Replacing bulky radiators

StuartL

We have bought an 80 yr old house in the Seattle area with big, bulky steam radiators (at least I assume its steam - galvanized iron pipes hooked up to an oil furnace). I'd like to replace the radiators with some of the more compact versions I have seen in Europe (maybe they exist in the US, but we don't see many steam radiators in Arizona!).



All the suppliers found under a search using the key word "radiator" seem to be in the UK. Can somebody point me in the right direction?



Thanks

Rod

Replacing Radiators

Hi- I wouldn't do anything in a hurry until you know more about your system. If you could post a picture of one of your radiators showing the connecting piping on both ends perhaps we could tell you more about your system. 

The radiators were originally sized to heat your home. If you replace them with smaller radiators you may find that the smaller radiators won't do the job. (Sort of like replacing your car engine with the lawn mover engine) There are things that can be done but we need to know more about your system first.

- Rod

Dave in QCA

Cast Iron Radiators

Cast iron radiators are probably the best and most comfortable means of putting heat into a living space.  The reason they are not used in new construction is that no one can afford them.

I highly recommend finding out a little about your system and how it heats prior to making plans to modify it. 

The picture posted with this is acually a hot water radiator.  It was in poor looking condition, but after some serous wire brushing and spray painting it with a dark bronze rustoleum paint, it looks great! 

The benefits of keeping the existing radiators include not having to patch holes in the hardwood flooring, not covering up original wood baseboards, and of course, huge cost savings.

The Steam Whisperer (Formerly Boilerpro)

Affording.....

I wouldn't necessarily say no one can afford them....people choose to not afford cast iron radiators.  When 1900 vintage homes were built the typical heating system was about 12 % the cost of the home, now it is about 3%.     Most people choose show and more square footage over solid fundamentals these days. 

nicholas bonham-carter

lovely lampshade

your picture shows not only a nice radiator, but also a lovely lampshade.

as my wife makes silk lampshades, i try to show her any information i can get  about any shades i see on line.

where does it come from? any other pictures of it?--nbc

Dave in QCA

Overgeneralized...

Boilerpro, you are exactly correct.  I am guilty of overgeneralizing my comment, and of course, as you say, the reason that cast iron is almost never installed is economic based, which in turn has produced the popular trends for systems other than cast iron radiators.

Dave in QCA

drifting off topic.....

Thank you Nicholas.  The photograph of the lamp was taken in my home that I restored in Des Moines, IA when I lived there  a few years ago.  In the early 1990s, living in the small town of Mt. Pleasant, IA., I purchased this lamp at an auction of goods that had been stored in an old horse barn on the Van Allen family estate.  Yes, the home where James Van Allen, physicist and space astronomer, discoverer of the Van Allen radiation belts grew up.  This lamp would have been used somewhere in the home.  The shade is constructed of brass screen fastened to a wire frame.  The screen is stenciled with 2 colors, and portions of the pattern are left clear.  The whole was then covered with a clear shellac or finish of some sort that produces an interesting translucent effect.  Send me your e-mail and I will sent a few more pictures off the wall.

Mattista

Bulky radiators

I completely agree with DAVE in QCA as cast iron radiators are well build and tuff as a solid iron bar, and raw iron is best metal for heating up and holding its heat for along time a good benefit as it keeps the room temperature hot even after it is shut. These are costlier than other but it last very long, far better than ordinary home radiators. If you get the refurbished make sure you get them tested before refilling as there are often paper gaskets between the sections which can deteriorate and cause leaks. Europe uses a lot of these but most are now cast in Turkey or China.