Trying to sell my steam radiators... Any tips?
Hey all. I already know how this post is probably making many of you feel, and I feel the same way. But trust me when I say that I have my reasons for getting rid of these radiators, and ultimately my goal is to make sure they go somewhere they can actually be useful and continue doing good work, instead of rusting away in a scrapyard. So please refrain from asking me why I'm getting rid of them.
With that said, yeah. My century-old steam radiators are leaving this home and I'm trying to make sure they go to a better place. I have five column-style radiators that are original to the home, and two small wall-mount radiators likely mid-century. The column radiators have been painted over many times and need some decent TLC to look good again (the iron underneath the paint looks great, unrusted), but the wall-mount ones are pristine. They are all ornate rococo style.
I've already received some advice on who I might be able to give these to, but have come up short so far. Any architectural salvage yard within driving distance doesn't want them, and scrapyards will only pay bulk cast iron prices for them. I also have a Craigslist ad and a FB Marketplace ad up but they are getting very little traction.
I'm not exactly in a rush to get rid of them, but does anyone have any other ideas? Any of you guys in the North Jersey area have any leads?
Comments
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eBay
Edward Young Retired
After you make that expensive repair and you still have the same problem, What will you check next?
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Would I really get more leads on eBay than on Craigslist or FB? The small radiators I could probably ship off (though it would still be very expensive), but the others there's just no way. Do people really browse eBay for local pickup?
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I think you’ll find most people will pick up and scrap
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Cast iron radiators are so very heavy that many folks have found that they need to pay someone to get rid of them. However. If your timing is right, you might find a buyer. Scrap people will often take them away for free.
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Well to be honest, one detail I left out is that originally I had put them up on Facebook Marketplace for free and got about a dozen VERY interested people within an hour — so I took down the ad thinking there might actually be an active market.
If the market is just for scrap, then so be it.
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Can you share any pictures? I would recommend listing them at a a very reasonable price but a price higher than the scrap value. This will optimize your chances of them going to good use.
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Here is all of them, some needing much more work than others:
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The first ones are plain Jane, steam only rads and not adaptable to a hot water system.
However, the last two wall hung ones are quite unique and should hold some interest for steam heads. They could be used with hot water systems also.
I would consider them to be rare and valuable to the right people.
Don't lose the wall hanging brackets
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They ARE special...scrolled filagree...someone gonna relish them. Can you put them in your garage till you find a taker? Mad Dog
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Those are really nice. don't rush on selling them. eight years ago I would have bought them, but that project is done. Good looking dog too! is that a healer?
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Where are you located? Interestingly the standing units are identical to the ones in my 1890 house.
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At second look very close but not identical.
Also, what are the dimensions of the wall units? I have been contemplating expanding my steam system into what was once an added garage to my 1890 home but which is now converted living area. That area currently has a gas stove that can't keep up when it is cold in the winter. Issue is that the floor height in this addition is below that of the height of the steam main thus complicating addition of standing radiator on this one pipe steam system in that room. Wall units could solve that issue for me…
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I'm in North Jersey, and the wall mounts are about 31"W x 3"D x 14"H. Small enough to pick up and carry around without any equipment.
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Luv those wall mounts. Looks like they can be piped together too if needed.
Did you save the hangers? Hope so.
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Look similar to American Radiator 9A wall mounts so EDR ~9sqft each. I'm in Michigan but have a boy out in Philly area that we were planning on visiting next Spring… Would love to give them a try but likely you don't want to wait that long. You can PM me and we can stay in touch on it.
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The wall mounts I'm definitely not scrapping — will hold them around in my basement until I find an interested party. The larger ones are more likely to find their way to a scrapper unless someone jumps at them. Just no way for me to store them effectively, and it doesn't seem like they have as much value.
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You have 2 options here. The obvious one is to add a hot water loop using the water in the steam boiler.
The option if you want to be a steam purist which would work with the steam radiators is to set up a 2 pipe section on the 1 pipe system and keep the radiators above the water line. The system doesn't have to be all 1 pipe or 2 pipe.
The first is the sane option but the second works too.
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I had thought about doing the two pipe setup but routing of the return would be difficult since it would be its own dedicated line all the way back to the boiler with a doorway in between. Not crazy about adding a hot water loop. The wall units seem most elegant although EDR wise I really would want a third unit but two would help.
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Still think you should list the standing units on Facebook Marketplace (seems to have surpassed Craigslist and Ebay for usage for this type of stuff in recent years) for about $50-$75 each depending on size. It would dissuade the scrappers but encourage the retrofitters. They are actually very nice detailed units with scroll patterns that with a good sandblasting and repainting would look very nice. If not to an end user would still rather see them go to a dealer than a scrapper.
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