Does anyone know if there's such a thing as a toe-kick radiator that
works for a steam system? My kitchen is severely lacking in wall
space, and I'd love to get rid of the four-foot-long radiator. I've
seen toe-kick radiators for electric and hot water systems, but my
understanding is that for steam, you need the thermal mass of a bunch
of cast iron, as the pipes cool quickly when the boiler shuts down.

Any suggestions?

Ona positive not, I fired up the boiler for a test this morning, and
it worked fine, as it has every year since it was installed in 1985.

I have never seen one and I think that the physics makes them unlikely.
The problem with steam heat is that it's ability to supply heat is directly
related to the surface area of the radiators. Given the small area of the
toekick, you would never get much more surface area than you could from the
pipe.

Secondly, the piping of steam heat systems was done by practitioners of a
black art.
Do Not Monkey With It.
If you do, you will regret it.

I removed a radiator like that in my kitchen, and have spent 20 years
dicking around with system trying to get it to heat as evenly as it did when
I bought the building.

Paul K. Dickman


"rangerssuck" wrote in message
...
Does anyone know if there's such a thing as a toe-kick radiator that
works for a steam system? My kitchen is severely lacking in wall
space, and I'd love to get rid of the four-foot-long radiator. I've
seen toe-kick radiators for electric and hot water systems, but my
understanding is that for steam, you need the thermal mass of a bunch
of cast iron, as the pipes cool quickly when the boiler shuts down.

Any suggestions?

Ona positive not, I fired up the boiler for a test this morning, and
it worked fine, as it has every year since it was installed in 1985.

On 10/3/2010 10:30 AM, rangerssuck wrote:
Does anyone know if there's such a thing as a toe-kick radiator that
works for a steam system? My kitchen is severely lacking in wall
space, and I'd love to get rid of the four-foot-long radiator. I've
seen toe-kick radiators for electric and hot water systems, but my
understanding is that for steam, you need the thermal mass of a bunch
of cast iron, as the pipes cool quickly when the boiler shuts down.

Any suggestions?

Ona positive not, I fired up the boiler for a test this morning, and
it worked fine, as it has every year since it was installed in 1985.

What about relocating the radiator into a box below the kitchen floor
and either letting it do a radiant type heat, or using a small fan to
make a forced-air outlet under your counters?