Cast Iron Radiator Restoration Process

Cast Iron Radiator Restoration

Restoration of original radiators is something we have been doing for over a decade now. This is where we started out in the radiator world and it all came about with the purchase of a couple of rusty old 1930's cast iron radiators from a local hotel. They appeared to be well past their sell by date but as they were the only ones we had available at that time, we set about making them presentable for our new house. We had the old radiators shot blasted and changed the fittings to suit our central heating system, and when they were repainted they looked fantastic. A few friends saw these and asked if we could get some more, so we went out, found some, and did the same for them.

Pretty soon one thing led to another and this part-time hobby became something more substantial.

Back then we were only doing the basics of stripping, refinishing, and changing a few fittings. Some more challenging restoration jobs along the line would teach us a lot!

After 15 years we now have a whole armoury of tools and machines to make this job much more efficient which means we are now able to completely refurbish any cast iron radiator for a sensible price; be it original or reproduction, right down to the extent of taking it back to individual sections and rebuilding the whole thing piece by piece, renewing the components as we go along. This of course means we can replace sections that are broken, repair leaking gaskets on the joints or just take your existing cast iron radiator and make it a different size or colour.

One of the most important aspects of cast iron radiator restoration is also the one that often gets overlooked, the inside of the radiator needs as much care and attention as the outside, if not more. Over time and particularly with the old steel pipe work that was used in the past, microscopic particles of rust and calcite will form and circulate the system, these collect in the radiators leaving a deposit which is known as magnetite. This is a very tough deposit that will actually block the circulation channels in the radiators if left untouched, which seriously inhibits the performance of the radiator. We use high pressure water along with a selection of chemicals to remove as much of this as is possible (we found out at our own cost that if this isn't removed it will break your boiler in no time!)

You will certainly be able to find someone that will shotblast and powdercoat or paint your radiator for less, but you will not be getting a fully restored radiator at the end of it, or our standard 10 year guarantee that we provide for all our restored radiators.

Our restoration starts at £120 inc VAT

If you have any questions please contact us on 01723 321000