Orange Steam Funnels Are a New York Symbol. What Are They For?

[ianrahman]

https://www.nytimes.com/card/2024/04/02/nyregion/steam-funnels-con-edison-nyc

[nneonneo]

https://archive.ph/Thdh0

[CaliforniaKarl]

Ah, so they’re not permanent! I always assumed they were.

Similarly, you’ll see occasional Liquid Nitrogen tanks around: https://youtu.be/juZqGU9iuq0

[tekla]

The steam funnels are to funnel steam

[noman-land → tekla]

Where and why?

[alexwasserman → noman-land]

NYC has steam as a utility, pumped into buildings for heat, cooling, etc

The pipes run underground. Leaks come up out of manholes. The funnel keeps it above human head height,

[tekla → noman-land]

There can be leaks in pipes, and people generally don't like being hit with steam.

[librasteve]

why do they color the steam orange in the first place?