Cast Iron Radiator Install

tsb · Post by **tsb** » Sat. Dec. 03, 2016 7:36 pm

Try it at 180. You'll feel it then.

Post by **StokerDon** » Sat. Dec. 03, 2016 7:46 pm

hotblast1357 wrote:So I ended up hooking the bigger one up in the garage temporarily today as I've never felt heat from a radiator before, I've gotta say, not what I was expecting, but maybe it's cuz the floor and wall are sucking a lot of heat? At 145 degrees I have to pretty much touch it to feel the heat.

Also now that it has had a couple heat up and cool downs, it's sprung a small drip at one of the bottom joints, I will have to keep an eye on it.

That's kind of hard to believe. My radiators never get a chance to get near 145*. The heat call is met in 15 or 20 minutes. In that time the radiators only make it to warm. Did you get all the air out of it?

-Don

hotblast1357 · Post by **hotblast1357** » Sat. Dec. 03, 2016 7:52 pm

I'm pretty sure, it's hot all over, checked it with my IR gun.

Post by **StokerDon** » Sat. Dec. 03, 2016 8:58 pm

Are you still running the modine in the garage?

-Don

McGiever · Post by **McGiever** » Sat. Dec. 03, 2016 10:47 pm

What ya pumping with?

hotblast1357 · Post by **hotblast1357** » Sun. Dec. 04, 2016 5:23 am

I shut one of the modines off, the other one is throttled back a little.

I am pumping with the one grundfos 15-58 speed 2.

Remember I have only the one pump that pumps everything with no zone valves so even when the house calls for heat the radiator is heating also, this was not a permanent install, I just wanted to hook it up to play,

This morning I opened the valves back up to the radiator and when the house called for heat the boiler was around 190, this helped with the radiator, I can feel the heat now.

hotblast1357 · Post by **hotblast1357** » Sun. Dec. 04, 2016 5:35 am

im thinking im going to have to change it out for another one though cuz it has a drip thats not going away at one of the section connections at the bottom. doesnt leak when its cold, only when it gets hot and expands.

doesnt make it a junk radiator, just has to be fixed.

Post by **Rob R.** » Sun. Dec. 04, 2016 7:28 am

That is a big radiator. You should be able to split it at the braking nipple and reseal it.

hotblast1357 · Post by **hotblast1357** » Sun. Dec. 04, 2016 7:38 am

can I just use threaded rod to reassemble it?

what is it that seals it? a type of o-ring?

Post by **Rob R.** » Sun. Dec. 04, 2016 8:26 am

Yes.

It should just have a push nipple with some sealant on it.

hotblast1357 · Post by **hotblast1357** » Sun. Dec. 04, 2016 8:45 am

thanks rob!

Post by **StokerDon** » Sun. Dec. 04, 2016 10:10 am

That's a good video, I watched that one when I was figuring out how radiators went together. One thing to watch out for is the push nipple may be rusted, causing the leak. This would require sourcing new nipples, or removing a section.

Since this is just a radiator experiment, you could run a boiler sealing liquid through your system. That will stop the leak and it's quick and easy.

-Don

hotblast1357 · Post by **hotblast1357** » Sun. Dec. 04, 2016 10:17 am

I'll just switch it out with another radiator for now, and if I decide to use them in my new build I will repair this one.

hotblast1357 · Post by **hotblast1357** » Sun. Dec. 11, 2016 7:30 am

So how does a radiator warm up? Which sections get hot first? And which get hot last?

Either one of these diagrams correct?

Post by **Rob R.** » Sun. Dec. 11, 2016 7:33 am

Sorta like the second one. The flow goes from side to side on the bottom, but the hot water can rise and fall within a section.

Cast Iron Radiator Install

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