Advice on Radiator Positioning

[penguinventures]

A radiator has been installed in my bathroom and I question its installation. It is a double radiator with fins 700mm x 600mm.

Its been mounted just 2" off the floor - it means when you sit in the bath you can see the 4" skirting could not be fitted behind the rad - so you see a bit of bare wall and rough plaster etc. I can just about live with this.

However, my little lad in the adjacent room pointed out last night that he's getting a bit warm at night as the wall down the side of his bed is getting hot. The radiator is mounted less than an inch from the wall and is radiating heat through breezeblock and plaster into his room.

What is the guidance on fitting radiators? Should it be spaced off the wall and floor more? The brackets used to hang the radiator allow for two spacing options from the wall. Has the wrong option been used?

Any advice much appreciated.

 

[LUNAT]

HI

you can fit to any height from the floor but rad manufac. recommend to leave min 4" gap form the floor.
why dont you use the foil (B&Q) on the wall behind th radiator to reflect the heat back and the wall will be less warm.

 

[crockett]

Most rads sit around 200mm from the floor to the bottom of the rad. This allows cooler air to circulate under and through the fins to warm the room more efficiently. Also, most modern brackets have the facility to hang the rad either close to the wall, or slightly further out. The person that hung your rad has cheated, probably due to the original length of the existing pipework. Get them back to hang it correctly

 

[penguinventures]

Hi Lunat (I'm still chasing air around the heating system!)

4" from the floor seems sensible to me and matches the rest of the radiators in the house. I like the idea of the foil - I can see that working.

Getting the plumber back to hang his radiator properly is a topical one. I made a bad judgement when choosing the plumber who's fitted a whole new bathroom. He's had his money and run and doesn't want to come back to fix any of his problems. Charged me an extortionate rate for a "highest quality" job and left me with an issue on everything he's touched. As far as he's concerned, he's done a good job.

Rotating taps on the bath cos the holes he's drilled are too big, swollen MDF panels on the side of the bath cos he left the cut edges overhanging the bath edge, shower waste that doesn't drain, toilet mastic'd to an OSMA grey outdoor plumbing fitting and glued down to the new floor with a fat ugly bead of mastic. Plumbing to a shower pump in the loft looks like something from the science museum - its gonna sit and up and walk off at any minute!

I feel so strongly about it - Id happily upload photos and publish them. Maybe there's a photo gallery on this forum for worst profesionnal jobs?

Anyway, back to the radiator. I think it ought to be moved up the wall and out from the wall. Just, is it feasible with the pipes as they are - I don't want to lift the floor to get to the pipes to extend them. Can joints be soldered onto the pipes 2" from the floor without discolouring the vinyl floor?

 

[crockett]

Penguin, if you use a soldering mat to protect the floor while extending the pipes, and don't have the torch roaring like mount etna, it'll be fine. Make sure the pipes are drained of all water, or else the solder won't take. Also, make sure the pipes are clean, using a fine sandpaper or scouring pad to get rid of oxidisation on the outside of the pipe and the inside of the solder fitting, and all should be fine. If you've soldered before, excuse me for teaching you to suck eggs!! You could place your pics on the 'DIY Disasters' forum. I'm sure they will raise comment.......

 

[penguinventures]

Crockett, thank you for the guidance. This will be a job for another weekend. Now I know it is possible to solder that close to the floor and where/how to position the radiator I feel a lot more confident. Thanks

As for the pictures - here's one of the rad and the poor excuse of the toilet installation. http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll201/penguinventures/DSCF1349.jpg

 

[crockett]

That plumber was a lazy b*gg*r, cut the pipes off the old rad and couldn't be arsed to extend by the looks of things Also, couldn't see any isolation on the w/c either...... besides that, nice suite !!

 

[penguinventures]

It was a complete new installation - the radiator is new and in a new position. The floor was taken up and new pipes laid.