Steam Heat Boiler Questions

So as it gets cold, what steps do I (we) need to take to get our steam heat system running again as we're new to old houses. I get the draining of the boiler every week, do I have to re-fill or is that automatic? Anything we need to do to the radiators? Anything else that needs periodic actions taken? Help

It should really be serviced every year, by a professional.

Don't drain the boiler weekly.

If this is your first season with it, have it serviced. If you can, watch what they do so you can learn a little about the system.

You should be able to tell if it is auto filling- when you drain it, water should start running into it! You can check to see if your water meter is spinning if you can't tell by sound.

More likely you need to fill it- there should be a valve on a water line running into it, and there should be a glass tube on the front of the unit. Generally, if the tube is 1/2 to 3/4 full, you're good to go.

Units have low water shut offs to prevent them from running on an empty tank and cracking the vessel. Getting up in the middle of the night to go fill the boiler sucks but I can almost guarantee you'll have to do it. Yes yes, we should be checking it weekly but..... You know. Lazy.

How often should one drain the unit? It's a year old unit.

If you have it serviced annually you shouldn't have to fully drain the unit yourself. As Jackson Fusion noted, stand right by whoever is servicing the unit and learn about your system and what you need to do on a regular basis between servicing. They are used to educating their customers about the boilers.

Just fyi: PSE&G offers a low-cost policy to cover furnace (and, if desired, water heater). Contract doesn't include maintenance, but does cover most common repair problems. We've had the coverage for many years and have called them on a number of occasions.