Adding a steam rad

Ron Schroeder

and you wouls even conider putting Cu in the system, actually it is always recogmended to use Black Iron on steam carrying pipes and 2" of insulation. Copper will condense too fast and expansion couls be a problem especially if it has many 90* ells,1 or 2 45*ells off the main and a swing joint before rising through the floor

ER

Adding steam rads

I have an old house with an old steam system. It has a ~5 yr old burnham boiler and generally works ok. The issue is the house has 2 side bedrooms that don't and never had radiators. Since I'm a nice guy I thought I'd give my daughters the gift of heat this year.

There is a main and return running down the center of the house. It is fairly straightforward to tap into the steam main and run new lines over to the 1st floor bedrooms.

I asked at the plumbing/heating supply place for a steam guy, who I talked with last Sat. He said he would remove a length of pipe from the main and repipe with Cu. He said the labor of installing Cu would be much lower than CI, which I don't doubt. I believe i remember hearing that Cu and steam was a no no. This plumber was talking about thicker grade Cu, L grade i think. Whaddya say?

Is he a hack and I should drop him and find another?

Eric

ER

rad pic

Salvaged a couple rads from someone on craig's list. got the first blasted clean and primed and painted rustoleum - hammered finish. The nice crisp lines are going to make my other rads jealous.

Eric

Tim Gardner

I added new radiators to my one-pipe steam system. I used black pipe with cast iron (steam) fittings. There is no way I would use copper, and no way I would hire anyone who even suggested it.

Unknown

he's just a plumber

He just a plumber who doesn't know anything about steam heating systems, most plumbers I've met that work on them say what's the differrnce? Pipes are pipes.... Now I know why I'm busy.... Correcting the screwed up jobs they did... So call a boiler company ... Where are u located?

ER

moving on

I'm in Prov. RI. Oddly the find a professional link only lists Gronski Plumbing & Heating within 20 miles of here. There's a ton of old steam systems in the area. And Viesman as a BIG office just down the street.

The posts weren't really clear. What is the problem with Cu? Expansion causing squeeks, expansion loosening Cu/CI joints, Cu corroding

And yes i'm getting it all insulated. It took a while but I finally found a place with the thick fiberglass for steam. I was surprised at how expensive it is.

eric

Steamhead (in transit)

The problem with copper

is that the soldered joints won't "give" the way threaded joints will. Also copper expands more than steel when heated. The result can be broken and leaking soldered joints.

Another issue is that copper and steel are dissimilar metals, and this can cause galvanic corrosion.

If this contractor won't use black steel, find one who will.

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