Dirty Job: Removing the Radiators

Since the day we installed our central air system, I have been anxious to take out the radiators.  They take up so much space and are really hard to clean around.  Today, marked the day we finally were able to get rid of them.  The actual process didn't take a lot of time, but the radiators were extremely heavy and full of a thick black sludge.  In order to carry them we had to break them apart into several pieces to reduce the weight.  We then had to carry them carefully so that we didn't let any of the black sludge spill out.  Unfortunately we didn't have much luck with the second part.  We didn't take any pictures of the mess inside of the house because we were also covered in the slduge, but this photo of the front stoop gives you an idea.  When we diassembled the radiators in our bedroom we were a little smarter and drained each piece into a cup and then plugged the holes with rags.  It was more tedious, but it kept us from spreading the mess all the way down the stairs.  

 

Of course we now have unpainted walls where the radiators used to sit, but these will be patched and painted over time.  In the living room and master bedroom, these areas will be demolished in the upcoming renovation, so we won't even bother fixing them.