Radiator - flow and return on same side?

It would be advantageous if I could connect up a rad with the flow and return on the same side (top and bottom).

I get that best case scenario it will take longer to heat up, will it take a lot longer? Will it fully heat up all?

Reply to
R D S
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That'll work fine. Hot in at the top would maximise heating, better than the usual bottom entries. Conventional rads largely depend on gravity for internal circulation, you're helping that along here.

NT

Reply to
tabbypurr

Diagonal connections give the greatest heat output Top and bottom on one side cuts heat output by around 25% for a roughly square radiator. More if it's a long and low radiator.

Reply to
harry

Flow/return on the same side means derate by about 5%, i.e. hardly at all.

(unless it's a very long radiator, or you put the flow at the bottom and return at the top...)

Thomas Prufer

Reply to
Thomas Prufer

aka plumbed TBSE, obviously the flow has to be the top, return from the bottom, or the water will short-circuit it.

I have a radiator plumbed TBOE, rather than the usual BBOE, it warms up fine.

Reply to
Andy Burns

Can you still get the valves that were designed to connect to one connection only? The valve had both flow and return piped to it and the return had a tube fitted that extended along the inside of the radiator, forcing it to run from the far end.

A quick google has brought the type up:

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SteveW

Reply to
Steve Walker

Steve Walker snipped-for-privacy@walker-family.me.uk> wrote in news:qsulqn$tuv$ snipped-for-privacy@dont-email.me:

Obsolete as a thermostatic version was never made + many plumbers didn't understand the significance of the internal pipe - or broke it when removing a radiator.

"Twinfast" I believe.

Reply to
John

They were made by Yorkshire Copper and called "Biflow Valves". Haven't seen them for years. They worked well so long as the internal pipe was fitted. Googled but no results.

Reply to
harry

I can't find one in the wild. That would have been really handy as I am very limited as to where I can provide a pipe.

Reply to
R D S

Just been reading about how to remove the radiator. I never had a problem. Move rad to one side after unscrewing valve and then unscrew the internal pipe - which on all of mine were nylon - self threated into the valve. Easily done with pliers.

Reply to
John

Unless I'm mistaken you don't need to find one. Just attach a tail as normal at one end & slide microbore inside it. Terminate the join between the 2 using an unequal tee, IYSWIM, not sure how to describe it.

NT

Reply to
tabbypurr

Yes, my parents had them on all but one of their radiators (that was a double panel with the feed between the two panels). Theirs had plastic piping throughout from the manifolds (10mm, 8mm and 6mm IIRC) all sized to give the correct flows, so no need for lockshield valves or balancing (and no method to). My dad worked it all out in advance and put it in in

1972.

After about 30 years, they had to slowly shift to copper and use conventional valves, as the plastic piping had become brittle and snapped easily if knocked.

No, I haven't seen them for years.

SteveW

Reply to
Steve Walker

I have one radiator with a similar problem. I brought both pipes up at one end, connected one there and ran the other behind the radiator to the other end.

SteveW

Reply to
Steve Walker

The bi-flow valves had a balancing valve incorporated. You removed a cap and the was a slot headed screw needle valve to do the balancing.

I used them in my parents house, must have been the mid/late 60's. I used copper pipe, the was no plastic back then

Reply to
harry

There was no screw on my parents'. The whole system was designed to be balanced by design, hence the multitude of different pipe sizes available.

SteveW

Reply to
Steve Walker

My house was built in 1988 and used them (Maxitwin). Other houses in the road had conventional ones so I think I was having left over ones used. Ihad no probelems but eventually when Thermostatic valves were mandated at bliler change I had them swopped. One pipe was taken behing the radiator to the other end.

Reply to
John

I have my answer, about half of it heats up fine, half gradually not diagonally but i'm not too surprised as it is wider than it is high.

I'm planning to connect a pipe to the feed that runs along the inside of the bottom of the radiator, thus feeding at the opposite end. I presume there'd be a benefit to a hole in that pipe near the feed end and one in the middle (at least).

Reply to
R D S

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