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Joining cast iron baseboard units side-by-side, not end-to-end

Boatster
Boatster Member Posts: 10
Hi,

I want to join four cast iron Burnham BaseRay 2-foot units together in a floor joist bay to heat the room above. But I want to mount them standing side by side, not end to end the way they were designed.

My question is: How do I hook up the water supply/return pipes? I want to make sure the water flows properly and evenly to all four units. So, in the attached image (top view, looking down), do I use the 'snake' method in Drawing A or the 'manifold' method in Drawing B?

Also, am I correct that I'm installing supply pipes only on the bottom opening of each unit, with the top openings either capped off or for the air release valves?

Thanks!

Comments

  • Ironman
    Ironman Member Posts: 7,367
    edited January 2019
    Why would you wanna do this? Radiant pex and heat transfer plates would be less expensive and give more output.

    And no, neither drawing is correct. The top and bottom connections need to be joined on each section except the last where a vent is installed on the top.
    Bob Boan
    You can choose to do what you want, but you cannot choose the consequences.
  • NY_Rob
    NY_Rob Member Posts: 1,370
    I think you're going to have airflow issues on any of the stacked radiators. Cool air is supposed to be drawn in from the bottom and hot air exits the top cutouts. In your configuration hot air (not cold) will be pulled in from the hot unit below it.
  • Jamie Hall
    Jamie Hall Member Posts: 23,170
    B is going to give you much better results -- much more even assuming that you build a similar manifold on both sides (sketch shows only one...). Try to keep the pipe lengths and the numbers and types the fittings as like as possible; that will help the evenness.

    And yes, the pipes go in the bottom openings. Use the top opening at one end of each uit for a bleeder or air release -- and do yourself a favour and pitch the units slightly up towards the end with the air release...
    Br. Jamie, osb
    Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England
    Boatster
  • Boatster
    Boatster Member Posts: 10
    Thanks all. Very helpful. I should have made clear that I was not suggesting installing BaseRays underneath the wood floor itself. The recess is already cut out of the floor with a vintage steel grill covering it., and I have two BaseRays there now which have been operating fine but not generating enough heat for the room. They are linked using a manifold approach so I was really just confirming that same approach would work for four as well as two units.

    Appreciate everyone's help. This is a great forum!
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 15,455
    BaseRays set below the floor with a grill will not work very well unless the grill opening is very large, even then it may be problimatic

    BaseRay needs air flow from the bottom to the top like a chimney.

    You may not get enough heat installing them that way

    too small an opening will not allow cold return air to sink down into the opening. If cold air can't get down there heat will not come out
    BoatsterIronman
  • JohnNY
    JohnNY Member Posts: 3,226
    Shouldn't this be piped in a balanced reverse return configuration? First one supplied is last one returned to the boiler?
    Contact John "JohnNY" Cataneo, NYC Master Plumber, Lic 1784
    Consulting & Troubleshooting
    Heating in NYC or NJ.
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  • Boatster
    Boatster Member Posts: 10
    EBEBRATT-Ed and others. I see what you mean about insufficient cold air supply. How about if I run something like a PVC pipe from the bottom of the joist bay box where the BaseRays sit straight out to just below the ceiling of nearest open room? If it's, say, 1.5" or 2" PVC would that pull enough colder air from the room through the joist bay and directly into the box?
  • Ironman
    Ironman Member Posts: 7,367
    Probably not. You need as much free area for that as there is on the top opening.
    Bob Boan
    You can choose to do what you want, but you cannot choose the consequences.
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 15,455
    This is a guess. 1 1/2" wide opening x #of feet of baseboard might be enough opening.

    So the 4 2' sections you mention would be 4 x 2=8 x 12"=96" x 1 1/2"=144 square inches= a 12" x 12" opening
  • Boatster
    Boatster Member Posts: 10
    edited January 2019
    OK, got it. Thank you so much for all the help, people.