Recommendation for Radiators

You have considered the ability of your boiler to provide enough heat to match the extra thermal load?

Of course.

So, recommendations about rads, please. Naffer

Actually, I recommend reclaimed cast iron radiators. I got three recently via eBay, had them shotblasted, painted them, fitted adaptors and installed them, and I'm amazed at the amount of heat they chuck out, compared to my old single-panelled rads - I still have some of the latter in a couple of rooms, and there's no comparison. Cast iron column rads have a large surface area. Unbelievably heavy though.

Cheers Richard

Radiators are very much a commodity - so find some that look ok, at a reasonable price. I've used rads from Stelrad, Myson, Barlo, etc. as well as unbranded ones from Wickes and Screwfix - and they've all been ok. For a given size and construction (single with or without fins, double with single or double fins) they all have pretty much the same heating capacity.

But don't forget to downrate them for the lower temperatures used by condensing boilers - so you'll need much bigger rads than would be indicated by believing the manufacturers' output figures.

What extra thermal load?

If anything the boiler will work better by having a lower return temp. so its efficiency will go up, less heat going out of the vent and more into the house.

Andy

In article , naffer writes

Stelrad Elite, simple, good quality, no nonsense but I would use (& have used) K+ instead of K2, they are double panels with a single convector and I find them to be a more discrete solution, despite requiring more wall area for the same output.

A bit like my ice cream preferences, a single nougat is an indulgence but a double nougat it just rude.

I would steer clear of rads where the bleed valve is a small thin brass screw inserted into a welded fixture located on the sides (the type found at Wickes). I've known a few break off leaving the screwed in part remaining in the rad. I'd go for ones where the bleed screw is quite chunky and screwed into a removable fixing at the ends of the rad.

I use Stelrad Compact - only because SWMBO likes them. I've noticed when buying them on-line that you can find different prices all over the place, but in the end PlumbCentre (Wolesey Ltd) turn up to deliver from the local depot. The price differences are only a few pounds, but hey if they are the same stock....

R.

Think about it - double panels with fins against single panel unfinned!

older model boilers can be quickly destroyed by excessively low return temperatures causing condensing. For a non condensing boiler which the original post did not clarify ths is a very undesirable situation.

Agree totally although that does not apply to Stelrad Elites, they have full size ports at each corner and a replaceable vent plug goes in one of the top ports.

Same as the Fix ones from Screwfix made by D D Heating of Bedford. Can be fitted either way up .

The amount of heat needed to keep the house warm is the same regardless of the radiators. The amount of heat needed to take the radiator to a set temperature will go up - but you don't need to take the rad. to a temp., it's the house that matters!

... And that's a completely different issue to "extra thermal load".

Andy