"ransley" wrote in message
...
On Dec 21, 4:33 pm, rangerssuck wrote:
I have a steam radiator that I want to move a couple of feet. All the
pipe is exposed in the basement. I have a 24" wrench and a 36" wrench.
IF I can loosen the pipe, all is well. One guy at the local supply
shop said that it's likely that If I just smack the fittings with a
hammer, they'll break right off, but I don't know about that.
So, what if it doesn't go well? What if I have to cut the pipe off? I
know I can use a Dresser coupling, but the local guy says they're over
a hundred bucks. Is there a good internet source for those things? Is
there some sort of expanding plug that could go into a 1" steam pipe
to temporarily seal it so I can still have heat in the rest of the
house while dealing with this?
This stuff has been screwed together for either 60 or 90 years. Would
some sort of penetrating oil maybe help?
I know I could hire someone to do this, but I'm up for an adventure.
Thanks.
One pipe steam, it has a valve on it. Loosen the nut on the valve at
the radiator to remove it from the system, take off the valve and
extend the pipe. Get a cap for the pipe incase the valve is bad. The
radiator must be raised to drain water back, it cant be level. You
should have to force to much, paint may make it worse. Floor
refinishers remove them every day, use 2 wrenches so you dont put to
much pressure on pipe and break it, seal joints with tape and dope.
+++++++++
All of the above is correct from my experience. I have a house with steam
heat. Mine is a single pipe system. When I bought the house, I went to
http://www.heatinghelp.com/ and posted questions there. I also bought a
book from that website called "We Got Steam Heat!". It's a good book,
especially for someone like me who never had steam heat before. I
originally bought their bigger, more complete, book, but it was TMI (Too
Much Information) for me so I sent it back and exchanged it for the "We Got
Steam Heat!" book.
To post questions at
http://www.heatinghelp.com/ , click on "Ask Questions"
and go to the "Main Wall" --
http://www.heatinghelp.com/forum-cat.../THE-MAIN-WALL . The person who
runs the website wrote the books on steam heat and he is an expert in steam
heat.
I once saw a plumber trying to disconnect some cast iron fittings in a house
of mine that I couldn't get off on my own. He tried and couldn't do it,
then he heated the fitting with a propane torch and the fitting came off
fairly easily. Since then, I've used that technique a few times and it
works great.