Cast-iron radiators to panels by Runtal or Myson

John_3

We Have gas-fired hot water with Cast-iron radiators. We have remodeled our kitchen and would like to replace the radiator.
Does anyone have any experience/information regarding a retrofit with Runtal or Myson products? Could we tie into our exsisting system without having to create a separate zone?
Any feedback would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Nancy

Mike T., Swampeast MO

Kitchens

Am guessing a bit here but would be willing to wager that you want to remove the cast iron rad from the kitchen because of its large size and the relatively small size of the wall rads appeals.

Most cast iron systems operate at low temperatures because the rads are quite oversized, so you would need a surprising amount of panel radiation to get enough heat relative to the rest of the house. Once you balance the output there is still the problem of the mass of the rest of the cast iron--it tends to hold and deliver heat slowly and steadily while steel panels will cool more rapidly. The less the kitchen is "open" to surrounding rooms, the more pronounced this effect.

It will certainly cost a lot more, but if you choose steel panel rads, you're likely much better off putting these on a separate zone. A good heating man (familiar with cast iron systems) should be able to examine your system and tell you if it is feasible to keep everything on a single zone.

As an option, you can sometimes find cast iron wall-hung radiators in salvage. If you can find one (or more) near the size (in square feet of surface area) of your current rad--and have room for them--you could almost certainly do this without making big changes to your system.