My First Radiator

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Olllotj
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Post by Olllotj » Wed. Feb. 03, 2016 3:16 pm

Home depot has free hardwood floor samples. They would be perfect coasters for your radiators.

When I said earlier to use a 3/4 impact, I meant a 1/2 to 3/4 adapter, unless you usually work on bull dozers or peterbuilts.

I would have your hottest torch handy to warm up the radiator before trying to turn out the nipple.

Not the same fitting, but same idea


 
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Turbogeno
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Post by Turbogeno » Wed. Feb. 03, 2016 4:35 pm

I had a stubborn external fitting so I used lots of penetrating oil. I heated it up and let it cool several times over the course of a few days. I then heated up the female portion of the fitting with propane. The rad laughed at my 1/2” impact air gun with 120 lbs. of air. My 2’ ½” breaker bar didn’t budge it so I put a 2’ cheater on it and broke the bar. (I had a lifetime guarantee on it) It took mapp gas and my friends 3’ ¾” breaker bar with a cheater to get the fitting out. Yes they can be tough.

 
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Post by franco b » Wed. Feb. 03, 2016 11:27 pm

Lay radiator flat. Use 2 ft. Ridgid wrench with an extension pipe. Heat around fitting. Let someone stand on wrench and extension pipe and then hit wrench with 4 pound sledge.

 
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Post by dandy » Fri. Feb. 05, 2016 4:33 pm

Hi Don, just caught your post about cast iron radiators. When installed you will love them for the heat they give off. I have two installed on my heating system, one in the house basement, almost identical to yours, on its own zone in the basement for heat. There is no other heat because the oil boiler is switched off. Keeps the area a toasty 68 degrees with nice warm floors on first level. A smaller one of approximately 3' in the cellar of garage for heat to keep boiler and pipes from freezing. The garage radiator is controlled by a set of ball valves. Both radiators are on the return to coal boiler as to not rob the house of heat. I love this set up. Follow your idea for installing and enjoy the warmth. dan

 
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StokerDon
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Post by StokerDon » Fri. Feb. 05, 2016 7:33 pm

Thanks Dan,

If all goes well I should be plumbing some radiators in next weekend. This weekend will be finishing radiators and possibly picking up some more, if I can find some.

-Don

 
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CoalisCoolxWarm
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Post by CoalisCoolxWarm » Sat. Feb. 06, 2016 10:53 pm

Don, Here's a tool I made to remove the spud nipples.
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I ground down the piece of flat steel slightly, as the fitting is tapered a bit, and left a little lip on the outside, which keeps the tool from sliding in too deep.

Then use your favorite pipe wrench, of whatever size you feel appropriate, to grasp the bar and persuade the fitting loose.

I posted these and more info in my thread, about half way down the first page.

CoalisCoolxWarm @ What to Do With an Afternoon and a Few Hundred Bucks?

Edit to add:

I've found using cutting and using wooden wedges to work the sections apart EVENLY to be very effective. The sections MUST be removed evenly, else they can bind and/or damage them.

I've done the flat ones a few times. Tossed quite a few steam ones, too thin. I've also successfully repaired a few cracks in cast iron flat sections on seams.

 
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StokerDon
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Post by StokerDon » Sun. Feb. 07, 2016 9:23 am

Thanks for the advice Cool X!

Agreed, when you do get these threaded nipples to break loose you need to wind one out a little, then wind the opposite one out a little and keep going back and forth to keep from binding the section up.

I tried the flat piece of steel trick but it is not strong enough for these. I am thinking of cutting two slots in the end of a piece of black iron pipe to use as a key.

Here is a video that I found that is kind of what I had in mind. The tool this guy is using is a piece of steel rod with key-ways cut into it. As you can see, he still needs a 3 foot pipe wrench, heat and his full weight on the wrench! Tough little buggers, aren't they!



-Don


 
lzaharis
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Post by lzaharis » Sun. Feb. 07, 2016 11:38 am

I wonder if the nipples are schedule 80??

