Hello, I am in the process of replacing a radiator and was wondering what Brand is the best, I was thinking of Stelrad, I especially like their Compact with style range. I was also wondering which TRV manufacturer is the best. I don't mind paying a bit extra for better quality and reliability.
I went for the Stelrad Compact radiators and Danfoss Ras-C2 valves. All good quality stuff and smart.
Steve
Go for any radiator you like the look of. The heat output - size for size and type for type (single/double with double/single/no fins) is much the same regardless of make.
I personally quite like Stelrad radiators. You can get them much cheaper on line than you can by going to your local PM (unless you qualify for trade discounts) or shed. I recently bought a large one (2000 x 700 K1) from theheatingshop.co.uk at a very good price - and they arranged for it to be supplied and delivered by my local Plumb Center. [If I had bought it directly from the Plumb Center I would have paid at least 50% more for it!]
Regarding TRVs, many people regard Drayton TRV4's as the Rolls Royce offering. I've recently fitted them to most of my radiators, and they do seem to be very well made and seem to perform very well (although this isn't the best time of year to test them!). I bought mine on Ebay - again for a fraction of the shop price.
While you're at it, it's worth putting a half-way decent lockshield valve - preferably with a drain-off - at the other end of the radiator. Go for a reputable make - like Pegler or Myson - rather than unbranded ones (which are more or less guaranteed to leak if you disturb them after they've been installed for a little while). I've just replaced all my lockshields with Myson Matchmate valves with drain-off (the top one on P16 of
Many of the 'designer' radiators seem to radiate surprisingly little heat for the size the occupy. I think this is becuase the designers don't like the look of fins.
Robert
Most of the heat is given out by convection rather than radiation, of course - and that is almost entirely dependent on surface area. So remove the fins, and you'll get a lot less heat output. Likewise these fancy towel radiators - which are largely fresh air - are a complete waste of space for heating the bathroom, even if they look nice to some people.
But I'm assuming that the OP is proposing to fit a 'normal' radiator, which is highly likely to have fins on the back. What I said earlier still stands: For a given size and basic design, there's little to choose between different makes as far as heat output is concerned.
To the OP: You're probably aware of this but - in case you're not - the heat output of a given radiator depends on the Delta-T value[1] at which it is operated. When comparing radiators in manufacturers' brochures, it is essential to compare the heat outputs at the *same* Delta-T - which may require a correction factor to be applied to one or other.
[1] Delta-T is the difference between the mean radiator temperature and room temperature. For example, if you have a conventional boiler with a flow temp of 80 degC and a return of 70 degC, the mean radiator temperature will be 75 degC. If the room is at 20 degC, Delta-T will be 55. Radiator manufacturers used to quote the output at a Delta-T of 60 - so you had to scale them down by the appropriate factor. Many now quote at 50 decC or less to reflect the lower flow temperatures used by condensing boilers.
Thanks to all, the radiator that I have chosen has fins on the back but is smooth on the front, and as for the TRV my plumber normally fits Optima TRV'S.
The radiator:
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.