Proper piping advice needed for "new" radiator

midiman143

Hello everyone. I will thank you advance because the site has been so good to me. I have a sunroom that has never had a radiator attached to it since I've lived here but I'm finally going to attach a radiator to it. I did the demand capacity and the system can easily handle it and figured why not finally do it because that room gets as cold as it is outside and we only have a single pain glass door separating heated space from the outside. So any heat will help that cause.

So now is the question where I'd like to ask the experts here as to what is the proper way to attach a radiator here. From looking at it I'm guessing I will need 1 90° elbow and a  45° elbow and a horizontal shut off valve with some form of a connection between the elbows whether that's a nipple or something different. It looks like the radiator essentially will go where the fridge is located parallel to the wall. And I have to make a 2-in gap between these connections, aka the radiator is 2" higher then the pipe. Thank you!

Jamie Hall

What type of heat? If this is one pipe steam, and you can put the centre of the radiator a bit past the end of that stub out from the wall, you might try simply a 90 elbow up then a standard radiator valve and the spud (you'll have to get the old one out) into the radiator. Now whether you can do that with only two inches vertical to make up I'm not sure. You may have to raise the radiator a bit on blocks.

bburd

That looks like a small radiator for a sunroom in a cold climate. I realize that anything would be an improvement, but you might want a larger one if the boiler and piping have the capacity. Have you calculated the heat loss of the room?

Was that pipe already there?  That suggests that a radiator was installed and later removed. What size is the pipe, and is it pitched back toward the steam main so condensate will drain properly?

midiman143

@bburd great questions. I have not calculated the heat loss for the room is it a relatively easy calculation? This was the best free radiator I could get in the last couple months. Yes the pipe was already there and that is a great point about pitch most of my system has been pitched really well so I have no reason to think it's not but that's something I could check down the basement easily. I don't know why they would have taken out a radiator unless they wanted more space but to your observation I think they totally did cuz why else would there be a pipe out there right?

Ps sunroom is about 6x15

bburd

@midiman143 a heat loss calculation is not difficult. Others here can advise on where to find free calculators on the web. Slant Fin used to offer one but they were bought out and I'm not sure it's still available.

The pipe size limits how large a radiator you can install.

midiman143

@Jamie Hall This is a one pipe steam system. You know I never thought about that cuz I don't mind putting the radiator higher. With just the one 90 that's also a point that I could make that work. I have a couple of old junk ones from the person I picked this radiator up from so I could use that as a rough calculation now how much higher I would have to go. Great suggestion ty!