How to Replace a Steam Radiator

Steps

1. Switch off the steam boiler to prevent risk of scalding.
2. Loosen the nut holding the radiator. Make sure the wrench is biting the nut in three different corners to prevent the nut from deforming.
3. Carefully remove the old radiator.
4. (Optional): To replace the hand valve, use one wrench to bite the pipe and one wrench to bite the valve. Move in opposite directions to loosen. This step may require a pipe for persuasion.
5. (Optional): To replace the spud, insert the spud wrench to loosen, then remove.
6. Make all the necessary connections with the wrench: floor to hand valve, hand valve to spud. Apply the pipe dope and the wicking to each thread to ensure a secure connection. The hand valve should be parallel to the floor in order to fit back into the radiator.
7. Carefully fit the new radiator into place and connect it with pipe dope and the wrench.
8. Open the hand valve and turn the boiler back on.

Make sure you maintain your steam radiator to ensure a longer life span.

Resources

Richard used an existing radiator left over in the homeowner’s house, but a replacement radiator could be bought at plumbing supply stores or salvage yards.

The other tools for this project, including the hand valve, pipe wrenches, and a spud wrench can be purchased from a plumbing supply store.

Pro Tip: Harry James, co-owner of New England Demolition and Salvage in East Wareham, Massachusetts, advises customers to work with a plumber to determine how big or small the radiator should be based on the Btu—a measure of a radiator’s firepower—needed to efficiently heat the room. The dimensions of the space where you plan to install it need to be factored in as well. A tall, slim six-fin unit may fit nicely between two windows in a front parlor, but two short eight-fin radiators that tuck under the windows may heat the room better.

Buying Salvage: Some salvage dealers test their inventory for leaks by pumping the radiators full of air—if the air pressure goes down, it’s a lemon. In the absence of a pressure-test guarantee, make sure any dealer you buy from will replace a radiator or issue a refund if it leaks. Cracked radiators are common when units aren’t in constant use during the winter and water left inside freezes and expands, making it often more practical to replace a cracked radiator than to repair it.

Tools