my ears because my canals are so teeny tiny.

But hey, sleep deprivation can do amazing things for your imagination, no?

By: Maggie

Maggie — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:55:02 +0000

Justine, I used to have a train track running through my backyard. You need earplugs. The good silicone kind. I promise they block out everything – trains, parties, TVs and even snoring husbands.