NYC drivers, pedestrians and cyclists have seen them: Those orange-and-white funnels that are set up in various spots smack in the middle of Manhattan streets.
Ever wonder what, exactly, they are? We at amNewYork sure have.
Despite their quirky, candy cane-like design, they are anything but there just for show. Actually, the reason is quite steamy.
They are, after all, steam stacks! And they are only found in Manhattan with very good reason.
The overseers of the tall pipes are the folks at utility giant Con Edison. The brightly colored, hard-to-miss stacks serve Con Ed’s steam system. First going online in NYC in 1882, the steam system runs an impressively long route stretching from the Battery all the way north to streets in the 90s.
Not satisfied with that information alone, amNewYork spoke to a Con Edison media relations manager who told us that workers place steam stacks out of the ground whenever there is a leak or when water hits the steam main and causes vapor.
Most importantly, the devices are not dangerous and do not pose any danger to passersby.
“You have surely seen the orange stacks on streets and sidewalks with vapor coming out. They are sort of an iconic NYC sight, having appeared in many movies, TV shows,” a Con Edison media relations manager said. “They are not dangerous. They are just venting steam that is leaking from a main or vapor resulting from water making contact with a main.”
The stacks channel the vapor straight up above the eye level of pedestrians and drivers for obvious safety and convenience purposes.
“The purpose is simply to channel the steam above eye level so that it is not a distraction to drivers or pedestrians,” the spokesperson said.
Who uses the steam?
So who uses the steam system? Individual people? Businesses? What is it used for?
For starters, the sprawling steam system consists of 105 miles of main – including service lines that run from the street to properties – and serves about 1,500 customers.
While 1,500 customers might not seem like a lot, many of those customers are landmark institutions in Manhattan — including the Empire State Building, Grand Central Station, Madison Square Garden and even the United Nations!
While about 35% of steam accounts can be classified as residential, an account can be one building or even a campus of buildings, the spokesperson explained. People use steam mainly for heating, cooling, hot water, and humidification. Some hospitals in the borough use it to sterilize their equipment.
Like cloud puffs in the sky, the steam that emits from underground looks light and bouncy as it evaporates into the open air. But looks can be deceiving.
“The system provides about 15.14 billion pounds of steam per year,” the Con Ed spokesperson said. “The highest demand is during the winter due to the need for heating.”
Additional fun facts about the stacks on Manhattan streets
Con Edison has four steam-only generating stations and one steam-electric generation station. However, the utility is primarily in the business of providing energy to customers and does not generate a lot of the electricity at the steam-electric station, which is located near the East River, the spokesperson said.
In the meantime, intrigue your friends with these steamy facts about the stacks:
- The steam system went online in NYC in 1882.
- The first NYC building on steam was the United Bank Building at the corner of Wall Street and Broadway.
- The first steam energy district in NYC had 62 customers in 1882. At the time there were three miles of steam mains in the city.
- Con Edison bought the system in 1936.
- Con Edison uses lots of tools and technologies to monitor the steam system remotely and in real time. (the Con Ed spokesperson noted the company seeks “the best technologies” to reduce carbon in the system, too.)
