In Praise of Radiators

It’s easy to complain about old houses and I do.  They require endless upkeep—with which we never keep up.  But during the cold weather months, I celebrate one feature of this old house that no home improvement has improved upon:   our ancient, efficient hot water radiators.

Every morning I dial up the temperature and the only sound I hear is a gentle ticking.  No whoosh of dusty air, no clanging along the baseboards.  And when I turn down the heat, my faithful old radiators stay warm for hours.

Now I’ve lived with all kinds of heating systems and none is as reliable, maintenance-free, charming and cozy as radiators.  Because here’s the best part:  You can sit on them. 

Yes, indeed.  It’s a heating device that doubles as a bench—and there’s one in every room!   My favorite is the radiator in the kitchen from which I can grab a beer from the frig and stir dinner on the stove.

So, say what you will about old houses (I’ll say it, too) but while taking a break from worrying about ice build-up on the roof, I’ll make the cat move over and hang out on my heat source.