Column radiator repair

 
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hotblast1357
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Post by hotblast1357 » Fri. Jan. 01, 2021 2:23 pm

How do you repair a leak at the bottom section of these? When I last pressure tested it with well water, it leaked at one of the bottom joints? Are they just metal to metal? And it’s just threaded rod holding it together correct?

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lincolnmania
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Post by lincolnmania » Fri. Jan. 01, 2021 2:46 pm

they use tapered nipples.
i had a leak on one i took some sections out of, used black rtv sealant on the nipples after i cleaned them.
you may be able to get new tapered nipples at a plumbing supply house......the rtv worked on mine, pressure tested it with well water at 50 psi.

 
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StokerDon
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Post by StokerDon » Sat. Jan. 02, 2021 9:29 am

If the radiator has rods holding it together, it has push nipples instead of threaded nipples. The push type are tapered and are press fit into the radiator when you tighten the rods.

If you have a leak you can remove the rods, wedge the effected sections apart. If you find that it is a nipple that has rusted out and is leaking, you can try to get a new one and replace it. If the casting has a problem you can just remove the effected section or sections and put it back together.

I've read that Mark's Supply sells replacement push nipples so you might give them a try.

By the way, that is a modern tube radiator, not a column radiator.

-Don

 
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Post by McGiever » Sat. Jan. 02, 2021 1:11 pm

Where else can one get quick and real time tested answers like this. :)

 
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Post by hotblast1357 » Sat. Jan. 02, 2021 5:36 pm

Thanks everyone, thinking of putting this in my living room just to be able to turn on when we want some nice radiant heat... until we get the infloor done.

 
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Post by Rob R. » Mon. Jan. 04, 2021 12:59 pm

If you are heating the entire house with force hot air, won't putting a radiator in one room overheat that room?

 
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hotblast1357
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Post by hotblast1357 » Mon. Jan. 04, 2021 1:03 pm

Rob R. wrote:
Mon. Jan. 04, 2021 12:59 pm
If you are heating the entire house with force hot air, won't putting a radiator in one room overheat that room?
Yup, so I keep the tstat at 72 usually, when I come in from snow plowing or just want to feel the nice radiant heat on a cold windy night I can turn on the radiator, it will go in the living room..

Really I’d like to convince the better half that radiators upstairs would work good, I don’t really want to go through putting radiant in the floor joist lol


 
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Post by Rob R. » Mon. Jan. 04, 2021 1:26 pm

If you can close the vents in the living room, move the thermostat for the furnace to a different room and put the cast iron on its own zone.

 
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Post by hotblast1357 » Mon. Jan. 04, 2021 2:40 pm

Oh ya I’m not hooking it up to the tstat or anything, since I circulate 24/7 already, I was just going to put a shut off in the radiator loop and crack it open when I want some more heat in the living room..

 
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Post by StokerDon » Mon. Jan. 04, 2021 6:50 pm

It will work best if you run a temperature reducing loop like in a radiant floor system. If you just open the valve and 150 degree water fills that radiator it will be too hot to sit on and your whole hose will get hot quick. :o

-Don

 
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Post by hotblast1357 » Mon. Jan. 04, 2021 7:05 pm

Can’t I just crack it open?

The three radiators in my downstairs don’t over heat the room there in?

 
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Post by hotblast1357 » Tue. Jan. 05, 2021 5:44 pm

So I marked it I guess when I first found the leak, 3 years ago, you can see where it’s rusted, guess I should pressurize it again maybe with hot water, and see if maybe it’s sealed itself up?

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Post by Rob R. » Tue. Jan. 05, 2021 5:49 pm

See if it leaks at 15 psi.

 
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Post by hotblast1357 » Tue. Jan. 05, 2021 6:53 pm

I’ll have to find a pressure gauge.

 
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Post by StokerDon » Tue. Jan. 05, 2021 7:28 pm

hotblast1357 wrote:
Mon. Jan. 04, 2021 7:05 pm
Can’t I just crack it open?

The three radiators in my downstairs don’t over heat the room there in?
Cracking it, doesn't change the temperature, just the flow rate. It's only one radiator so it won't take long to heat up. I tried doing the "crack it" thing with the long radiator in my living room so I could sit on it to warm up. It didn't work out to well and I just left it off 99% of the time.

-Don


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