Castrads' new Windsor One Pipe Steam TRV and the sink or swim moment that brought it to life

HeatingHelp.com

A sponsored post from our friend @Nick_Castrads:

It's a very proud occasion to introduce a new product to the world. I couldn't be more excited to introduce you all to our new Windsor One Pipe Steam TRV on the Heating Help forum. The valve couldn't be easier to install and I think it looks fantastic. We've made it a universal 'plug and play' design so it can be retrofitted to any existing single-pipe steam radiator.

During my first few months in New York - in Fall 2018 - I learned so much about steam heat, including how to survive the winter living with it. That's where the idea for this steam TRV came from.

I moved my family from England to Brooklyn just before Halloween 2018 to start a brand new business - Castrads North America. As Brits, we were confident we could handle the coming cold, and the promise of blue skies and sunshine in winter seemed miraculous compared to the short days, long nights and perma-gray skies in England.

However, when winter really set in, it was unlike anything we'd experienced back home. Venturing outside required unreal amounts of clothing, lip salve, and bribery. And that was just the baby.

Margot alongside a fine example of an American Radiator Company Corto in our ground floor Carroll Gardens rental. Margot’s monitor showing a panic-inducing 23ºC (73.4ºF).  

The biggest shock, however, was that the New York winter was as much a battle against heat as it was against cold. 

We were lucky enough to rent our President St apartment from Anthony Ilardi, a wonderful man who, as head baker at Mazzola's Bakery in Carroll Gardens, also makes the best lard bread I've ever tasted. It was Christmas 2018, and we'd gone home to England to celebrate with our families. When we returned on January 2, 2019, we learned that the boiler had broken down over the holidays and Anthony had installed a new one while we were gone. This new boiler worked much better than the old one, so suddenly our apartment became a sauna. It was impossible to sleep: too hot with the windows closed, too noisy with them open. 

Castrads had only been open in America for a few months, and we were quickly adapting our entire business to the intricacies of steam heat. Knowing that the future of our business in the US depended on delivering a decent single-pipe steam control, our product designer Simon and I had begun adapting our hot water TRV for steam.

After a number of sweltering, sleepless nights, I bit the bullet and installed one of these prototype TRVs on our bedroom radiator. It brought instant relief and I knew we were on to something. They say necessity is the mother of invention, and nothing makes a parent more inventive than an overtired, cranky baby.

Simon helped me refine the early prototype into a saleable product and we called it the Niva One-Pipe Steam TRV. It did the job well and we were able to offer it in four finishes, but we decided not to include a vacuum breaker in the valve and instead added one to the radiator. This worked well, but made the product unsuitable for retrofitting to old radiators without the integrated vacuum breaker that we put on our new radiators.

Early improvised finish combinations and the Niva Steam TRV as we know it today.

With 5 million single-pipe steam systems in NYC alone, I'm sure Castrads North America wouldn't still be in business five years later if Simon and I hadn't quickly and effectively developed the Niva Steam TRV by modifying a product we already knew and trusted. 

We owe a lot to that first effort, and we're proud of it. But we wanted a truly universal steam TRV that could be easily retrofitted to existing radiators, as I had done in our rental apartment during our first winter in New York. Special thanks to our landlord, Anthony, who was kind enough to let us test these early prototypes in his building.

The Windsor One-Pipe Steam TRV expands our line of premium Windsor valves, which includes globe and gate valves for steam, as well as hydronic valves available with both manual and thermostatic actuation. 

The Windsor One-Pipe Steam TRV was designed by Jason Riley, pictured above, under the supervision of Simon Evans (to my knowledge the only active cast iron radiator designer in the world today). It's been a great privilege to work with such talented young engineers on this exciting new product, introducing steam heating to a whole new generation.  

We'd love to hear what you think of this new valve. Your feedback always helps us grow. 

You can shop online at castrads.com/us, visit our SoHo showroom or Brooklyn Army Terminal warehouse, or call us on 917-599-9951. 

HeatingHelp.com

Congratulations to Castrads on the launch of the Windsor One Pipe Steam TRV!

Long Beach Ed

Great to see a new addition to your fine product line, and I wish you the best of luck in its sale.

Where is this product made? What's its Country of Origin?

hot_rod

Nice of you to take on this journey. The product looks great, as do the colorful radiators behind Jason.

Nick_Castrads

@Long Beach Ed thank you, appreciate it! These valves are made in southern China.

Nick_Castrads

Thank you @hot_rod, that's the showroom at our factory in Manchester, England.

mattmich

I'm a believer in introducing acronyms before using them.

I was writing a post to ask for an explanation, then decided to check one more time on the product page… and while it's not spelled out anywhere, there is a product category that I believe explains it:

Thermostatic Radiator Valve

cheers -matt

Nick_Castrads

Thanks @mattmich, good point. You and my brother alike. Quite right.