100 year old radiator??
Well I found this radiator and couldn’t pass it up! It appears sound but I did not test it yet.
There aren’t any manufacturer’s marks anywhere that I can see. There are small stars on the columns. The casting appears very rough in texture. It’s as heavy as it looks haha! I couldn’t find any similar radiators in Dan’s EDR book.
This came from Williamsport PA. A town that likely had a half dozen foundries back in the cast iron heydays of PA. It is possible it was made locally and there weren’t many produced.
Anybody have any info? Seen one before?
Fixer of things
Self employed
HVAC/R
Comments
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Wow!
What a beast! Is that a 4' level on it?
Looks like it would heat a whole house
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Yes I meant to say that it is a 4 foot level for reference. It’s so tough looking! It’s like if Charles Bronson was a radiator!
Fixer of things
Self employed
HVAC/R
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that looks like the type that’s buried in wall behind vented wood panels. Relies on airflow to produce head by conduction.
Similar to those use in the historic Whalehead estate in Corolla NC. You can see the airflow holes in the paneling head this old desk.
The old bathroom are really cool as well. The tubs and faucets are a match for the ones in our 1920s house.
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Is that cork in the bathroom?
It looks like maybe that middle section was meant to be covered. The middle section looks like an indirect radiator but there would be no reason for the end sections to be so ornate or to have feet on indirect radiators.
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Older than 100 years I reckon....I'm gonna say 120-125 yrs old atleast Mad Dog
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yes I agree about the feet and ornamentation! I suppose the center could have had some type of cabinet originally. You would NOT want to bump your knee on this!
Fixer of things
Self employed
HVAC/R0 -
I hope so! I will try to remove some paint and see if any markings appear.
Fixer of things
Self employed
HVAC/R0 -
yes, all the floors in home are cork to reduce sound. House was empty for 40 years and restored in the 90’s. Guide said majority of the floors survived.
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That's a Whittier rad. Go here for more:
All Steamed Up, Inc.
Towson, MD, USA
Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
Oil & Gas Burner Service
Consulting6 -
THANK YOU!
Fixer of things
Self employed
HVAC/R0 -
You can see the airflow holes in the paneling head this old desk.
Is that inefficient design?
Radiator blocked behind a wall and a desk
All my radiators are exposed now
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Depends on what you mean by "inefficient", @CoachBoilermaker .. Does it put out less heat than it would if it were free standing?. Yes. Does it use more energy from the boiler in relation to the heat output? No. Any more than a smaller radiator is "inefficient" in relation to a large one.
So — no inefficient, just lower output.
Br. Jamie, osb
Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England
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It acts like a convector cabinet, it drafts air in the bottom grill and out the top. It outputs more heat than it would if it were out in the open.
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@ayetchvacker , where in Williamsport did that rad come from?
All Steamed Up, Inc.
Towson, MD, USA
Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
Oil & Gas Burner Service
Consulting0 -
Put that baby on your shoulder and take a selfie!
Tom
Montpelier Vt5 -
I saw one for sale in Connecticut several years ago. It was exposed in a hallway and painted red. It was about 40” wide and 40” tall.
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I found it thru fb marketplace. I picked it up in an old empty house on the west end not far from third street. I asked if there were other rads like it in the house and the gentleman told me this was the only one that he remembered in the house.
Fixer of things
Self employed
HVAC/R0 -
Let me guess- they were putting in heat pumps? 😝
All Steamed Up, Inc.
Towson, MD, USA
Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
Oil & Gas Burner Service
Consulting2 -
Is that good or bad, in your eyes?
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It is a matter of opinion. You need to experience steam heat then live in a home with a heat pump to form that opinion though. Those that don't have that experience can not offer an expert opinion on the subject. I have lived in a home with Cast Iron radiators, oil fired Forced Air with central AC, hydronic coils in the ductwork of an air conditioning system I designed and built. Then I lived in a home with Radiant Floor Heat with a gas furnace backup for extreme cold weather. Now I have moved to South Carolina where all three of my homes were heat pump systems.
Not a big fan of the heat pump. The oil fired forced air was dry, even with the most powerful humidifier added to the ductwork, The boiler heated homes were my best comfort systems to live in. I never lived in a steam heated home. I can only imagine that they are just as comfortable as those with hot water radiators, maybe with just a little more heat from those cast iron monsters in each room. I dried my socks on a hot radiator as a child, then wore them to bed to keep my feet warm.
Edward Young Retired
After you make that expensive repair and you still have the same problem, What will you check next?
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Bad.
All Steamed Up, Inc.
Towson, MD, USA
Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
Oil & Gas Burner Service
Consulting0
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