Minimum clearance under radiator?

[Ian Chard]

Hi,

I noticed last night that the bottom of the radiator in our front room is very close to some boxed-in pipework -- maybe 5-10mm or so. Is this likely to affect the convective airflow? The room is always the coldest in the house, but possibly because of inadequate heating or the open chimney.

Thanks

- Ian

[Alex]

When I fitted my rads 200mm was the clearance advice,given by manufacturer

[TheScullster]

"Ian Chard" wrote

Is the radiator a double and/or convector (with zig zag plate fixed to one side of panel)? Modern rads rely heavily on convection hence the addition of the folded zig zag convection plates. If you compare the output figures on say the Stelrad website, and see the difference between convector and non-convector for your rad size, this will give you a clue as to the reduction in performance. You will be relying on heat radiating directly rather than circulating around - except perhaps on the front face of the rad in your case.

If yours is a multi-panel then I suspect that the performance penalty will be significant.

Phil