Replacing vintage three-column radiators with slenderized

TPat

During a recent bathroom renovation in my 100-year-old house, demolition revealed a riser connection to our single-pipe steam heating system. I installed a slenderized Burnham radiator that I bought in Chicago at Consumer Supply for the bathroom. It works great. Now I'm painting a home-office that has a three-column fifteen-fin steam radiator under a window. Would it be okay to replace that radiator with a slenderized one? The vintage steam radiator in the home office works fine but it is covered in lead paint.

Steamhead

You could, but IMHO it would be simpler to strip and repaint the existing rad. You wouldn't need to make any piping changes.

bburd

Or put a properly designed enclosure around the radiator so you won't have to look at it.

If you do replace it, the new one should have the same heat output as the old one. We can help you with that if you don't know the rating. 

delcrossv

Never used them, but these guys will strip and powdercoat your existing radiator. Probably the more cost effective solution.

https://jcradiators.com/services

Waher

Having them sent out to be media blasted to remove the lead paint and be powder coated would be a better use of your money

TPat

Thank you for the responses. I thought about sandblasting and repainting before I posted. That's not easy or inexpensive in St. Louis. I have to find someone to disconnect and move the radiator to the business or businesses that will do the paint removal and painting and then move the radiator back to my home and reconnect it. There are completely contradictory opinions on whether to powder coat an old radiator.

Waher

@TPat

Media blasting (not sand, walnut shells and the like that won't hurt cast iron) and powder coating or stripping radiators and repainting them with low/no VOC latex paint is a common practice.

Maybe try contacting an antique restoration company in your area to see if they can recommend someone:
https://stlrestore.com/

dabrakeman

TPat said:

Thank you for the responses. I thought about sandblasting and repainting before I posted. That's not easy or inexpensive in St. Louis. I have to find someone to disconnect and move the radiator to the business or businesses that will do the paint removal and painting and then move the radiator back to my home and reconnect it. There are completely contradictory opinions on whether to powder coat an old radiator.

Seems a little surprising. Sandblasting is relatively inexpensive in my area. Did a 38" 2 column 10 section for $100 but that was in 2014. Got it down the stairs and into the van with help of my son (he is a body builder:) Painted it myself. Had a larger one done down at a body shop where they blasted it and painted it. About double the price but had a plumber transport and install it. Double the price again but still overall more than competitive with a new radiator of same size that also would have to be transported for me and installed.