diff --git a/code/ATMOSPHERICS/datum_pipeline.dm b/code/ATMOSPHERICS/datum_pipeline.dm
index aa4473babd5..fd933bf94dc 100644
--- a/code/ATMOSPHERICS/datum_pipeline.dm
+++ b/code/ATMOSPHERICS/datum_pipeline.dm
@@ -205,9 +205,15 @@ datum/pipeline
 		var/gas_density = air.total_moles/air.volume
 		thermal_conductivity *= min(gas_density / ( RADIATOR_OPTIMUM_PRESSURE/(R_IDEAL_GAS_EQUATION*T20C) ), 1)
 		
-		//if the h/e pipes radiate less than the AVERAGE_SOLAR_RADIATION, then they will heat up, otherwise they will cool down. It turns out the critical temperature is -26 C
-		var/heat_gain = surface*(AVERAGE_SOLAR_RADIATION - STEFAN_BOLTZMANN_CONSTANT*thermal_conductivity*(air.temperature - COSMIC_RADIATION_TEMPERATURE) ** 4)
+		// We only get heat from the star on the exposed surface area.
+		// If the HE pipes gain more energy from AVERAGE_SOLAR_RADIATION than they can radiate, then they have a net heat increase.
+		var/heat_gain = AVERAGE_SOLAR_RADIATION * RADIATOR_EXPOSED_SURFACE_AREA * thermal_conductivity 
+		
+		// Previously, the temperature would enter equilibrium at 26C or 294K.
+		// Only would happen if both sides (all 2 square meters of surface area) were exposed to sunlight.  We now assume it aligned edge on.
+		// It currently should stabilise at 85K or -183C.
+		heat_gain -= surface * STEFAN_BOLTZMANN_CONSTANT * thermal_conductivity * (air.temperature - COSMIC_RADIATION_TEMPERATURE) ** 4
 		
 		air.add_thermal_energy(heat_gain)
 		if(network)
-			network.update = 1
\ No newline at end of file
+			network.update = 1
diff --git a/code/setup.dm b/code/setup.dm
index c3ab2739a89..e3cb2606ab1 100644
--- a/code/setup.dm
+++ b/code/setup.dm
@@ -11,8 +11,9 @@
 //radiation constants
 #define STEFAN_BOLTZMANN_CONSTANT		5.6704e-8	//W/(m^2*K^4)
 #define COSMIC_RADIATION_TEMPERATURE	3.15		//K
-#define AVERAGE_SOLAR_RADIATION			200			//W/m^2. Kind of arbitrary. Really this should depend on the sun position much like solars.
+#define AVERAGE_SOLAR_RADIATION			200			//W/m^2. Kind of arbitrary. Really this should depend on the sun position much like solars.  From the numbers on Erebus, this'd be an orbit of 23.3 lightseconds.
 #define RADIATOR_OPTIMUM_PRESSURE		110			//kPa at 20 C
+#define RADIATOR_EXPOSED_SURFACE_AREA 0.03  //The pipe looks to be thin vertically and wide horizontally, so we'll assume that it's three centimeters thick and only explosed to the sun edge-on.
 
 #define CELL_VOLUME 2500	//liters in a cell
 #define MOLES_CELLSTANDARD (ONE_ATMOSPHERE*CELL_VOLUME/(T20C*R_IDEAL_GAS_EQUATION))	//moles in a 2.5 m^3 cell at 101.325 Pa and 20 degC