Steam Heat for Cold Garage

MplsBob

I don't do a lot of work with steam boilers but have a customer that would like to install a steam radiator in a garage space of a home built in 1900.  At one point a radiator existed in the garage but at some point it was removed. The supply and return piping is still in place.

What are the pro's and con's to introducing steam to a cold garage radiator?  We don't know the reason for removal of original garage radiator.

Jamie Hall

Assuming...

that the piping is still there and is sound, and that the boiler has the capacity to handle the radiation, I wouldn't see a problem.  That is, if the raidiation can keep the space above freezing.  Steam heat is very forgiving about cold, but it really doesn't like to freeze; the trap will freeze up..  Won't hurt the trap, but next call for heat you won't get any.  That's the only caveat I can think of...

jumper

be careful

I suspect that the terminal was removed for a reason.

For example, if the garage is too cold pressure there will be less than in other places.

Think about a unit heater instead of a radiator.

Might even be feasible to pipe it as one pipe.

Steamhead

The rad might have been removed

because someone hit it with a car. In that case there should not be any problem installing a new one. 

nicholas bonham-carter

Frozen garage rad

Maybe the rads froze, and were removed. The system may have gone off on low water due to intention to the boiler. Could you test those pipes for leaks with air, or water-pressure before hooking them up?--NBC

Dave in QCA

Steam Heated Garage

Our property has a building in back that was originally a 3 car garage and chauffer's apartment above.  I steam main went out just below the ceiling level of the garage.  A dry return came back nearly parallel to the steam main and a wet return came back through a 14" tile running under ground.  Back in 1951 the garage was converted to an apartment.  The radiators that heated it were disabled.  We do not know if they were left hidden behind furred out walls or not.  In the 1980s, the 6 radiators in the 2nd floor apartment were removed and gas forced air was installed.  The returns to the boiler room were all cut and the steam main was shut off via a large valve.



In our case, the reasons that the radiators were removed was because changes in the building and the decision to make the old chauffer's apartment pay its own heat bill.  They said it was hard to get enough heat out there.  But, then my observations are that the system was so poorly maintained that it is not a surprise.  I am sure that with the orifices we now have on the system, that the garage would heat fine if we still had the radiators.



Someday, I hope to restore the garage space and in doing so plan on hooking it back up to the steam system.  There will be lost of testing and checking of piping and fittings in the process. 



Good luck to you as you restore steam heat in your garage!