Radiator sizes ...

[Arfa Daily]

My lounge is currently heated - quite successfully I might add - by two 1.6m single panel rads, as originally fitted by the builder about 25 years ago. They are a typical design from that period, being a single panel of vertical water-carrying 'stripes', with a thin metal 'wavy' bit covering the back.

We're about to do a major decorating job on the room, and I would like to change the TV stand for either something ready made that goes around the corner, or something I might custom make to also go around the corner. Trouble is, the rad under the window, comes close enough to the wall on its left, to stop me going around the corner. So, looking at it again tonight, and trying to apply a bit of thinking outside the box, I started wondering if there are any modern rads that are shorter, but would have the same or better heat output. That way, I could effectively move the left side of the rad further to the right, gaining me the wall space to come around the corner with my TV unit. Granted, the rad would no longer be symmetrically located under the centre of the window, but I think that this would be offset visually by the new unit.

So, does anyone know what the basic heat output specs for a rad this size are, and any thoughts on the practicality of my idea ? Is there even a smaller rad type with the same output ? Some kind of double panel, perhaps ? Obviously, it wouldn't need to be too much of a radically different design to what's fitted now, at least superficially, so that it still reasonably matched the other one in the room.

TIA

Arfa

[PeterC]

Lots of info from here:

's site gives the output for each rad - bit tedious - and there's a table in the dogalogue.

about 18 months ago I found

on prices, but that might have changed.

[Roger Mills]

The output of a radiator depends on its size and configuration - and on DeltaT (the difference between room temperature and mean rad temperature). However, you won't be changing DeltaT, so let's just concentrate on size and configuration.

By size, I mean area in square metres of the bit of wall which it covers. By configuration, I mean number of panels (layers) and whether or not fins are fitted. The common options are:

Single panel, no fins Single panel with fins - probably what you've got if your "wavy bits" are fins Double panel, no fins Double panel, single fins Double panel, double fins As you move down this list, you get progressively more output for a given size. So, if you want to reduce the size, you need to change to a config which gives a higher output per M^2 in order to get the same actual output. A rough rule of thumb for output ratio is as follows: Single, no fin: 100% Single with fin: 158% Double, no fin: 170% Double, single fin: 218% Double, double fin: 279%

So if, for example, you went from a single with fins to a double with single fins, the output per M^2 would increase by a factor of 218/158 =

1.38 So you could reduce the size to about 72% of the original without losing any output. Even more if you go to double fins. You can even get triple panel radiators - but they're a bit thick, and you wouldn't like them.

If you want to go *very* small, you could use a fan-blown jobbie - but I don't think I'd want one of them in my living room!

[Arfa Daily]

Thanks both. All good info. Should help me to make a decision !

Arfa