Cast Iron Baseboard?

Steamhead (in transit)

if you re-use any of the old piping, you run the risk of leaks. Figure on the added cost, and disruption to the house, of replacing every inch of the old piping.

If you find this too expensive, get a steam boiler like the Smith G-8 that has a better thermal efficiency than the average atmospheric gas steamer and is already tapped for a hot-water loop.

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Steve Kessel

Cast Iron Baseboard

I have a home from the early 1700's. It is currently heated by an old oil-fired boiler that that supplies a single pipe steam system to the first floor of the home and hot water baseboard to the upstairs. We are planning on replacing the boiler with a gas fired system and converting the steam system to hot water. We are going to replace the radiators with baseboard heating and are planning on using cast iron baseboard over typical thin metal baseboards primarily for the aesthetics (to match the old home look). Any thoughts to this approach or alternatives? Thanks.

Leo_12

Pricey

Cast iron baseboard is pricey compared to standard fin tube but you get what you pay for, that being comfort. Doing this conversion do not use any of the old steam piping which has never had any pressure to speak of. Are you switching to gas over price or efficiency? Switching an old oil boiler to a new one usually results in an oil savings.

Leo

J.C.A._3

Steve,

How big are the rooms you're talking about?

Think about this....If you replace the standing radiator with baseboard of any kind, you'll have to keep the furniture away from it to get the convective component out of the B.B. radiation. Where the cast iron radiators are NOW, you know you can't or haven't been able to put furniture just RIGHT there...up until now.If you install baseboard, you'll in effect make the space smaller, if you have to move the furniture in and away from them.

Cast iron radiators are still available and some are as ornate as the old ones were...or just plain Jane if you like.

Best advice I can give is to have a heat loss calculation performed FIRST!!! Find out how much CIBB you'll need to make it work, and have the contractor also size for a properly sized standing cast radiator. Figure out where you want to keep the things in the room....and which one will work, leaving you the most usable space.

Been there, done that...had to listen to the space complaints after I was finished. Good luck. Chris

joe_94

In my garage [Minneapolis]I have stored up 39 feet of Weil-Mclain cast iron baseboard which includes 3 left ends and 3 right ends. I just like it. It is the more rare 7 inch high cast iron, and an installation folder and color brochure. I used some of this product in a bedroom. It is unobtrusive . The Wallboard sits on top of it. Nice heat! Totally Quiet. Compatible with the other cast iron in the house. The specifications indicates it emits 390 BTU [per foot of iron] per hour at 180 degree water, and 480 at 200, etc.
If I cannot get my son to use it I'll part with it at a reasonable price. He is up to his ears with in twin boys on top of two other boys.
Anyone sort of interested? joe 952 925 2726

realolman

Funny...

just yesterday my wife and I rassled a 13 section 38" high radiator made by the National Radiator Company in Johnstown PA. from the basement to the first floor living room.

It was installed "very used" about 25 yrs ago to heat the basement. On the way around the outside of the house we hosed it out and off. When we got it to the living room, I painted it, and it is sitting there right now on a half sheet of plywood. A queen on her throne.

I used to think it was the ugliest thing I ever saw, but looking at it now, with all its fancy casting, and new coat of paint, and thinking about the amount of heat that baby is gonna give off this winter, it looks nothing short of beautiful.


Thinking of how it was made, and the time is was made, the people who made it... it wasn't quite hard enough just to make it, let's put fancy swirly stuff all over the top and bottom of it, yet.


Perhaps I am a bit off my rocker to wax so nostalgic about somethng as mundane as a radiator, but I became pretty intimately aquainted with this bad girl yesterday... she made me grunt, and made me sweat. I had to stop and take a breather about 4 times. My back hurt when I was done... there was a trail of 2 x 4's, 2 X 12's, ropes, prybars, 3" and 1" pvc pipes, rusty water, a drill, furniture pushed all over the place. she already made me warm once on our 3 hr. oddesey... I look forward to the next time she warms me up.