Lifting up a Radiator

You need two strong men and a boy!

Seriously, lifting a radiator with a lever and fulcrum, a little at a time, is not hard to do at all. Have some ¼-inch shims ready. Lift one end ¼ inch, then the other end ¼ inch, then go back to the original end ¼ inch, and then back to the other end ¼ inch. Continue this process until you get the radiator about ¾ inch above the floor, and then try the system out.

The cast-iron parts and fittings should hold up just fine. I have done this several times with good success.

I used a slim car jack, operated with a 3/4” socket wrench, to lift my radiators about 1/2”—raising one end at a time—and slipped 1/2” wood shims underneath to hold them in place. Supporting the back side of the radiators was tricky because there wasn’t enough clearance to slide the shims in, especially on the valve side where the jack had to sit at an angle to fully engage the radiator.

After lifting one of the smaller radiators, I left it perfectly level on @ethicalpaul ’s advice, and that alone reduced the gurgling so much that now I’m the only one who can hear it, and even then just barely.

I cut 1-1/2" X12" (or however wide the radiator is) slats out of 1/4. 1/2 and 3/4" plywood). using a 3 ft 2X and a fulcrum I kneel on the long 2X to GENTLY raise an end while slipping a shim under that ends feet. A long radiuator might need a longer 2X and a friend.

You can stain the slats to match your floor. Then I do the other end and check the level to make sure water will flow back to the boiler.

Bob

One does NOT disconnect the radiator from the supply. In fact, the whole purpose of the exercise is to raise the supply so it will have more slope back to wherever it is gong!

A concentric bushing really isn't a problem. Yes, it will trap some water — but not enough to be a catastrophe. An eccentric bushing would be better — but this is very much a run what you brung. If there's a concentric in there, live with it.

I have a small system with a very short main. The maim is about 10-12ft long, it circled the chimney and that gives me long leadouts ro the radiators (10-12ft) so there is room for "flex". I have never felt the need to disconnect a radiator. The lever and fulcrum give a good feel for what you are doing.

Bob

If you are trying to raise your main, can you get a clevis hanger on it? Use a beam hanger if running with the joists in the basement, or a 2×4 between joists with a hole drilled in. Then you can run a nut with a fender washer on top of the 2×4. Lock the clevis with a double nut. Run threaded rod up through second support (beam hanger or 2×4), then wrench threaded rod up 3/4". Everytime you raise it 1/4" run around and see the heights of rads. Sorry that description was a bit convoluted. Its easier with the 2×4, with the beam hanger you need to do a lot of double nut and washer so rod will spin.

Where you are trying to raise and straighten a main, @Captain Who , you are very wise to disconnect the radiators first! I sort of misunderstood what you were up to, an though it was a runout problem. Sorry! Be very careful, though, when you reconnect — as I'm sure you are aware, unions are oddly unforgiving about taking up misalignments.

Also as I'm sure you are aware, if that main is more than say four feet or so long, it needs intermediate supports to keep it straight as well as pitched correctly. You wouldn't think heavy iron pipe could bend enough to create a sag, but…

As others said I used to use blocks of wood and fulcrum. That is until I got these Dewalt lifting jacks. On a small radiator that just needs a little shim I can get away with only 1. Otherwise I use a small section of unistrut at an angle under tye radiator and a jack on each end. Quick and easy to lift and shim. I also used them on furnaces, baseboard and water heaters to level equipment.