Casting Sand in Radiator

mculik5

Just purchased two new cast iron steam radiators. I had them stood up on their ends while cleaning up threads for plugging. As I tipped them back down, a handful of casting sand fell out of each.



System is a one-pipe residential steam system.



Questions:



1. Is this a big deal? Typical with new radiators?



2. Any tricks for getting the sand out? Can I use water from a hose or compressed air?



3. If sand remains in the radiators after install, does it pose any significant threats to the whole system?



Thanks.

ALIGA

plug one side of the radiator

stand up the radiator on its end, make sure it doesnt fall on anyones toes.

fill it up with water.

tilt the other way to drain the water out.



preferably do it outside.

mculik5

Thanks

Thanks for the tip - especially the part about doing it outside. ;-)



Should I be worried about this? Is this a sign of bad quality. These are Governale radiators, which I was told are higher quality than off-brand Chinese radiators.

ALIGA

sand casting

I believe this is part of the normal manufacturing process, it would have been nice for them to blow out the sand.

Jamie Hall

But a small amount

of casting sand in there isn't going to hurt anything.

mculik5

Will Flush

So it sounds like I shouldn't be too worried.



I know that sand is used as part of the casting process. I was just concerned that it not being properly flushed/blown out before the radiator was assembled is an indication of a low quality unit.



Do you guys have an opinion as to the manufacturer of the highest quality free-standing cast iron rads?

MDNLansing

That's just part

of the manufacturing process. They create casting molds from a hard packable sand. I would suggest standing it on edge and using compressed air instead of water. You should be able to blow the heck out of it and remove nearly all the sand. Water will work, but will also allow it to settle and dry in crooks and crannies. Try using a standard trigger style air blower with a piece of tubing on the end. Shove the tubing in and blow away. The tube will flop and twist sending air all over the inside and should blow the sand right out.

ALIGA

may i recommend used radiators

http://newyork.craigslist.org/jsy/for/4155629931.html