Below 265 SQ/FT Nobody’s tool storage, maintenance & recreation lair.

[Nobody-named-Olli]

Ollie - are you on your own boiler setup for steam generation or do you get steam from a central plant?

Wondering if poor water quality played a part in the demise of your radiators.

Hi Larry!

No steam, hot water. Always personally owned setup through the lifespan of the house. Coal -> Oil -> Gas (since 2021). I don’t know if the radiators were renewed when the original owners went from coal and a gravity based water pressure system to oil with a pressurized water system. To us they have always been here, and we have replaced all of them - except for those two in the living & dining room. “Worst case” those are original from the late sixties. In which case it’s pretty remarkable I think that this is the first “defect” in any of them. All of the ones we replaced, were replaced for style & convenience - not because they had problems/defects.

I think the problem is that the whole setup has been re-filled with fresh water time and time again and that probably lead to this with to much “oxygen” in the water. My HVAC guy has a setup through which the tap water has to go before it goes into the system. I think it de-mineralizes, filters, get’s the “oxygen” out. Of course that didn’t help all the times before it wasn’t done that way. …

We kept those in the living room because of the stone windowsills on top. When I painted them, I took them off for access, babied them while handling as to not break them, and re-installed them after the paint job. They are massive, as are the cast iron floor stands to support all that. We knew, we would never get the same capacity when replacing the radiators. As windowsill brackets for these new radiators are not compatible with stuff like the old stone windowsills. So we will also have to get new windowsills.

Kind regards,
Olli

 

[drivesitfar]

My parents bought a house in 1963 that was built in 1928 and when I updated it in 2025 to sell it still had original radiators. The old coal burning furnace had a bit newer oil burner and this system worked fairly well but guessing their oil bill wouldn’t be something to write home about.

They also had a few cast iron tops you could almost cook on that looked great.

Best of luck figuring out the repair or replacement.

 

[larry4406]

Our house on base at Edward’s Housing Area (Frankfurt AM 1970-75 Edward’s Kaserne) had a central heating plant for all the apartments and houses. Burned coal.

Loved the radiators under the deep window sills. Also the special dual action casement windows which could swing like a door or top tilt in while hinged off the bottom. Lever in bottom corner swung 90 degrees to change hinge pin directions between modes.

 

[zanyad]

(both shirt and padlock)

Also the special dual action casement windows which could swing like a door or top tilt in while hinged off the bottom. Lever in bottom corner swung 90 degrees to change hinge pin directions between modes.

Those are great! I dislike casement windows except for that style.

 

[larry4406]

(both shirt and padlock)

Those are great! I dislike casement windows except for that style.

Agreed. US needs to get on the band wagon and make these more prevalent.

 

[Nobody-named-Olli]

#RealtimeUpdate

Phone went nuts about 3 hrs ago, a British WW2 bomb (500lbs, long-period delay detonator) was found while prepping/exploring/canvassing a new construction site - about 1.2km/ 0.75mi from where we are. So we can stay where we are.

They’re evacuating a 600m/ 0.37mi radius around the location and prep to detonate it on site later tonight - deemed to risky/dangerous to defuse.

Close proximity to the Rhine and an old oil/fuel depot/transfer point make this a reality even in 2026.

Here’s a picture the city used in it’s communications.

NOT my picture! Picture copyright by Pia Mahr



NOT my picture! Picture copyright by Pia Mahr

Gotta love the can of WD-40, even EOD specialists use it apparently. And the German made “Ideal” spade is a nice touch as well.

Kind regards,
Olli

 

[four.cycle]

and they made that discovery with the excavator?

 

[Nobody-named-Olli]

and they made that discovery with the excavator?

Well I can’t speak for what happened on that particular site today, as I have no knowledge/ I was not there.

But it is my understanding they did the usual exploring/canvassing using radar and other technology.

The excavator marks are most likely from after the discovery, knowing the depth and careful removing of the overburden.

EDIT: “We” have a pretty good idea today of places that will most likely have unexploded ordnance in the ground as the former Allied forces handed over documents to help identify former targets, routes, … Basically every “city” that got hit during WW2 has some sort of archive and will order a ground exploration/survey before any ground breaking on major construction projects in zones known to have been hit. Lot of specialized companies.

Six days ago they found one sticking out of the Rhine (because of the devastatingly low, low, low water levels …) by Cologne. Also 500lbs but “easier” to defuse impact-fuse, American bomb. Was successfully defused by specialists within 30 minutes, after prior evacuation of a 0.3km/ 0.19mi radius.

Kind regards,
Olli

 

[drivesitfar]

Very interesting for certain.

We were in Rome last September and they have ongoing sewer and tunneling projects there that were started 100 years ago and longer cause they keep running into artifacts to slow down or completely stop the project.

Interesting that almost 100 years after your wars over there in Germany that ammo and war stuff is still being found.

I heard the rivers are at an all time low and sounds like it’s true.

Stay safe!!

 

[Nobody-named-Olli]

@drivesitfar

That’s the beautiful side of things when you find actual artifacts, that happens here as well, as we have remains of a historic roman castle more or less “around the corner” as well. https://hausbuergel.de/english/roman-museum/

That particular area where the bomb was found today is said to have been hit with approx. 2600 bombs - alone - during WW2. It’s the former “Rhenania Ossag Oil”

A picture from a massive attack (supposedly October 15th, 1944) made it onto the front page of the New York Times on October 25th, 1944:

(Not my pictures (obviously…) ! Pictures copyright by their respective owners!)



And another picture:



(Not my pictures (obviously…) ! Pictures copyright by their respective owners!)

Kind regards,
Olli

 

[drivesitfar]

I read somewhere that Germany has more castles (approximately 20,000) than USA has McDonald’s if that’s even possible. One day I hope to see a few in person.

Great pics and history and thanks for sharing.

 

[Nobody-named-Olli]

All said and done. 60 (metric) tons of sand on top + 25 cubic-meters of water in big bags. 2kg of explosives & good riddance old bomb.

Didn’t even hear a thing, but the phone went nuts again with the all-clear. I did hear one all-clear from the speakers of an emergency service vehicle far away and the choppers circling our airspace. But besides that, crickets. Which probably is a good thing.

Not much to see, but to finish this:

Not my pictures. Pictures copyright by Pia Mahr.

Ready for detonation.



Aftermath.



Not my pictures. Pictures copyright by Pia Mahr.


Kind regards,
Olli

 

[Kurt V]

Just today I came across your build thread. Really enjoyed reading it and look forward to your future posts!