Steam radiators reach a surface temperature of approximately 190 to 200 deg. F. You can get a decent burn from one if you're not careful.

The heat from a radiator or any other heat source can damage/warp wood, plastic, etc., or discolor paint.

Adona,

Where are you in Virginia?

I'm in the Fairfax area...

Thanks so much for the replies. It makes sense that the heat could cause some sort of damage.

As we sit and look at the floor plans and decide where to place furniture, etc., we realize how much the location of radiators is foiling our plans! The first time we looked at the house the radiators had all been removed to be sandblasted and repainted, so our first impression did not include hulking metal beasts at every turn!

Kframe, we just moved to Connecticut from Virginia. I need to change my profile. We lived in the Hampton Roads area. Ahh, the joys of military life...just when you get comfortable...

Thank you again,

Adona

I grew up in a large victorian with steam heat and those large, hulking radiators all over the place.

And you know, I'd KILL to have a house with radiators again. My current home has a heat pump. Yes, I have central air in the summer, which is really nice, but I don't have really warm heat in the winter, which is a real drag.

Hi Adona,

I live in a 1930s home that has rads as well and you're right, the window treatments are tough. What I did was to put up 2" wood blinds mounted inside the window frame and then did top treatments during the winter months. The blinds are not only "rad proof", but have insulating qualities as well.

During the summer, I switch to floor length fabric panels (I love the look of crisp linen at the windows during the summer months).

Yes, the window treatments are going to be a challenge. Thanks for the ideas, Cindy. It would be easier if every single window had a radiator, but that's not the case. And what's strange is that the radiators seem to be different sizes, even in the same room.

Our home inspection is this afternoon, so I'll be able to get a look at the house with all of the radiators in place. I'm sure the inspector will also turn on the heat and make sure they all work correctly. I'm crossing my fingers that everything is in good working order. This inspection is our last major hurdle and then we can breathe easier.

Thank you again,

Adona

I have steam radiators. There is one place where my floor length linen curtains touch the radiator. I kept meaning to install some kind of holder to keep them from touching, but instead have had a piece of felt between the fabric and the radiator for 7 years. When I first let the linen touch the radiator directly, it yellowed slightly. No problem since using the felt. It doesn't look great, but everything is white (felt, curtain, radiator).

Last winter, we extended the steam system to a part of the house that had been heated by a heat pump. In the process we did heat-loss calculations on every room and it turns out we need a smaller radiator in that room. So we got a salvage one and just need to install it - then we won't have the curtain problem. Fixing two problems at once doesn't happen much in my old house!

Those old systems were installed not with heat loss calculations, but by relative guesswork. It's not at all uncommon for an older home, especially one that is now better insulated and sealed than it was when it was built, to need far less heat than the old radiators give.