[Jonathan Sachs]

Any suggestions on how to clean an old-fashioned steam radiator? The
spaces between the coils are filthy, and my vacuum cleaner's wand
won't fit in there!

Also, one of the radiators has a "humidifier" gadget -- a metal trough
inside the coils with a reservoir at the end for pouring in water.
It's filthy and covered with a heavy layer of scale, and I don't know
how to remove it to clean it. Do I just have to pull hard to get the
thing out? Or does it have to be disconnected somehow?

[Eric in North TX]

How hard would it be to just disconnect the whole thing and take it to
a car wash or pressure washer? This time of year you aren't using them
for heat most likely, and it would take the clean-up mess out of your
house. Just a though, not an experienced opinion.

Jonathan Sachs wrote:
Any suggestions on how to clean an old-fashioned steam radiator? The
spaces between the coils are filthy, and my vacuum cleaner's wand
won't fit in there!

Also, one of the radiators has a "humidifier" gadget -- a metal trough
inside the coils with a reservoir at the end for pouring in water.
It's filthy and covered with a heavy layer of scale, and I don't know
how to remove it to clean it. Do I just have to pull hard to get the
thing out? Or does it have to be disconnected somehow?

[Philip Lewis]

Jonathan Sachs writes:
Any suggestions on how to clean an old-fashioned steam radiator? The
spaces between the coils are filthy, and my vacuum cleaner's wand
won't fit in there!
Put a pan or towel underneath to catch any water and use a damp bottle
or (clean) toilet brush.


Also, one of the radiators has a "humidifier" gadget --
[...]
It's filthy and covered with a heavy layer of scale, and I don't know
how to remove it to clean it. Do I just have to pull hard to get the
thing out? Or does it have to be disconnected somehow?
Hard to say without seeing it... but again, I'd try a bottle brush,
perhaps a wire brush. A little white vinegar might help loosen the scale...

Of it's really rusty, and you can't get to it with a brush, look up
methods for cleaning old tools with electrolysis. In this case,
however, you would use the resevoir as the "bucket".

good luck

--
May no harm befall you,
flip
Ich habe keine Ahnung was das bedeutet, oder vielleicht doch?
In my email replace SeeEmmYou.EeeDeeYou with CMU.EDU

[m Ransley]

Narrow vac tools usualy come with the unit, once I took an old metal
extension piece and hammerd it thin to fit in the radiator.