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I want to replace some radiators at home. The old ones are, well, old - and corroding. They are also undersized for some rooms (I've done BTU calcs using an online tool) and struggle to heat the place when its really cold. They're also odd sizes in some instances.
Looking at designer ones of course, and wondering:
Sizing - dont want to move F&R pipe positions as they are set in the screed. I can get slightly longer or slightly shorter rads (between 50mm and 10mm of current length). Is either better / easier? Plumber would need to put a bend in pipes to suit I guess, and bring the connection out from the wall to suit double panel. I had a chat with him and he seemed to prefer longer rads which are obvs more expensive.
2-panel rads would give well over the output required (single panel wouldnt quite make it). Is going over output more or less efficient - I'm guessing our smart boiler with the smart TRV's we have (all replaced last year) would just reduce water temp to maintain the room temp which is what its supposed to do. Currently mostly works at max temp struggling to warm the rooms.
Any issues with alu rads rather than steel, as designer ones seem to be mostly alu.
Suggestions where to look to buy?
Anything else I should consider?
Thanks!
Get the doubles and let the trv throttle the flow as required. Assuming your boilernis up to the additional demand, your rooms ahould heat up quicker but still settle at the temp you choose via the trv.
doubles for downstairs and singles for upstairs is what i was told last spring when we got ours changed.
I have just done this OP - our upstairs rads were original 1970's imperial things, starting to leak, definatley clogged it seems. (Plus, 8mm microbore, yay!).
I put in the closest match in size I could, but all went from single with fins (Type 11) to double with one set of fins (type 21). The TRV and return valve throttle the flow enough, particularly as i now have new 15mm for most of the upstairs, some of the downstairs, but still some microbore buried....
Defo doubles. As for pipework, it's not a hard job to extend them, push fits are up to the job and you can still keep the joins hidden behind the rads using corner angled valves you then route behind the rad and down to the original pipework with a larger rad.
You'll be putting new brackets up, just make sure these go into something solid as they will likely be different spacing, you don't want them ripping off the wall as they will be heavier than the old ones.
Plumber would need to put a bend in pipes to suit I guess
Any plumbing I've had done in recent years, they've used flexible pipes (like metallic hosepipes) rather than traditional elbow joints to get around this sort of issue. How well regarded they are in the grand scheme of things I don't know, but they seemed to work.
As said above just go type 21, let the TRV throttle the temperature. Did that in the bedroom last year and it's so much nicer. Personally if you can't get a rad to fit the existing pipes I'd go for slightly longer, that way any pipes are below the radiator and within it's area (if that makes sense) rather than them being further out than the edge of the radiator.
You say everything's working at max currently to keep house warm.
You can't just bang.on bigger rads.
Have you checked your BTU of new rads against your availible BTU at the boiler ?