The Home Ownership Thread

[Medwed]

The ones you have posted are modern radiator-batteries.
I have to go with these:https://www.castrads.com/cast-iron-radiators/ornate-radiators/king-768mm/
...and I would need 5 of them

 

[lefty]

There are many options for old refurbished rads.

http://www.antiqueplumbingandradiators.com/
http://www.historichouseparts.com/antique_radiators.html
http://www.heatinghelp.com/forum-thread/133805/Steam-Radiator-availability

By the way, the Heating Help forum is indispensable for anyone looking to do heating or cooling work on a house. Those guys were great when I had to replace a steam boiler.

lefty

 

[aravenel]

I'd imagine you'd be able to find refurb radiators fairly easily. That would certainly be the first thing I would try.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Probably look very unique too.

 

[aravenel]

Definitely. And have patina, which is the best part about older things.

 

[idfnl]



I'd imagine you'd be able to find refurb radiators fairly easily. That would certainly be the first thing I would try.

+1

Look for an architectural antiques dealer. There is one in DC that had hundreds of them. You probably have to invest in having the innards cleaned but its worth it.

 

[lefty]

I had mine sandblasted and repainted. They are pretty much indestructible.

The only ***** about buying online is shipping. These things are monstrously heavy.

And make sure you know if you have steam or water rads. The first has a single connection and the later two.

lefty

 

[Douglas]

A lot of architectural salvage places have old radiators but if you are looking for a particular style it will be very hit-and-miss. Add in a size variable on top of that and it will be near-impossible.

And they still cost a ******* fortune even at salvage places. Add in any work you have to do after the fact and you're long past the point of buying new.

Which is why they cost $700 a pop new.

 

[idfnl]



A lot of architectural salvage places have old radiators but if you are looking for a particular style it will be very hit-and-miss. Add in a size variable on top of that and it will be near-impossible.

And they still cost a ******* fortune even at salvage places. Add in any work you have to do after the fact and you're long past the point of buying new.

Which is why they cost $700 a pop new.

Not sure if I agree. If the place is in your area, likely they'll be salvaging from similar homes. Its not like there were a million different styles. You're unlikely to find the perfect fit but you'll likely get very close with a bit of time. Radiators are pretty common items.

Even if it did cost more, its better to have the period piece.

 

[lefty]

Actually there are a lot of styles and designs. In my last house every rad was different. My plumber called it a museum of radiators. It will be frustrating if you need to find an exact match, but once you do refurbishing is quite easy. A high pressure flush and some sandblasting. I found a guy who did it for about $70/rad.

lefty

 

[E TF]

I recently bought a load of cast iron rads from http://www.theoldradiatorcompany.co.uk/. They make up radiators to your spec from genuine old radiator sections, completely refurbishing them inside and out. I'm in the process of plumbing them in now. They look absolutely fantastic.

 

[Gus]

^^^ Wow, they look great.

 

[SkinnyGoomba]

Since we're on the topic of heating. Do you guys have any idea on where to source nice looking returns/vents for the wall. I would like to find one with an outside frame that I can set into the wall and tape the seems. I dislike the ones that are required to protrude from the wall.

The registers in the floor are easier to find in a relatively decent quality and a frame can be made into a wood floor.

 

[E TF]



^^^ Wow, they look great.

We got these for the reception rooms and some cheaper reproduction ones for bedrooms (as it would have blown our budget to have the good ones throughout), and the difference is obvious. What's also remarkable is that the old refurbished ones are all within a couple of mm of the specified lengths, while the modern ones are much less accurate.

 

[lefty]

A friend has this great rad in his kitchen. About a three foot cube of pipe with horizontal rad on the top and another about halfway down as a shelf. Looks like a cocktail table and was designed (in 1906) to be used as a warming table.

lefty