Help! CI Hot Water Radiator sits higher than the unions.

Dan Dan the candy man

Dan Dan the candy man

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I had my bath re-tiled in a Rental property. The original CI radiator is now too high to reconnect to the supply lines due to tile and backer board. Its off by about 1/2 inch
Options?
I have thought of drilling into the tile and backer board so the legs of the radiator fit into the holes and there by make the connection.
I have had two plumbers take a look and they are without a solution.
There must be some unions or elbows or some creative way to fix this bad.
Any thoughts?
Dan
 
Dan Dan the candy man said:
I had my bath re-tiled in a Rental property. The original CI radiator is now too high to reconnect to the supply lines due to tile and backer board. Its off by about 1/2 inch
Options?
I have thought of drilling into the tile and backer board so the legs of the radiator fit into the holes and there by make the connection.
I have had two plumbers take a look and they are without a solution.
There must be some unions or elbows or some creative way to fix this bad.
Any thoughts?
Dan
Click to expand...

Pictures please.
 
TWO "plumbers" and NEITHER of them know how to unscrew the riser pipes and install 1/2" longer pipes? You must not have very good plumbers in that area, or you have lousy luck picking them.
 
here are some photos.
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You might need a custom made nipple, but the valve should be able to be removed and the nipple below it, and a new one substituted to raise it to the required height. It might require access from below to ensure you can get a new piece in there and there are no leaks, though.
 
If the legs are solid I would grind some off the bottoms of the legs. This and a little paint and no one would ever notice.
 
cacher_chick said:
If the legs are solid I would grind some off the bottoms of the legs. This and a little paint and no one would ever notice.
Click to expand...

+1 to that. It's probably the cheapest and easiest way to fix that problem.

But if it were me I'd find a fab shop of some kind that will cut the 4 legs down for you to exactly what you need so the rad sits flush on the floor and doesn't rock.
 
Thought of that one. However, the legs are not solid and there is a HUGE risk of leaking if one messes with the legs.

I have experimented with drilling holes in a spare piece of marble tile and its pretty easy to do. So I think the easiest thing to do at this point is to Drill a spot for each leg of the radiator and set it in.

I hope this is a lesson for others who do reno work. I can not beleive how stupid I was to have missed this mess.
 
quote; They say that would lift the radiator off the ground and make it unstable.

I will repeat my previous question. They are "plumbers" and they do NOT know that short nipples, up to 12" long, come in 1/2" increments, (you said the radiator is 1/2" too high, didn't you), and if it is more than 12", they can cut ANY size pipe needed. I pity you, if those "plumbers" are doing any other work in your building.
 
That radiator looks just like one from which I cut 3/8" off the feet about a month ago in the West Roxbury section of Boston. It took about 20 seconds with a cutoff wheel on a 4.5" angle grinder. The bottom of the foot was solid after I got done.

The manufacturing process for those old radiators included sand cores for the water part but no core in the legs.
 
Another Bath room. This is an apartment building.
The Plumbers are afraid to attemp removing the current valves due the the risk the pipe may crack or worse recede into the floor....lost forever.
I think they are just looking for an easy fix.
 
IF it is "loose" enough that it can "recede" into the floor, then it would also be able to be pushed down. Hot water heat seldom "breaks" when the pipe is removed, that usually only happens with steam radiators. The return ell looks like it has already dropped down and has to be PULLED UP to connect to the radiator.
 
OK All is resolved. Mr "Master Plumber" was finally able to figure out what hj has been saying all along. It took waaaay too long, maybe that was "Master Plumbers" plan, but it is now repaired.
Hopefully no leaks.
Thanks for tuning in. It is amazing to me how many truely BAD service presonnel are runing amock scaming people of their monies.

If I did my job the way some of these CLOWNS did their jobs, peolpe would DIE! Such is life.
 
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