Cast Iron Heating

thfurnitureguy_4

Bill Is it a steam, or hot water system? steam will have a big pipe on one side of the radiator and a vent on the other side. Hot water will have 2 pipes. one at each end and a key type vent at the top of the radiator. Relax there is little that will go wrong if they heat. Its his dime as to how well they work. Do not try to adjust the heat with the big valve if you have steam. It should be all the way open. The vent is how the system regulates temp. Be kind He is more worried about paying the fuel bill and keeping the roof on. About now his phone is ringing off the hook with complaints about it being too cold too hot too expensive and ..... you know. some fresh baked cookies always works on me. They make me listen better.

Bill_63

Apartment Heating

My wife and I have moved into an older apartment in the midwest. There are huge banks of cast iron radiators in all of the rooms. The landlord is young and has no idea about maintenance and seems unconcerned about finding out anything about them. I remember from childhood people talking about these things blowing up, spitting steam, cracking in half during the winter etc. Is there any simple preventative measure I can take up with the Landlord to make sure they are in good working order?
Thanks

Constantin

Well,

Consider how long they have been there and how long they haven't caused the kinds of calamaties you're mentioning. I think the real question is whether they're piped correctly, etc. to maximize the comfort of the habitants. If done properly, these kinds of radiators should keep you warm and comfy.

If there is a specific radiator that worries you, or a piping pattern that doesn't make sense, perhaps you could be kind enough to post a picture or two?

aaron allen

Bill,
I bought a older home (1940) a couple of years ago with hot water rads. I never had a system like this before, but I love it. The heat is constant, no cool air/ hot air cycles. There were a few things I did you might find useful.

1) I bought a hepa filter unit from sears. It cleans the air when I'm not home during the day. Its on a simple timer so I don't hafta listen to it when home. If I had to do it all over again I'd get a quiet one w/ no expensive filters to replace.

2) I bought a special made brush to clean my rads from Bed Bath and Beyond ( about 8 bucks ) because they are exposed. If yours are in some sort of a cabinet or hidden from sight you may not need this. I cleaned them once at the beginning of the season and about half way through. Trust me I'm no neat freak.

Otherwise, enjoy.