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House radiators questions

perkuhn
perkuhn Member Posts: 10
in THE MAIN WALL
I just bought a 4 story house in Missouri that was built in the upper 1800s. It has a crap load of the original decorative massive house radiators and the huge burner oven thing in the basement. The radiators are huge and has designs in them and are decorative. Are these worth anything? Where can I sell them?

Comments

  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 16,315
    perkuhn said:

    I just bought a 4 story house in Missouri that was built in the upper 1800s. It has a crap load of the original decorative massive house radiators and the huge burner oven thing in the basement. The radiators are huge and has designs in them and are decorative. Are these worth anything? Where can I sell them?

    They're worth money to anyone that wants good heat in their house.

    Curious why you're removing them?

    Single pipe 392sqft system with an EG-40 rated for 325sqft and it's silent and balanced at all times.

  • perkuhn
    perkuhn Member Posts: 10
    Updating the whole house to Central air and heat
  • KC_Jones
    KC_Jones Member Posts: 5,840
    perkuhn said:

    Updating the whole house to Central air and heat

    To be clear that is generally considered a downgrade by most that know.
    2014 Weil Mclain EG-40
    EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Boiler Control
    Boiler pictures updated 2/21/15
    MilanD
  • Boon
    Boon Member Posts: 260
    Would love to see some rooms & rads. Could you post a couple photos?
    DIY'er ... ripped out a perfectly good forced-air furnace and replaced it with hot water & radiators.
    perkuhn
  • Steamhead
    Steamhead Member Posts: 17,380
    You will be far better off keeping the radiators and installing a mini-split or mini-duct system for your A/C. Don't tear your radiators out.

    What part of Missouri?
    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    Towson, MD, USA
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Consulting
  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 16,315
    Steamhead said:

    You will be far better off keeping the radiators and installing a mini-split or mini-duct system for your A/C. Don't tear your radiators out.

    What part of Missouri?

    My gut tells me this is a flip..........

    Single pipe 392sqft system with an EG-40 rated for 325sqft and it's silent and balanced at all times.

  • MilanD
    MilanD Member Posts: 1,160
    > @ChrisJ said:
    > You will be far better off keeping the radiators and installing a mini-split or mini-duct system for your A/C. Don't tear your radiators out.
    >
    > What part of Missouri?
    >
    > My gut tells me this is a flip...

    Yep. It's like having a Caddy and trading it in for a Kia...
    EcoradRomanGK_26986764589
  • perkuhn
    perkuhn Member Posts: 10
    Saint joesph missouri
  • perkuhn
    perkuhn Member Posts: 10
    Here are some pics
  • perkuhn
    perkuhn Member Posts: 10
    Pic
  • perkuhn
    perkuhn Member Posts: 10
    Pic
  • perkuhn
    perkuhn Member Posts: 10
    Pic
  • perkuhn
    perkuhn Member Posts: 10
    Their are alot more! Some are alot bigger, some fatter and some longer. Who ever had the house before me already had most of these unhooked.
  • Steamhead
    Steamhead Member Posts: 17,380
    Looks like a steam system. Can you post a pic of the other end of that big radiator? Also a few pics of the boiler (huge burner oven thing in the basement)
    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    Towson, MD, USA
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Consulting
  • KC_Jones
    KC_Jones Member Posts: 5,840
    perkuhn said:

    Their are alot more! Some are alot bigger, some fatter and some longer. Who ever had the house before me already had most of these unhooked.

    That is to bad for you.
    2014 Weil Mclain EG-40
    EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Boiler Control
    Boiler pictures updated 2/21/15
  • Ecorad
    Ecorad Member Posts: 9
    Electricity is cheap in Missouri, i could restore and convert your radiators to electric, if you want to keep radiant heat.
    Trish
    ecorad.ca and ecoradusa.com
  • perkuhn
    perkuhn Member Posts: 10
    I don't even know if the house is worth it right now I just want to sell the whole system and get it out and just 100% gut it and start new
  • Steamhead
    Steamhead Member Posts: 17,380
    perkuhn said:

    I don't even know if the house is worth it right now I just want to sell the whole system and get it out and just 100% gut it and start new

    So, you want to make the inside of a grand old house look like a Ryland house?
    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    Towson, MD, USA
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Consulting
  • Boon
    Boon Member Posts: 260
    Sorry to hear that @perkuhn. I'm sure this isn't your first rodeo and all that so I'm curious if you've ever kept radiators or do you always discard them? I would think restoring them, especially in a house of that age, would add more to your bottom line and attract buyers who know their value and who are looking for authenticity.

    For what it's worth, the wife and I passed up a lot of "restored" and remodeled homes whose radiators were removed, and when we finally settled on a house with updated forced air we ripped it out and put the radiators back. The heat and comfort is superior.
    DIY'er ... ripped out a perfectly good forced-air furnace and replaced it with hot water & radiators.
    KC_JonesMilanDCanuckerkcopp
  • MilanD
    MilanD Member Posts: 1,160
    As you probably are aware, these will be a bear to move, esp. big ones. As it's mentioned above, best it be kept as 1/2 of cost of any system is new rads themselves. And the comfort of steam is just awesome. These are nicer rads and they will need refinishing. This can be done in place with a mobile stripping unit, since the house is gutted I'd get that done first, then cover the rads in place. You can move the rad around the room as it's been worked on. You can then run mini splits or high velocity central system for cooling, and place registers for it in the ceilings where they should be going for cooling.

    At any rate, your margin will dictate what can be done. It will be shame to get that steam ripped out.
  • Paul48
    Paul48 Member Posts: 4,469
    I must have missed something. :smile:
  • perkuhn
    perkuhn Member Posts: 10
    I am just looking at worth of them in case I declare the house to damage to repair and decide to tear it down.
  • MilanD
    MilanD Member Posts: 1,160
    Look at new ones at a place like ecorad or some other new rad seller, and call it 1/2 of that. You can also look at the local boiler distributor (we have Winstel Controls around here) as some also will carry used and new rads. Also, of this is insurance claim, the adjustor will have a table from which he works. Craigslist is also a good place to look for comparables. In my area they can go from free if removed to about 100 a piece. Best of luck!

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