Wooden covers for radiators (Steam Boiler)
quicksilver
| Posted in General Discussion on
My wife and I want to remodel a co-op apartment we own here in DC. She really wants radiator covers. I, being the carpenter , want to build wooden ones. She says she wants them painted. I started thinking about that steam heat – its an old building and it is hard to control the heat – they get hot!!! I am am worried about expansion and contraction destroying my work. I was thinking about birch plywood but then I started thinking MDF might be a better choice. Am I over thinking this? Any thoughts?
Replies
I've got steam radiators with wooden covers. They are painted. Mine are not plywood.
They're kind of a frame and panel design with the frame being painted wood and the panel being some kind of metal (aluminum?) with a kind of fleur-de-leis hole pattern in it. In other words the front is a large frame and panel. The top is a frame and panel the same width as the front but not as deep, and the side panels are narrow frame and panel to get lots of convection air heated.
I'm sure a real steam heat guy would tell you that you cut down on the radiant heat alot by putting a cover over the rads but it sounds like you've got too much heat already.
You might want to check over at the old house journal site - a lot of experience there with this exact issue.
I'm a radiator lover. I can't imagine why ANYONE would want to cover up those beautiful things.
My wife and I are looking for an older home to buy, and I'm hoping to find something with hot water or steam radiators!
Whatever you do, be sure to allow LOTS of convection. The reason you have radiators is to radiate heat into the room, but covering them will drastically reduce that.
What Piffin said.
My parents covered the rad in their kitchen which resulted in the need for auxiliary electrical resistance heating = wasted $$$$$$