successful radiator replacement

[Adam Funk]

"Successful" means the heat is back on & the house is warmed up before SWMBO gets home. About 3½ hours, including going back to Grahams for a tailpipe extension because the new radiator is 30 mm narrower (between valves) than the old one. (I'm glad I was replacing the valves anyway, because I think the old ones wouldn't have fitted. I'd also like to recommend Grahams for friendly service & advice.)

The room genuinely seems to be warmer now than it was before I shut the leaky radiator off. The new radiator is the same nominal size (600 x 600) but I went for one with a high power rating. Is it possible for a good, new radiator to make a significant difference if the house's heating system in general is still old & cranky?

[thescullster]

If you've replaced a single with another single, is the replacement a convectore style with shaped heat deflector? Not sure where the "high power rating" would come from otherwise.

Phil

[GMM]

Certainly the new ones I fitted last year give out more heat than the ones they replaced, which were physically bigger. It my be that they're cleaner inside or that new designs are more effective (or a bit of both)

[Roger Mills]

What's the basis for the higher power rating. Size for size, rads of a similar construction are going to have very similar power ratings - you can't change the laws of physics!

Maybe the new one has fins on the back and the old one didn't? This would increase the power rating by just over 50%. You would feel the benefit of this provided your 'old & cranky' system can deliver sufficient flow to replenish the heat dissipated. For optimum results, the system may need re-balancing.

[Brian_Gaff]

In an office I used to work in, a new radiator which seemed to have more surface area than the old one due to fluting and air gaps between separate parts of it seemed to make the office warmer, but its hard to be totally sure as the windows were never double glazed in those days and England's climate is hardly a stable test site!

Brian

[Adam Funk]

The old one was double-panel with convectors between the panels, and so is the new one, but the old one was at least 20 years old.

I looked at the specifications for various 600 X 600 radiators & picked the one with the highes nominal wattage in the range available (1067 W; the range went down to 588 for a SP-SC).

[Adam Funk]

There was a little sludge in the bottom of the radiator. The water that came out when I partly drained the system didn't look too bad. We are planning to have the "core" (including the boiler) replaced in the spring, & that will include "powerflushing".