Anonymous wrote:You are crazy. I would kill to have radiator heat.

+1 absolutely!

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Really? I had no idea. People want radiator heat? And it genuinely adds resale value? I'm intrigued and promise I'm not being the least bit snarky.

Yes.

We had radiators in our Catholic school growing up. They made everything so cozy and warm.

Radiators are the best!!! Definitely keep them! I moved into a house with radiant heat for the first time last year and I am a HUGE fan.

There was a thread on DCUM where an HVAC expert was answering questions. One poster phrased a question that criticized radiators. He shot them down and said he had radiators in his own home and would never change it out.

There's a reason why all of Europe still uses radiators; even newly built homes have them. There's the best!

Anonymous wrote:I totally understand why radiator people say it heats evenly. I mean....if your master is 10'x10'.....of course it'll heat evenly.

If your master is 40' x 40' it'll still heat evenly ... as long as the radiant is sized correctly. I don't get the radiant hate, unless you have some personal stake in cheaper but less efficient forced air. Ask any builder what they would put in if money was no object; the answer in most cases would be in-floor radiant on every level. I think part of the answer is that radiant is just coming back around in the U.S. and is seen as "new" technology for new builds in this country (never mind that in other parts of the world it's the default option!). Forced air is just easier, unfortunately, as long as you are putting A/C ducts anyway, and many builders don't like to deviate from their templates. Even for retrofits, modern condensing gas boilers are super clean and tiny; they hang on the wall, not some hulking beast banging away in the basement. But it takes real expertise to install and balance these systems, and those experts are still in the minority.

I totally understand why radiator people say it heats evenly. I mean....if your master is 10'x10'.....of course it'll heat evenly.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's involved in cleaning and reprinting radiators? OP here. I'm quite certain that they are original to the house and they are filthy and most look like they've been painted 10 times. Can a contractor disconnect them and refurbish them?

You can do this, but it is expensive. Stripping them takes a lot of time. I would just clean them up/dust as best you can and then get covers made.

The easiest way is to have them disconnected and taken away to be dipped in a stripping solution. There are shops that specialize in this. However, you will pay just as much if not a lot more to have them disconnected, taken to the shop (they are HEAVY!) and then hooked back up again. Stripping them by hand, in place, is a messy, smelly, very time consuming job.

Oh, and keep in mind, if these are 90+ year old radiators at least one if not more of the bottom paint layers is going to be lead-based.

OP here. Good point, PP. Thanks again to everyone for their input. Super helpful. I love DCUM!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's involved in cleaning and reprinting radiators? OP here. I'm quite certain that they are original to the house and they are filthy and most look like they've been painted 10 times. Can a contractor disconnect them and refurbish them?

You can do this, but it is expensive. Stripping them takes a lot of time. I would just clean them up/dust as best you can and then get covers made.

The easiest way is to have them disconnected and taken away to be dipped in a stripping solution. There are shops that specialize in this. However, you will pay just as much if not a lot more to have them disconnected, taken to the shop (they are HEAVY!) and then hooked back up again. Stripping them by hand, in place, is a messy, smelly, very time consuming job.

Oh, and keep in mind, if these are 90+ year old radiators at least one if not more of the bottom paint layers is going to be lead-based.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's involved in cleaning and reprinting radiators? OP here. I'm quite certain that they are original to the house and they are filthy and most look like they've been painted 10 times. Can a contractor disconnect them and refurbish them?

You can do this, but it is expensive. Stripping them takes a lot of time. I would just clean them up/dust as best you can and then get covers made.

The easiest way is to have them disconnected and taken away to be dipped in a stripping solution. There are shops that specialize in this. However, you will pay just as much if not a lot more to have them disconnected, taken to the shop (they are HEAVY!) and then hooked back up again. Stripping them by hand, in place, is a messy, smelly, very time consuming job.

What I like best about having radiators is I don't feel that faux warm air draft from forced air. If you like your heat keep it. If you don't, look at what could change to make it better. Keep your options open like: getting a boiler with outdoor reset, adding in zones, all the way to ripping them out.

You'll likely have to add a furnace if you take them out. For that cost, could you just fix the problems you have now?