Separate Heating Systems - Everything Seems Right But.....

[Michael G.]

Recently purchased a property (2-family) with separate utilities. Here are the facts:

1. Two new gas fired steam boilers (one for each unit)

2.  During the home inspection the thermostats in each unit was increased drastically to confirm they were operational

3. Two new gas meters (confirmed by utility company)

4. First unit has a baseboard set-up and the second unit has a radiator set-up.

5. The 1st unit boiler was suspect during the inspection because it lagged in turning on, but ultimately turned on.

After the first month of having the utilities running on both units I realized only the 2nd unit's gas meter was going up, while the 1st unit's gas meter remained the same. With that said, both units are receiving heat consistently. I checked to make sure all the valves were in the "ON" position and that the piping was unique to each boiler and everything appeared to be in order.

Why do I have two brand new meters and two new boilers that are being serviced under one meter? How can both boilers be connected to the same meter? Do you think one boiler (2nd unit boiler) is feeding both units? I know this may not be the most appropriate place to ask this question, and that it is advisable to have a plumber inspect my set-up, but i figured i'd ask the community if they've ever experienced an issue similar to this with their investment properties.

Thanks in advance.