I.D. the Pancake

[Jim Kovar]

[Kim Frank]

Hard to see detail, but struts at 12-3-6-9 o'clock, back switched, and perimeter vent holes on motor, I'd say 1901 or 1902 solid frame type AB form A or B if it's a GE cake

[James Lawson]

I *think* I see a tag above the switch on the back (or it could just be a blemish). If it's a tag, that would make it an '02 GE if my research is correct.

The fan was probably a few years old when the picture was taken. From the ladies' hair styles and the way everyone is dressed, I'd say the picture was taken in the late 19-oughts or the early 1910s.

[John Landstrom]

Love the lack of fire safety.    See what the fan is sitting on ?  Looks like a piece of wood on top of the radiator.  Granted, steam heat isn’t a flame, but high heat over an extended period could be an issue.   
 

Also, kudo’s to the man on the right for wearing his “high water” pants.   Must be anticipating a flood !

[Steve Sherwood]

We had steam heat in the 1973 at Camp Lejeune. There was one at the foot of my bed. I sometimes opened the window in the winter because that thing got hot. We had no Air-conditioning, so it was also hot in the summer. 

[James Lawson]

9 hours ago, John Landstrom said:

Love the lack of fire safety.    See what the fan is sitting on ?  Looks like a piece of wood on top of the radiator.  Granted, steam heat isn’t a flame, but high heat over an extended period could be an issue.   
 

 

That looks like a bleed valve at the top directly under the block of wood. If so, it's most likely a two-pipe circulated hot water heating system. It doesn't get quite as hot as steam. Both were "competing" means of heating buildings in the late 19th/early 20th Centuries, even though the same companies built both types of systems. I have a circulated hot water system in my house, which is original to its 1917 construction. The radiators don't get hot enough to combust anything, but they will burn your skin if you keep your hand to it for more than a couple seconds. It's very comfortable heat in the winter.

[John Landstrom]

1 hour ago, James Lawson said:

That looks like a bleed valve at the top directly under the block of wood. If so, it's most likely a two-pipe circulated hot water heating system. It doesn't get quite as hot as steam. Both were "competing" means of heating buildings in the late 19th/early 20th Centuries, even though the same companies built both types of systems. I have a circulated hot water system in my house, which is original to its 1917 construction. The radiators don't get hot enough to combust anything, but they will burn your skin if you keep your hand to it for more than a couple seconds. It's very comfortable heat in the winter.

That’s nice to know.   Ever had to call a plumber?  I can just imagine their reaction seeing something that old still in service.  I have to assume it was built with the same care as the fans from that era.  “Built to last, built like a tank”.

[James Lawson]

44 minutes ago, John Landstrom said:

That’s nice to know.   Ever had to call a plumber?  I can just imagine their reaction seeing something that old still in service.  I have to assume it was built with the same care as the fans from that era.  “Built to last, built like a tank”.

Believe it or not, on the East Coast there are still a lot of these 100+ year old steam and hot water systems in use. We have several heating contractors in the area who specialize in these older systems. Most residential applications no longer have the original boilers, but some commercial buildings do.

My house has had four boilers in its history. The original was coal-fired and was replaced in 1929 with an oil-fired unit based on some paperwork I found stashed in the boiler room down in the basement. This one served for about 55 years and was replaced in the mid 1980s for reasons unknown. I replaced the circa 1985 unit myself in 2010 due to a cracked heat exchanger. The term "boiler" is a bit of a misnomer for hot water systems, as the water doesn't quite get heated to its boiling point, though it's the term commonly used.

I service my own boiler and have made a few repairs to the system, which has mostly consisted of rebuilding/repacking a couple of supply valves and replacing a bleed valve or two. All but one of the supply valves to the radiators are original and have wooden valve wheels, which are really cool.