Turning Old Danfoss Vertical Radiator Head to Horizontal Position in a Cast Iron Radiator

Hello forum users. In the flat I bought, I have a cast iron radiator in the kitchen with a vertically mounted head. I would need to turn this head so that it is normally horizontal. How do I do that? I will add that the head is old Danfoss company. Thanks for the help.

Hello Friend. If I were you, I wouldn't risk touching it. Despite your sincere intentions, it may end up flooding your apartment + neighbors. As seen in the photo - the valve on the tube is painted with oil paint. If the valve was also screwed on it, there may be a problem with tightening it 90 degrees without unsealing the installation. Or maybe your plumber just ended his thread this way? You need some tools, knowledge and experience. It is really cheaper to call a maintenance technician at the above facility. Invoice, etc., he is then responsible for any flooding.

In that case, if you do not recommend moving this valve, maybe it would be easier to remove this white knob for me? Isn't that a good idea too? I am asking because either I will pull off the white knob or I will have to drill a hole in the countertop because it is supposed to cover all of it with the kitchen countertop.

The head itself should be demountable. Take a picture so that the valve under the head is visible.

The valve is undoubtedly installed incorrectly (the head will misinterpret the room temperature, because the heat from the hot pipe supplying the radiator will go straight on it) and should be firmly horizontal. However, it must be done after the season, when the water will be drained from the installation (it is best to unscrew it, give new tow with paste and screw it again so that it is horizontal). I was able to correct it once without unscrewing it (by tightening it more tightly), but there can always be a risk of e.g. breaking the thread (valve bodies are brass and not steel).

Zbigniew Rusek wrote:

The valve is undoubtedly installed incorrectly (the head will misinterpret the room temperature, because the heat from the hot pipe supplying the radiator will go straight on it) and should be firmly horizontal.

I will not agree with this statement. It is ok vertically. There is also a close-up radiating rib. As it is a capillary head.

Draining after the heating season, in addition from a steel installation? Curiosity, even total stupidity. Buddy Z. Rusek, the first of April will be only on Sunday. Such things are only done for service / repair purposes.

barteksmrek wrote:

I will not agree with this statement. Vertical is ok

unfortunately but you are wrong and colleague Zbigiew Rusek is right. With an ordinary head, such a vertical arrangement is a mistake in the art and any self-respecting specialist and head manufacturer will tell you that.

Only the head with the capillary will ensure the correct response to temperature without any alterations or corrections.
Anyway, if ultimately the whole is to be covered with a top, the capillary is still indicated, and correcting the position of the head will facilitate the installation of the top and will be a solution to the problem in the future if the top is removed.

kot mirmur wrote:

Such things are only done for service / repair purposes.

a colleague Zbigniew Rusek talked about this.
Correction of the valve and head position may succeed without spilling water, but in such installations there is a good chance of unforeseen surprises, so you need to protect yourself for this.
The easiest way to drain the water, although you can play freezing. The less important method depends on the skill of the plumber, and the final result counts, it must be done without flooding the kitchen.

BUCKS wrote:

unfortunately but you are wrong and colleague Zbigiew Rusek is right. With an ordinary head, such a vertical arrangement is a mistake in the art and any self-respecting specialist and head manufacturer will tell you that.

Can you quote any instructions from the manufacturers here? I have vertically in both houses in Poland. Anyway, their construction prevents installation horizontally and in small rooms would protrude beyond a single radiator, which makes no sense. In fact, I hear for the first time that they are to be horizontal and not vertical. I know that they cannot be installed under the windowsill on top of the radiator, but vertically?

barteksmrek wrote:

Can you quote any instructions from the manufacturers here?

I do not know by heart, you can search for yourself, you will probably find drawings with strikethrough how to not mount the head.

barteksmrek wrote:

I have vertically in both houses in Poland

Personally, I have not seen live heads installed in such a way, so thanks to the internet we can learn what is unknown.

barteksmrek wrote:

Anyway, their construction prevents installation horizontally and in small rooms would protrude beyond a single radiator, which makes no sense.

How does the head structure not allow for horizontal assembly? Maybe make some photos or a link to the product card of your head, because until I see it I won't believe it.

By the way, mount the heads on the valve or valve insert depending on the type of radiator.
With a typical side-connected radiator, the valve is directed towards the center of the room, i.e. as you write, the head will stick out of the radiator outline and this is normal.

The photo comes from the post available on Elektroda under this link

For radiators with a bottom connection, you have a valve insert and the head is like an extension of the length of the radiator, i.e. it is directed left or right instead of towards the center of the room.

Photo taken from the LeroyMerlin website.

barteksmrek wrote:

In fact, I hear for the first time that they are supposed to be horizontal and not vertical

Man learns all his life.
I hear the first that the heads are to be mounted vertically as in the author of this thread.

Dude, look for problems where they are not! In the kitchen (as well as in the bathroom) the radiator is not measured with a divisor, so the oil is a white knob, i.e. the thermostatic head and oil, let the radiator heat to the maximum and it will not lower your bill. And breaking the thread and flooding the apartments below you can be a problem for a thick thousand zlotys
Greetings

Szczecin62 wrote:

In the kitchen (as well as in the bathroom) the radiator is not measured with a divider

I know a housing community where each radiator is covered by a divisor, i.e. in the room, kitchen, bathroom.

Szczecin62 wrote:

let the radiator heat to the max and it won't lower your bill anyway

For me personally, invoice is the least problem here, because it is probably about comfort, i.e. the temperature is to be at a pleasant level, because no normal person will do saunas and spirits from the kitchen, and then open the windows to regulate and lower the temperature.
Of course, this is an individual matter, because in some cases the water temperature is low enough that there is no risk of significant overheating of the rooms.