Converting steam to hot water

BigCheese

I am converting a system from steam to hot water and I come to find out that the radiator are the very old column type radiators. Should I continue with the installation or will I run into problems with this conversion?

Rod

Radiators

Hi- If the radiators are connected across the bottom but aren't connected at the top, they are Steam only radiators . If they are connected across both the top and bottom, they can be used for Steam or Hot Water.  Why are you converting to Hot Water?

- Rod

Steamhead

So many things can go wrong

the radiators may not work with hot-water;

the radiators may be able to handle hot-water, but are too small to heat the building on hot-water;

the radiators and piping may leak, sometimes badly, because you're raising the operating pressure ten times...............



We don't do these conversions.

Jamie Hall

I do hope you are not too far along...

unless there is a very very very good reason (I can't think of any) to do the conversion, just don't do it.  Check Steamhead's remarks -- as he says, there are just too many things to go wrong, and no advantages to be gained.  Believe me, he knows.



It's not that hard to get an old steam system working properly.

moneypitfeeder

no no no no

Seriously, if there isn't a good reason to replace it fix the steam system. You can ruin floors, walls, and scrap otherwise good rad for no reason. The heat provided from steam is hotter than what hot water can produce, so the rads might be undersized for your room. Chances are you want more efficiency from your system, and if you post pics of your current install, people here can advise you on how to get a pro to get that efficiency from a steam system. Once they are deknuckle-headed a steam system isn't that hard for a homeowner to take care of. Post pics of the boiler and near boiler piping, several of you rads so we can see all the piping to them and let us know any known issues.