Removing damaged find on a radiator

u264474

Hi, I purchased an old house that was converted from steam to water boiler. The house was not winterized and I have a few radiators which are damaged. I was able to remove the fins on some radiators by removing the rods and separating but the other radiators do not have this option. I read that radiators without the rods are almost impossible to get apart but it's worth a try. Di you have any suggestions?

FranklinD

In my house, I don't have any radiators that are built with threaded rods - I believe they're joined using threaded nipples (top and bottom) between each section. Everything I've read indicates that after 100 years or so, they're almost impossible to get apart without destroying the threaded nipples...and from my limited research, no one makes the nipples anymore.

I have a spud wrench that I use to install new union nipples on radiators when I replace supply valves and so on...I *think* it's the same wrench you would use to assemble/disassemble the nipples between sections, too, if it was long enough. But I think the 'tabs' that the wrench grabs would shear right off after this much time.

Here's a YouTube video of a company that does new cast iron rads (in the UK I think) and you can see the nipples used for assembly. So apparently someone out there has the nipples...but I haven't been able to easily locate them.

http://youtu.be/5JkVFuZJE8M

Best of luck, and let me know how it turns out!

Fred

Save yourself some grief and a lot of work and find yourself some used radiators, in or around your city. Taking the old ones apart is just a fraction of the battle. Getting them back together, so that they don't leak is a real challenge.

ChrisJ

@Steamhead Sad, isn't it? Had this not been converted, it would've never happened.

Can you offer this person any tips now that the damage was done?

Jamie Hall

It really isn't worth the effort. As @Steamhead said, it's a shame the conversion was done, but what's done is done.

Getting them apart is only half the battle. Getting them back together so they don't leak is the other half.

You'd be best advised to try and locate some used cast iron hot water radiators locally.

JUGHNE

Be sure to educate yourself on the difference between hot water OR steam radiators and steam ONLY radiators. Also consider the old EDR ratings. If you stay hot water and consider a Modcon boiler for the future then bigger radiation is better, (one of the few cases in life where that applies)

vaporvac

You could always conver back to steam, depending on your boiler.