Cast Iron Baseboard for One-Pipe Steam

Hap_Hazzard

Is there such a thing? I've been shopping around, and the only cast iron baseboard I've found is the Burnham Base-Ray (and the Governale Gov-Board, which seems to be nothing more than a rebranded Base-Ray), which comes with 3/4" tappings and is not recommended for one-pipe steam systems.



I want to replace an 8 ft. double fin-tube unit that's way oversized for the room it's in and the supply pipe it's on (1" copper!) with something more appropriately sized, and I'd prefer something that doesn't cool down the minute the steam shuts off. The catch is that it's in front of a big bay window, and there is only 14" between the floor and window.



Any suggestions?

Steamhead

Is the rest of the system cast-iron?

Then, unless you can find a "window radiator", Baseray is pretty much it.



You'll have to pipe the Baseray as 2-pipe, but you can piggyback 2-pipe Baseray onto a one-pipe system. See "Lost Art" for details.

Hap_Hazzard

Window Radiator

Yes, the rest of the radiation is cast iron except for a two-foot fin-tube unit in the downstairs bathroom. The rest is all 25-inch thin-tube cast iron, ranging from a couple of 3-column, 14-tube to a 6-column, 24-tube behemoth.



I don't think piping the baseboard as two-pipe will be feasible given where it is. It's in a room on the first floor that was added on 40-50 years ago and sits on a really scary-looking crawlspace. When they piped in the baseboard, they took the main vent out of the end of the main and stuck a 1" radiator valve in the tapping, then ran 1" copper through the wall and up to the baseboard on the other side. To pipe in a two-pipe baseboard I'd have to run a return line to the far side of the room and insulate it. I'm not crazy about doing all that crawling around in there, but the real problem is that I'm not sure I could get enough pitch on it by the time it gets back to the main return since I'd have to stay below the floor joists out in the crawlspace.



Maybe a window radiator is the ticket. The first picture that popped into my head when I read that is the one below, then I did a little googling and found some interesting stuff, like curved radiators for bay windows where the wall bows out with the window. I don't need anything that fancy but they had straight ones too--probably mostly hot water, but I'll check 'em out.

Steamhead

Might not have to go that far

again, check out Lost Art. Not sure what page, but it's in the chapter on one-pipe steam. They show fin-tube baseboard in the illustrations, but it will work with Baseray too.

jumper

just don't trap it

You can use two connections with a one pipe system. Lost Art suggests one way. Another is to run an auxiliary insulated supply to far end. In that case slope the baseboard so that condensate drips back toward main supply like an ordinary one pipe radiator.