cast iron radiators

Tom_8

I own a 1910 home with a 20 year old addition. The original part of the house is heated with American Radiator hot water radiators fired with a Burnham boiler. The new part of the house has in-floor eletric blowers for heat.

Before next heating season, I would like to add a new zone of hot water radiant heat to the addition. I have access to used cast iron radiators that match the others in the house and would like to use them.

I'd like to get some information about what size and how many of these old radiators I would need to install to heat how many cubic feet of space. Because it is a new addition, it is well insulated with double-pane windows. Is there a web site or chart where I can find how many cubic feet these old style radiators will heat?

For the record, I'm a do-it-yourself-when-feasible homeowner.

Thanks. This is a really informative (and fun) website.

Tom.

Steamhead

Info you need

is readily available. First, order a copy of Dan's book "E.D.R." on the Books and More page of this site. It has charts showing capacities for almost any radiator you may encounter.

Next, when it gets really, really cold, see how hot the water gets in the boiler (unless you have a boiler with a tankless coil which always stays hot). This will probably be 150-170 degrees, never more than 180 for these old iron radiators. You will need this info to see how many BTUs per hour are emitted by each square foot of radiation.

Then, you need to do a heat-loss calculation on each room you plan on putting a radiator in. Go to the Free Heat Loss Calcs page of this site to order Slant/Fin's easy-to-use calc program.

When you know how many BTUs each room needs, you can select a radiator that will supply them at the system's maximum water temperature. Then you can size your piping.

Sounds like a lot? I thought so. Try the Find a Contractor page of this site to locate a Wethead near you.

To Learn More About This Contractor, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Contractor"