Are all radiators born equal?

[DarrenThomas]

All the rads in our place are what I would call standard panel rads found in most homes. None of them have any fins on the back to boost surface area.

Looking around, there are lots of differnt radiator types, different brands, different materials. Aluminium rads are getting some attention because they are apparently cheaper to run, old fashioned looking cat iron ones are popular for the look.

So if you were putting in a couple of 2000-2200 BTU, or a 6000 BTU what knowledge would you be going out armed with? Is a Wickes rad better than a B&Q rad? Are aluminium ones really better? Where would you be buying yours from?

 

[digdilem]

Aluminium cheaper to run? How does that work?

I've bought mine from screwfix for convenience more than anything, but when speccing you do the calculations for heat required, then match it with the heat output of the rads and any cosmetic desires you have. Ie, whether large single panel rads, or smaller, but thicker, double panel highly finned rads, or artistic radiators that don't really output much heat.

 

[TicklyT]

Better to err towards oversized radiators than undersized. Oversized ones can be throttled back a bit to achieve the desired output, but an undersized one can't run any faster than flat out.

Generally, condensing boilers can work more a little more efficiently with oversized radiators keeping the return water temperature lower.

Aluminium radiators may claim to be more efficient because they deliver more watts per unit of weight, hardly a consideration if they are fixed to a wall or floor, or because they heat up faster from a cold start, but that means they will also cool down faster when the heating switches off, so the nett gain is zero.

 

[DarrenThomas]

i understand the calculations to work out what size you need and i understand the tip about oversizing. But i'm no plumber, i dont know if there are brands that should be avoided or are prone to leaks or if literally a rad from one company is going to be identical to one from another.