Converting a tubular hand rail to a Rad.

[Monsoon]

I've been looking for a tubular towel rail to use in the bathroom( heating already accounted for). I'm looking for just a single tube 1800mm in length.

The closest I can find is stainless steel hand rails.

I'd rather have a radiator designed for the job but as an alternative could a stainless steel tube be modified without too much hassle/specialist tools?

 

[breezer]

would you not have to fit a tap on it to act as bleed valve , oh, and water inlet and outlet, oh and fill in the screw holes, oh and means of fixing to the wall

 

[kevplumb]

why not just use standard stainless tube

 

[payne166]

there is a company out there that maybe can fit your needs. "do google and take your wallet "

 

[Monsoon]

why not just use standard stainless tube

I've had a look at the BES website and they a range of stainless steel fittings.

My only reservation would be if I can create a 'professional' look. Oh and also the fittings look v.expensive.

Is the use of stainless steel normally used in plumbing for aesthetics reasons or for it's strength properties?

 

[Monsoon]

would you not have to fit a tap on it to act as bleed valve , oh, and water inlet and outlet, oh and fill in the screw holes, oh and means of fixing to the wall

This bracket would hold the tube and wouldn't need screws in the body of the tube.

Would I need bleed valve? Although the stainless steel tube is a bigger diameter than the copper flow and return pipes, I cant see why continuing the passage of water in stainless steel would trap air

 

[breezer]

I cant see why continuing the passage of water in stainless steel would trap air

no you cant can you.

ask some poor person who has a cold rad what they do

rads dont work how you seem to think. (i used to think it too)

i used to think (when i was small) that hot water cam from the boiler to the first rad, in one pipe out the next and onto the next rad.

if this were true then your idea would work.

but its not true.

rads are plumbed in paralell (which is why they still work if you remove one)

since the water is at equal pressure on both pipes the air trapped in your PIPE will just stay there since there is no pressure differnece*

by haveing a bleed valve you let the air out so water can flow

* there is a pressure differnce but its not great enough to move the air

 

[Monsoon]

there is a company out there that maybe can fit your needs. "do google and take your wallet "

Had a look on the web and as you say there are companies which fabricate bespoke rads. May run my requirement over them.

In the scheme of things I dont think my requirement is all that complex (especially in comparison to some of the works of art)

 

[breezer]

I have been to a house that has a spiral rad, looks very nice, but not for me.

i did not ask how much it cost.

oh and it was about 6 foot tall

 

[kevplumb]

if anything like some of the stuff on display at interbuild

second morgage territory

 

[Monsoon]

I cant see why continuing the passage of water in stainless steel would trap air

no you cant can you.

ask some poor person who has a cold rad what they do

I *can* see why you need a bleed valve on a standard rad. As the water fills up the rad, air gets trapped towards the top of the rad

Thats fine on a standard rad but all Im doing is extending the existing copper pipe in stainless steel. As the pipe fills it will push the air along and I presume back to the combi boiler where it is vented out

 

[kevplumb]

1 if the pipe is the same size as the supply pipework yes if not no

2 how are you proposing to attach the valves

 

[breezer]

Thats fine on a standard rad but all Im doing is extending the existing copper pipe in stainless steel. As the pipe fills it will push the air along and I presume back to the combi boiler where it is vented out

never presume anything

combi uses a sealed system

 

[Monsoon]

I have been to a house that has a spiral rad, looks very nice, but not for me.

i did not ask how much it cost.

oh and it was about 6 foot tall

Ive seen a bunch of these towel rail/rads and there not for me, hence the functional elegance of a straight brushed steel tube which will allow me to warm and hang a bunch of towels in my soon to be tiled wetroom.

 

[Monsoon]

1 if the pipe is the same size as the supply pipework yes if not no

2 how are you proposing to attach the valves

At the risk of oversimplifying my requirement, surely I can just attach my copper pipe to the stainless steel tube then attach the other end of the ss tube to the copper.

No need to run in parallel as described by breezer, series would work.
No need for valves or taps

You can go from 15mm to 22mm copper without trapping air. Whats the difference?

The connection into the SS tube at either is a good question. Perhaps a theaded hole could be cut?