Changing Towel Radiator for Proper Radiator

[cwhaley]

This may have been asked before but I can't find a post for it.

The only source of heat in our bathroom is a towel radiator which - despite only being draped with a hand towel - is pathetic. The bathroom is by far the coldest room in the house. This isn't helped by the extractor fan opening having no flaps on it, and also the fact that we have the window open every day (but we do this for ventilation and have a nice mould-free room).

As such, I want to replace it with a standard radiator I have been given with a nice output of about 800W (room is only 9ft x 6ft).

How would I go about swapping them? The current radiator has two valves positioned on the radiator itself, so while I can close these and release the pressure, other posts talk about an isolation valve and I don't seem to have this (unless I'm misunderstanding). There is a drain tap downstairs which I know is the lowest point of the system -- presumably drain this first.

The pipe going to the current radiator seems to be narrower than the standard 15mm found around the house too, so I'm guessing there's a reducer hidden under the tiled floor somewhere...

 

[terryplumb]

Show us some pics of the pipework to valves on the rad.
You will very likely need to ammend the pipework to suit your new rad ,and draining the system would be the wisest move to enable that.

 

[cwhaley]

Thanks. I'm not at home this week, but cropped an old photo I found (excuse the dust, wife must have been off that week).

I'm not sure if the chrome is a sleeve over the or if they are chrome plated.

 

[terryplumb]

Pics can be decieving ,but pipes look like 15 mm chrome plated.
The floor looks to be tiled , so it's unlikely that you can ammend pipework under the floor, and you would need to do it above floor ,which never looks as neat.

 

[cwhaley]

Pics can be decieving ,but pipes look like 15 mm chrome plated.
The floor looks to be tiled , so it's unlikely that you can ammend pipework under the floor, and you would need to do it above floor ,which never looks as neat.

I'll get the calipers on them when I'm home, but having looked at them over the years I've always thought they look narrower. Happy to be wrong on it though.

Yes it's tile on wooden floor. They tilers did a good job of them so I'd hope not to take them up. If it is 15mm chrome plated, can I simply scrape the chrome off and then clean it up? I'm only used to seeing chrome peeling off my car's bumpers, and it happily flakes off then...!

I was just thrown by having no obvious isolation valve. The fittings don't seem as obvious as they are on a standard rad either.

 

[terryplumb]

I wouldn't bother trying to remove chrome it needs filing off ,and isn't worth the effort . Your radiator does have two valves ,what isolating valve are you referring to ??

 

[Madrab]

If you are changing it for a normal panel radiator then the valves will probably need to change to an angled type, also need to check the width of the new rad against the pipe centres there to see if it will actually fit without needing to change the pipework.