Buying radiators online

Why online? Is it a price thing or are you a million miles from a plumbers' merchant? A lot of the online places seem to have a lot of 'brands', but it's hard to know how well made they are until you've unboxed them and are trying to screw in valves. At least with a PM it's easier to organise returns.

I went to a showroom yesterday and wasn't massively impressed, plumber said just choose something online.  There are bigger showrooms further away but it's going to take a day.

I've bought a few from bestheating.com including four tall column types. They've been faultless and the service has been spot on. A friend had one from them that developed a drip and they swapped it out with no fuss.

I've tried to buy a couple of Victorian style towel radiators from Amazon but neither turned up and caused delay and faff. So much for trying to save £100. So I just bought a towel rad from Screwfix which saved a bundle and does the job, both thermally and aesthetically.

I'm at this moment measuring up BTUs ready to get a further one from Best Heating. That's a minefield. The sites all tell you to measure the room, how many external walls, windows etc. etc. I just get a best estimate of what the old one's btu rating is and plump for one that has just a few percent less. That's assuming that the room is warm enough at the moment. Our big dining kitchen (long and narrow) should be freezing according to the calculations (2 column rads at the far end and no heating in the adjacent hall) but it's warm as toast.

I've used traderadiators.com a number of times mail order.

For large  3/5 column guunmetal Reina rads.

Always Arrived well packaged and undamaged.

Another vote here for bestheating.com We've basically re-radiatored the house (apart from 1) with their Milano range and had no trouble with any of them. Not the tall/vertical ones, granted. Apart from one which decided to pull its mountings out of the plasterboard and slump forwards, but that was the fault of the plasterboard rather than the radiator.

Thanks i ve just looked at the milano at best heating, they do all my sizes. Plumber told me to oversize v existing and ignore btu.

I bought some rads from just radiators a few years ago. After they had been hung after a few months one of the three leaked. Then a second a few weeks later. Lucky I was home both times and the damage was minimal. The manufacturer Reina was rubbish and tried to fob me off saying they had been mounted incorrectly but Just Radiators were very good and exchanged them with no cost to me and very professionally. I would definitely use them again but not buy Reina.

Thanks all, chosen melano anthracite at bestheating as they do all my sizes, there's 10% off in jan too, win win.

Used these guys several times.  https://radiatingstyle.co.uk/

Have always been easy to deal with. Although, I note that the website says they are under new management.

We’ve got a big and tall Milano from bestheating. So far it’s been brilliant!  Re size, I just went big and oversized. Not regretted yet.

Bought a couple of vertical ones from bestheating.com, one arrived looking fine apart from it had been gouged by something thin and sharp going through the box during transit. They replaced immediately (I think the replacement arrived the next day). Unfortunately the problem was only found on the day of fitting. So can't fault the company as they remedied it immediately on knowing about it.

My first advice is to check the radiators in plenty of time before they are fitted, secondly please read my thread here https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/large-vertical-radiator-fell-off-plasterboard-wall/

we have a few tall column rads from plumbworld.  parklane brand.  no issues, been installed now for 2 years

This thread is convenient!  I've just been looking at Milano column radiators on bestheating.com to replace an existing rad that has started to leak (after less than 3 years).  Glad to hear they're well recommended.

Does anyone have a 4 column Milano - ie this?  I was looking for 3 column radiator originally, but this is actually cheaper than the 3 column option at the moment, and is obviously warmer.  Concerned it might look a bit of a beast though!

Bestheating for ones that are not on show much, Castrads for when you care how nice they look.    Have used both recently and very good although Castrads have a long build time.