Anyone know where to find radiator plugs and bushings?

The Steam Whisperer

Looking for the nice Hex radiator plugs and the standard hex recessed bushings

newagedawn

your local plumbing supply house

Danny Scully

Really @newagedawn?...Try http://www.ocsind.com @The Steam Whisperer (Formerly Boilerpro)

hot_rod

The Steam Whisperer said:

Looking for the nice Hex radiator plugs and the standard hex recessed bushings

Are you looking for black steel or iron?

Ward manufacturing builds all sorts of recessed and raisied hex bushings. Finding the odd ones on shelves is not always easy. get the part number from the ward online catalog and do a google search. I've found odd ball fittings on E-bay.

j a_2

Danny Scully said:

Really @newagedawn?...Try http://www.ocsind.com @The Steam Whisperer (Formerly Boilerpro)

Love that site you recommended I bookmarked it

The Steam Whisperer

Thanks, I forgot about OCS... don't see the nice recessed bushings like on the old radiators, but Ill look at ward and anvil in more detail. Found the nice hex caps and pedestals from Governale.

The Steam Whisperer

hot_rod

find these in brass and stainless also.
https://www.pipestock.com/malleable-iron/georg-fischer-threaded-iron-pipe-fittings/black-iron-pipe-fittings/plug-recessed

bob_46

hot rod said:

find these in brass and stainless also.
https://www.pipestock.com/malleable-iron/georg-fischer-threaded-iron-pipe-fittings/black-iron-pipe-fittings/plug-recessed

Not good these are British Standard Pipe Tapered. Shape of thread is 55º instead of 60º , threads are 11per inch vs NPT 111/2.

The Steam Whisperer

Yes, I've been finding that most of what I am looking for is BSPT, not NPT. Makes me wonder when American Industry is going to wake up to the fact that there is a HUGE installed base of older steam and hot water systems that is being essentially ignored. It's really insane that you it seems you can't even get basic pipe fittings to properly install a radiator!
Here in Chicago, I bet at least a third of the housing units are steam heated and a whole lot are hot water, yet we are the only company that specifically targets the steam market. I bet the percentage of steam is even higher in eastern markets,since hot water has been being pushed here in Chicago since the 50's and 60's. For a good deal of the larger buildings, steam is the only sensible choice due to the engineering limitations of hot water and forced air in buildings taller than 4 to 5 stories and no place to vent equipment but up in high density areas.

Abracadabra

@The Steam Whisperer I've found Mid-Lakes Dist. on Adams will special order anything they don't stock from Ward for me. Might take a few days, but they've been able to get me just about anything from the Ward catalog.