Steam radiator hook-up question

Steamhead (in transit)

go onto a correspondingly-sized radiator valve. It's not a standard pipe union. It will take some work, but you need to remove the tailpiece that goes into the radiator. Then screw a bushing in to reduce the size to 1 inch, screw in the tailpiece to your 1-inch valve and pipe it in.

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Pete_24

I need to connect up a small steam radiator (25EDR). The question I have is that I plan to hook it up using 1 inch IPS, but the current union on the radiator is either 1 1/4 or 1 1/2. Can I use a bushing to downsize from 1 1/2 | 1 1/4 to 1 inch (at the radiator union) or is there some better way to accomplish this?

JK_4

Another way to accomplish this which I prefer if possible is to use a reducer coupling on the riser to the valve(less problems then trying to get some of those spuds out and less condensate siting in yhe radiator)

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Pete_24

I probably should have done the reducer option. Taking out the existing union has proven to be a nightmare. Now I'm stuck where the piece of the old union is stuck threaded inside the radiator (it has probably been there for 100yrs).

I am having no success getting it out and I've even hosed myself so there's nothing to grab on to with a pipe wrench anymore. Any tricks of the trade?

Sigh....

brucewo1b

Pete

I usually cut the nipple carefully to the threads in the radiator but try to no nick those threads in three places, then take a chisel and colaspe the nipple and then you can pull it out or kind of tread it out depending on how it colapses.

Steamhead (in transit)

That's how I do it

make a couple of cuts about 1/2-inch apart, not quite down to the threads. I do it with a Sawzall, but you'd probably want to use a hacksaw blade to avoid nicking the threads.

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Pete_24

Thanks for the advice from both of you. I think we've salvaged the radiator. Just need to finish up the piping off the main tonight and then we can see if it worked!

Kniggit

Test With Air

If I had the radiator out, I would test with air. Plug all the openings except one and put about 10 PSI in it. its a whole lot easier to clean up an air leak then a condensate leak.

K