Forced convection

[bally74]

Recently I installed my own attic room but didn't think through the heating enough. The room measures approx. 3m x 8m and the ceiling slopes in to 2m head height. I have fitted a 400w x 300h mm single panel radiator. I have to be careful what I fit as it is supported on battens that was used as spacing on my insulation. I also wanted to fit a radiator cover to stop the kids climbing on it.

I was hoping to fit a radiator cover that consisted of fans to force air through. If I found such a product would that suffice for heating the room or would I need a bigger radiator?

Thanks for any help.

 

[neiltheplumber]

Why not just change it for a bigger one!

 

[Boilerman2]

or exchange the Radiator for a "Fan Convector" (Myson make these, so do Smiths environmental)

 

[bally74]

Well the space is limited as it's in the middle dormer and weight is also an issue as the brackets wouldn't line up properly with the battens behind. I could go for a 400mm double but would still need to cover it up due to nightmare kids. Fan convector sounds good I take it that it uses the boiler still? Are they expensive?

 

[neiltheplumber]

Yes they are expensive, also not sure if they plug in or need to come off a spur!

Low surface temp rads are available (LST) they have a metal cover and a standard style radiator underneath.

 

[Onetap]

I was hoping to fit a radiator cover that consisted of fans to force air through. If I found such a product would that suffice for heating the room or would I need a bigger radiator?

They are a complete waste of time and money. You need to fit a bigger radiator or a fan convector.

The heat transfer from the radiator to the air is restricted by the layer of stationary air adjacent to the metal surfaces. Increasing the airflow has little effect, you'd need to increase the metal surface area. Convector heater batteries have copper tubes that are hydraulically expanded onto metal fins, typically with 10 or 15 fins per inch of tube; the fins give a huge increase in the heated metal area.