Reminds me of putting hydraulic valve bodies together and installing the square cut sealing gaskets and hoping that when you tighten the two rods that hold the valve stack together one of the seals does not slip out of the gasket channel in the spool and is cut by mistake causing a leak.

 
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StokerDon
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Post by StokerDon » Sun. Feb. 07, 2016 12:30 pm

After a lot of cleaning with very hot water and Super Clean. Then about $60 worth of spray on Zip-Strip, I wasn't getting to far.
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Still lots of old paint on there. Media blasting would be a lot easier but I don't have a blaster and I know I don't want that mess at my house so that's out.
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The 8 section unit has what looks like a weld repair. It had a coating of something on there. I will need to pressure test this one again just to be sure it doesn't leak there.
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After all that, this morning I decided to fall back to my "Go To" tool, the wire wheel. After about 45 minutes, ready to paint! It's not perfect but it does look pretty good.
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The wire wheel can't get to every surface but on these column radiators it can get to most of them.

These column radiators are American Radiator brand. But they have "Peerless" embossed on the bottom???
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I will try to get the 8 section done today also. I'm still not sure how I am going to tackle the 5 tube unit though. That might be next weekend.

-Don

 
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Post by rberq » Sun. Feb. 07, 2016 12:39 pm

That really looks good after the wire brushing. :)
How are you moving these things around? We had one removed from the house and it was all three people could do to carry it out.

 
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StokerDon
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Coal Size/Type: Rice, Chestnut and whatever will fit through the door on the Harman
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Post by StokerDon » Sun. Feb. 07, 2016 1:13 pm

rberq wrote:That really looks good after the wire brushing. :)
How are you moving these things around? We had one removed from the house and it was all three people could do to carry it out.
The 8 section is on a furniture dolly. Easy to move. The 7 section and the tube rad just get horsed in and out of the garage, they're not very heavy. The 12 section unit is on a dolly too, I can't even pick up one side of that one!

-Don

 
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StokerDon
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Post by StokerDon » Sun. Feb. 07, 2016 6:26 pm

I wire wheeled the 8 section radiator.
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Ya can't really get those in between sections with the wire wheel. I got some of that stuff out with a small wire brush on this one.
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This one came out a little better than the other one.
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I ran into my welder at the supper market this afternoon. I asked him about fixing this crack in the other 7 section unit. To my surprise he said he could fix it.
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I was all happy about having 4 rads instead of 3. Then when I was putting the radiators away I noticed this big crack in the second section.
RaditorRefurb2 010.JPG
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Oh well, I guess I will have to live with 3 radiators for now.

-Don

 
rberq
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Post by rberq » Sun. Feb. 07, 2016 6:46 pm

StokerDon wrote:Ya can't really get those in between sections with the wire wheel.
No, but my wife still thinks I should be able to paint them up suitable for viewing by the Queen of England in case she should drop in. :P

Your work looks great.

 
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StokerDon
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Coal Size/Type: Rice, Chestnut and whatever will fit through the door on the Harman
Other Heating: Noth'in but COAL! Well, Maybe a little tiny bit of wood

Post by StokerDon » Sun. Feb. 07, 2016 6:51 pm

rberq wrote:
StokerDon wrote:Ya can't really get those in between sections with the wire wheel.
No, but my wife still thinks I should be able to paint them up suitable for viewing by the Queen of England in case she should drop in. :P

Your work looks great.
Thanks!

You never know when the Queen might stop by....

-Don

 
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CoalisCoolxWarm
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Post by CoalisCoolxWarm » Sun. Feb. 07, 2016 8:10 pm

Don, are you using hot water or steam?

I've always considered the bulbous version of radiators to be better suited for steam @ 15psi, rather that hot water @30psi.

That's what I was taught and have followed. Not sure if it is a hard rule, or a guideline.

The bulbous interior is supposedly better for steam heat transfer and condensation run back.

They are also much more likely to crack in the way you have seen.


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