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HELP ADVICE NEEDED: Cracked Rads. Stay With Hot Water or Convert to Forced Air

Please HELP! Need to make decision this week....
100 year old house. Our Boiler died while away during the winter and house/pipes froze. Rads cracked
and HVAC Contractor said rads will need to be replaced. Could someone suggest best options:
1. Convert to forced air
2. New boiler and recycled rads from junk yards
3. New boiler and all new rads.
4. Not sure what Steam means... sorry
Are there different alternatives to types of modern "new" rads. Which brands are considered better. Contractor is quoting A grand per rad which sounds HUGE $$$$$
100 year old house. Our Boiler died while away during the winter and house/pipes froze. Rads cracked
and HVAC Contractor said rads will need to be replaced. Could someone suggest best options:
1. Convert to forced air
2. New boiler and recycled rads from junk yards
3. New boiler and all new rads.
4. Not sure what Steam means... sorry
Are there different alternatives to types of modern "new" rads. Which brands are considered better. Contractor is quoting A grand per rad which sounds HUGE $$$$$
0
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Comments
Converting to forced air might be very difficult -- and expensive -- as places would have to be found to run the ductwork. In an existing house, this can get very interesting, to put it mildly. The only reason I would even think of it is if you also wanted to add air conditioning -- but it will be at least as expensive as repairing the hot water, and will necessitate some major interior carpentry and finishing work.
Steam? Great stuff. But, had you had it, the radiators wouldn't have frozen, and to put it in now -- much as I love steam -- would be every bit as hard as putting the hot water back together.
Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England.
Hoffman Equipped System (all original except boiler), Weil-Mclain 580, 2.75 gph Carlin, Vapourstat 0.5 -- 6.0 ounces per square inch
Absolute Mechanical Co. Inc.
www.AbsoluteMechanicalCoInc.com
Thanks Jamie. As nice as the Buderis modern panel rads are not sure if that looks right in a 100 year old house.
Regarding the recycled rads. When I go to the junkyards to pick some up , is there any way to know if they're cracked or not . Is it obvious or a rolling the dice.
Thanks!
Start with a visual inspection. Consider taking a small compressor and some fittings with you and testing them on site, or pay a low, low price. http://ocsind.com/ would be another option, for new replacements.
Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England.
Hoffman Equipped System (all original except boiler), Weil-Mclain 580, 2.75 gph Carlin, Vapourstat 0.5 -- 6.0 ounces per square inch
The only benefit you would get is the option for central air conditioning if you choose ductwork.
Stick with radiators and find the right contractor that can provide a heat loss.
If you want AC, go ductless
Jamie thanks great idea.
SWEI would you mean Jim Addison by any chance?
Always loved hot water rads. Also Jamie appreciate you steering me to recycled used rads.
Seems like gouging to me.
That said, run away from forced hot air, run!
Have the hot water system fixed and don't cut corners. I'd personally go with good, used cast iron radiators but maybe that's not your thing. Some like the look of modern panel radiators.
Chris J thanks. Actually I have no problem with the look of old. It just feels normal...