Looking for a 2300 x 450mm radiator

We have a long low radiator below a window in our sitting room. It?s manky and ugly and I?d like to replace it with something a bit less gross.

It?s a twin panel steel affair without any fins. I?d like one with a higher output but similar dimensions to go with our condensing boiler (so fins needed). The trouble is, I?ve tried searching Stelrad and a few other sites but can?t seem to find anything over 2 metres long. I can?t fit anything taller than 450 due to the window sill.

Any suggestions for suppliers?

Tim

Tim+ pretended :

Thanks, but not going down that route. I?m sure the present one was just a cheap off-the-shelf job. I just can?t find out who?s still making them.

Tim

Fit 2 shorter ones fed in parallel mounted side by side. Tee off the feed and feed both ends via TRV's. Join the two in the middle and tee off for the return. Use nice chrome pipe and make a feature of it.

Tim+ brought next idea :

It might have been specially made to fit, especially if there are a few houses with the same radiator needed.

I can see a 400x2200 off the shelf

I had a custom towel rad from this lot, they make "column" radiators with any number of sections

Why not create a studwall, and fill it with UFH heating pipe and have the wall itself be the rad?

I made a mini-rad for a loo using scrap bits of copper pipe, end-feed tees and elbows. Looked quite neat and lasted about 15 years before it sprung a leak. Just replaced it with a conventional one.

Cheers, that would probably do but I?d prefer to keep to the 2300 (if I can).

Hmm, only go up to around 1800mm and cost squillions.

Tim

I have seen two radiators affixed together into one using two vey short lengths of copper tube, one for the top and one for the bottom.

This effectively turned the two rads into one single big radiator and then the existing feed and return pipework attached as usual.

Possible but I doubt the BTU output would be anywhere near that of a twin panelled finned steel radiator unless your wall area is large enough. Mine certainly wouldn?t be big enough.

Tim

Maybe it?s just me but nothing over 2 metres turned up when I tried searching Stelrad?s own site. Clearly I need to try harder. ;-)

Thanks for the heads up.

Tim

You can get about 150W/sq m out of a stud wall with enough pipe behind it.

A typical small room only need 50-100W if its DG and well insulated

In shot get it as hot as a rad of te same area and it will produce te same output.

IME Quinn have slightly higher outputs than others for the same size (better fins I guess).

Here you go: 400x2200 in a variety of panel arrangements giving:

Now, only you know how much power you need, but:

I tend to work on deltaT-40C for the worst case warm up (water at 55/45 flow-return) and delta-T-30C to maintain the room once it's nice.

I stuck in the biggest radiators I could, (without going to triple panel monsters) everywhere and have not regretted it as the room heat up is fast and I can run the water temperature quite low which is more efficient and more comfortable.

I thought that was "on paper" due to having a lower water content?

Water volume makes no difference to power output vs delta-T.

It might aid with overall system response, if you reduce overall water volume a lot as a result, but the power output is valid when the system is in steady state (radiator, not room which is obviously heating).