How to install a small Baseray for a 1-pipe steam s it system

donnager

Hi. I'm reasonably handy and I'm hoping someone can walk me through how to install a small 18" wide Baseray radiator for a 1-pipe steam system. I live in a condo directly above the boiler room. All the other radiators in my unit are normal cast iron radiators.

I'm finishing up with updates to my kitchen and I took out a 24" cast iron radiator w/1 ¼" valve to make putting in new tile easier. I'd like to replace it with a smaller Baseray so it'll take up less space and make opening a couple drawers much easier.

Could someone kindly walk me through how it might be done? To start I assume I'd need a new valve since the union nut split while removing the old radiator.

Any info would be appreciated.

 

bburd

That piece of Base-Ray will almost certainly have a much smaller heating capacity than the radiator you took out. Do you have a photo and/or measurements of the original?

donnager

Hi Bburd,

Yes, I know it'll output less heat. But my kitchen should be fine with something much smaller like this. 

The old radiator is 22x24 with 12 fins.

mattmia2

Connect the valve to the lower tapping of one end, slope it toward the valve so the condensate drains, put a vent in the other end, probably at the bottom. You could probably do up to a 36" or so section and still have it work without having to make it 2 pipe or do some other special arrangement.

You could also find a short, wide radiator, that might actually get you enough heat. Remember the boiler will have one cycle length for the whole house so it needs to output enough heat in the same amount of time the other radiators put out enough heat for their spaces.

random12345

Can you get the rest of the union nut off easily and then find a new one that matches the valve you already have? If so, but it doesn't fit perfectly, condensate could leak out, and get between the valve and edge of the tile you have there and start rotting the floor underneath. I'm not a pro but I'd be reluctant to try this on my own. It probably would have been easier to have replaced the valve first before putting in the tile. No judgment intended. If you have 1 pipe steam (I do too), those pipes are old. I doubt that valve is going to come off willingly. If it doesn't, and you start torqueing on it...I would be concerned about damaging something underneath the floor. I could be wrong though. I don't know, maybe you can get it off easily and then screw a new valve on, but I'd be surprised...Even if you did get it off, would the threads still be in good enough condition? I'm not trying to be a pain here, it's just that when it comes to old houses, old pipes, old anything, sometimes just sneezing on it is enough to make it fall apart...I'd ask a plumber.

I also agree that such a small rad may not provide as much heat as you'd like.