Cast Iron Baseboard Fins Clamp On

unchained5051

Hi there, I recently purchased a home with a style of removable cast iron fins on copper baseboard piping. They have locking ears on the bottom to hinge over a supported copper pipe, then get 2 bolts on the top to hold them onto the pipe. Not sure if anyone has experience with these, but it appeared that there was a compound added between the pipe and fins when they were installed that was like a graphite paste that has since dried. I had to remove them to refinish hardwood flooring below. Now I am wondering if I need to add a new compound, whether it be for heat transfer or insulating the metals from one another or to reduce noise from expansion. There is still a bit of residual on both the pipe and the fins after removal and wondering if it would be fine to just put them back on as is.

EBEBRATT-Ed

You could use "NOLOX" it's used in the electrical industry. It prevents corrosion of disimiler metals

mattmia2

I was thinking the thermal paste they use for temp probes in immersion wells.

hot_rod

Dow has a bunch of thermal compounds also. Be sure any product you use can handle the temperature without outgassing.

unchained5051

Thank you for the replies! 

I was just looking up some compounds, one was a Honeywell thermal paste for a sensor well, and then I looked at the sds...can’t say I’d want to breath that all day but it looked like graphite. Good point on the gassing / possible fume issue though. Not sure about the noalox, but I feel like that could be a rather neutral and cheap option 

mattmia2

the dow silicone type pastes are unlikely to off gas

hot_rod

unchained5051 said:

Thank you for the replies! 

I was just looking up some compounds, one was a Honeywell thermal paste for a sensor well, and then I looked at the sds...can’t say I’d want to breath that all day but it looked like graphite. Good point on the gassing / possible fume issue though. Not sure about the noalox, but I feel like that could be a rather neutral and cheap option 

Most all products have good tech data on their websites, temperature ratings should be easy to find.

Some of the thermal pastes tend to turn hard and crumble away after time. Silicone based have been my best result.