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Radiator piping good or bad?

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knkreb
knkreb Member Posts: 13
in Strictly Steam
I was working in a 1930s theater (old grand movie house.). It is heated with steam. I noticed this piping on the upstairs lobby radiator. This doesn't look right unless there's some magic I don't know about. Check out the pictures. 

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  • Danny Scully
    Danny Scully Member Posts: 1,426
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    That’s the supply and return of the same radiator? Yea, no magic, just stupidity 🤣. If I had to guess, that’s not the original radiator and someone made a poor retrofit…
  • ScottSecor
    ScottSecor Member Posts: 862
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    Assuming the thermostat valve is on the steam supply, the supply pipe may be ok.  However,  the return side will likely never work properly.   Condensate struggles to go uphill, especially if TRV is actually working and set properly.   Keep in mind if it's a vacuum system it might work.
  • bburd
    bburd Member Posts: 920
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    How well does it heat?
    —
    Bburd
  • Alan (California Radiant) Forbes
    Alan (California Radiant) Forbes Member Posts: 4,022
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    How could it ever heat? Steam would never get to the radiator.

    That looks more like hot water.
    8.33 lbs./gal. x 60 min./hr. x 20°ΔT = 10,000 BTU's/hour

    Two btu per sq ft for degree difference for a slab
    bburd
  • Big Ed_4
    Big Ed_4 Member Posts: 2,799
    edited December 2022
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    Looks like a couple of off-sets . If you can't go right in, you go around . More important is the return. The system was added after the building was built , normal in the early 1900's . The pipe bend came in handy threading iron pipe . A vice tripod , has the section built in to it for bending pipe . We have it easy today

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