Welcome! Here are the website rules, as well as some tips for using this forum.
Need to contact us? Visit https://heatinghelp.com/contact-us/.
Click here to Find a Contractor in your area.

dating old roccoco radiators

Does anyone know how to figure out the date of manufacture for a couple of four column roccoco radiators maid by american radiator company. Both of these have two sets of 1/8" plugs for installing the bleeder valve at the top or at the middle. Almost all of the rest of the cast iron stuff I have restored for the house has all had the date cast into it somewhere. I figure these darn things have got to be pretty old because I cant even find a picture of one on the net. Any help/ideas would be greatly appreicated. Rich

Comments

  • Steamhead
    Steamhead Member Posts: 16,796
    edited January 2011
    I think they stopped making Rococos

    by 1920 or so. The latest American Radiator catalog I have that shows them is dated 1916.



    The older version of the Rococo had threaded rods holding it together. The later version, made sometime after 1900, used right-and-left-hand threaded nipples to hold it together.



    Here's a link to the 1897 catalog showing the earlier Rococos, from the Library section of this site. It pays to wander off the Wall.



    http://www.heatinghelp.com/article/158/Radiators/1256/1897-American-Radiator-Company-catalog
    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    Towson, MD, USA
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Consulting
  • paveslave53
    paveslave53 Member Posts: 4
    dating old roccoco radiators

    That sounds about right, Steamhead. Both of these are held together with the internal nipples. The guy I got these from said that they came out of the grand ball room of the buck hill inn in PA, and I think that place was built in the 20's.
  • Steamhead
    Steamhead Member Posts: 16,796
    The oldest part

    dates to 1901. Rococos were definitely in style then. Were yours set up for steam or hot-water? 
    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    Towson, MD, USA
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Consulting
  • paveslave53
    paveslave53 Member Posts: 4
    dating old roccoco radiators

    I'm pretty sure they were set up for hot water because the only area's inside the radiators with a moderate amount of scale/rust build up was towards the bottom. Maybe they were drained at some point and just sat for a long time. I filled both rads with about 8 gal of phosphoric acid and drained them out 4 days later. Gone was all the rust and scale, heck they looked like I had them hot tanked. The upper portions I soaked down with a modified garden pump sprayer with about 4ft of extensions. They sure new how to build them back then, both were presure checked at 65 psi for a half hour each and didnt leak a drop.
  • Charlie from wmass
    Charlie from wmass Member Posts: 4,318
    I have a Walworth catalog from 1902

    They were a supplier in Boston, New York, Paris, and London of Rococo radiators. I love looking through the old catalogs. I am also glad to have modern tools for repairing the systems that were ordered through these catalogs. Glad for Ridgid wrenchs, and threaders instead of Armstrongs and Stillsons.
    Cost is what you spend , value is what you get.

    cell # 413-841-6726
    https://heatinghelp.com/find-a-contractor/detail/charles-garrity-plumbing-and-heating
This discussion has been closed.