Replacements for 103-year-old steel coil radiators

BillConlan · January 29

The gravity boilers in my duplex are 103-years-old this year. The boilers and the gas conversions installed in the '60s are working well. The problem I'm having is with the radiators.
The original radiators are not cast iron. They are coiled tubular steel about 30" high. The coils range in diameter from 10.75" to 14."
Over the years, some of them have rusted through and have distorted too much to be welded. The smaller ones in the rear of each unit are still working but the larger ones have had to be removed. We're using fans to bring heat to the front of each floor.
Upgrading the heating and electrical systems in this building will cost more than it's presently worth; complicated with my being 88-years-old.
Are there any panel units that can replace these old radiators? I've seen some tubular cast iron radiators but, including shipping, they cost more than three times that of panel radiators. I need 4 of them.

Jamie Hall · January 29

A radiator is a pretty simple device… I would say that almost any panel radiator will do, provided it's big enough. And "Big" is defined by surface area heated, so you could measure some of those old coils and figure their surface area by calculating the surface area of the pipe itself (the pipe circumference times its length).

A more interesting question is going to be connecting them to the existing piping!

Pictures?

mattmia2 · January 29

is this a pumped system or a gravity system? I assume if the boiler is 100 years old that it is a gravity system. In the case that it is a gravity system, I would recommend using cast iron radiators as replacements because panel radiators will be too restrictive for gravity flow. US Boiler makes a line of cast iron radiators of 3 common styles.

For that matter, is this hot water or steam?

kcopp · 1:06AM

pix please!

Replacements for 103-year-old steel coil radiators

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