It Might As Well Be Robbery: Radiator Headaches « A Home In ...

Before we drywalled the basement walls we needed to re-install the radiator. We had the radiator removed in preparation for the professional waterproofing we had done. The floor around the perimeter of the basement was broken up and dug out to install a drainage system, and the radiator was in the way.

Since this radiator is in the basement, the pipes feeding it were not hidden because the walls are cinder block. We didn’t want the exposed pipes in the finished room, so we built a stud wall 1-foot from the cinder block wall. Then we cut into the studs to make an alcove for the radiator to sit in. The pipes can now run behind the stud wall. The advantage to this is that furniture can be pushed flat against the wall in front of the radiator. We will cover the alcove with a screen and trim it out with molding when we are all done.

I completely forgot that we needed to trim out the interior of the alcove before the radiator could be put back! So we scrambled to cut up a piece of plywood, paint and caulk it, in time for the plumber.

I also decided to paint the radiator. Before we had it removed, it had collected 80 years of spider webs and egg sacks – gross! Since I was dealing with metal, I took the following steps to prep it:

Washed it down and let it dry
Scrapped off loose paint with a wire brush

Primed it with a metal paint primer

I think (through all the rust) the original color was silver. I have painted the other radiators in the house black, because I like how they stand out as an architectural element. Clearly, this is not a photo from my home, but this gives you the idea.

This radiator will be hidden by a screen in an alcove, so I painted it a medium gray.

Thankfully the plumber who removed the radiator installed valves on the pipes that feed it so we didn’t have to drain the boiler to have it re-installed. Finally a contractor with some forethought! It would have been a very cold day in February if he hadn’t added the valves.

He also informed me that the pipes feeding all the radiators and running to the boiler are not galvanized steel as I thought. They are black iron; the same material used today if hot water radiators are installed. This is good news because the new trend in updating your utilities is to rip out all the galvanized steel because it rusts and breaks down quickly. Iron lasts longer and doesn’t rust as easily….supposedly. We have plenty of rust, so I’m not sure how true this is.

The radiator’s themselves are cast iron and weight hundreds of pounds empty. Imagine moving one full of water! The ~~plumber~~ heating and cooling boiler certified technician, needed another technician to help him move the radiator 1 foot to its final resting place.

Then, the technician discovered that the other valve that feeds the hot water into the radiator was broken and would leak So a new one had to be ordered at the price of $183!!!!!!!! What the heck. I’m sure I could have researched one online and purchased it for less, but we were in a tight spot with drywall starting, so we just went with it. I also don’t know how many places stock hot water radiator valves that would fit my 80-year-old model. Bah.

This delayed us five days. When they finally came back and installed it, we were slapped with a $550 bill (including the $183) – not cool. The frustrating thing is, out of all the plumbers in Ann Arbor, only two companies have plumbers certified to work on boilers and hot water/steam systems. All of the other plumbers we call refuse to do the job. So we are stuck paying these OBSCENE prices. It might as well be robbery. When do I get to charge $120/hour for my time? Can I sell parts and mark them up 100%? Must be nice.