Need Identification Assistance....

[Smokey_Cheddar]

Hello All,

I'm a developer/builder in Texas....I live in a recently purchased home built Circa 1920's and this beast of a radiator is located in my basement and each room in the home has one of these radiators. Being from TX this is really weird to see and nobody I know can identify if this system is valuable or should be scrapped as part of an upcoming remodel. I moved into the home 1 year ago and have been puzzled by the boiler since. It was obviously converted from wood to natural gas at some point. It's located in a basement which itself is really weird in this area.

Any guidance is appreciated. Don't want to throw away a piece of history if it happens to be?

 

[heaterman]

Well it is a piece of history but as far a value goes it's probably worth scrap price.
Is it steam or hot water?

 

[BoilerMan]

Any pics of the top of the boiler? How many pipes are going to each radiator and are they the same size as one another?

TS

 

[Smokey_Cheddar]

Here are a couple other pictures - Each Radiator has two approximately 1/2" lines - one on each side of the radiator coming up through the floor - this home is pier/beam and the basement is a maze of cast iron pipes. Cannot answer if it's steam or hot water - expect hot water as it appears to be a sealed system and there are numerous pressure gauges on the pipes in the basement.

It currently is retrofitted with some sort of fresh air intake and natural gas burner so they wouldn't have to load wood is my presumption. Large diameter flue that runs up through a separate brick chimney.

Sorry some of the images are loading upside down.

 

[Fred61]

The sight glass tells me it's steam.
Everything and everybody deserves a retirement. I think the time has come for this old gent!

 

[BoilerMan]

I believe Fred is correct. It is a steam system by the sight glass and the pressuretrol on the top left of the boiler. This would have been a completely non-electric system similar to a gravity system but with much smaller distribution piping. Defiantly original to thee house.

How much heat do you need in TX? I've only been to Houston in college and it was plenty hot in March.

TS

 

[heatingcostssuck]

I believe Fred is correct. It is a steam system by the sight glass and the pressuretrol on the top left of the boiler. This would have been a completely non-electric system similar to a gravity system but with much smaller distribution piping. Defiantly original to thee house.

How much heat do you need in TX? I've only been to Houston in college and it was plenty hot in March.

TS

Looks like Dec + Jan can go between 14 degrees celcius high and -1 degrees celcius low (58->30)