radiator plumbed in at the bottom and the top, why?

[banjodeano]

Hiya guys
We have just moved into a new house, and the radiator at the bottom of the stairs is plumbed in at the bottom through the floor boards at one side, and at the other side its plumbed in at the top and runs up the wall,
when i peel the carpet back, there is a hole in the boards where the pipe originally came through like the other side,
The radiator doesnt work right, it never geats really hot, and when the thermostat switches off, i think all the hot water floats upstairs and goes cold... why would anyone do this? surely this cant be right?
Thanks

 

[Lower]

Sounds like an old fashioned gravity system where the flow of hot water was caused by the buoyancy of hot water compared to cold.

Have you got a pump?

 

[banjodeano]

Sounds like an old fashioned gravity system where the flow of hot water was caused by the buoyancy of hot water compared to cold.

Have you got a pump?

Yeah...and we have an old Worcester Bosh combi boiler fitted that is ready to be replaced, i think its about 15 years old, so i dont think it will have much longer left,
The thing is none of the other radiators are fitted that way, when i get the boiler replaced (skint at mo) i will ask the plumber to put right the radiator, i just wondered why it was done like this, it must have originally come through the floor as the hole is there for the pipe
Thanks for your reply

 

[muggles]

It's actually technically the correct way to pipe up a radiator - all radiator outputs are measured based on the flow being connected at the top at one end, and the return being connected at the bottom at the other end. IIRC it gives about 10% more output than using both bottom connections.

Why yours isn't working, I can't say without seeing the system. It might just need balancing, or you may have a blockage

 

[FiremanT]

Hiya guys
We have just moved into a new house, and the radiator at the bottom of the stairs is plumbed in at the bottom through the floor boards at one side, and at the other side its plumbed in at the top and runs up the wall,
when i peel the carpet back, there is a hole in the boards where the pipe originally came through like the other side,
The radiator doesnt work right, it never geats really hot, and when the thermostat switches off, i think all the hot water floats upstairs and goes cold... why would anyone do this? surely this cant be right?
Thanks

There is nothing wrong with that configuration,apart from looking odd and ugly. In fact radiators are (or were) rated when set up in that config TBOE (Top and Bottom opposite end. It is claimed that the UK practice results in a decrease of up to 12% reduction in output.

The question is: which of your pipes is connected to the top ? The flow or return? It should be the flow, although I would not like to say that it will cause your problems if reversed.

EDIT: Sorry, Mugs, I started to compose this before my elevenses

 

[banjodeano]

It's actually technically the correct way to pipe up a radiator - all radiator outputs are measured based on the flow being connected at the top at one end, and the return being connected at the bottom at the other end. IIRC it gives about 10% more output than using both bottom connections.

Why yours isn't working, I can't say without seeing the system. It might just need balancing, or you may have a blockage

well, you learn something new every day....
I wouldnt say it doesnt work, it actually does for a while.
i have just put the heating on and the radiator is hot, the heat is coming in from the top and going out at the bottom, but later when the house gets warm, all the other radiators will still be warm and that radiator will just remain tepid, the boiler will be burning gas and pumping to all the radiators in the house, but this one will not get warm meaning that the bottom of the stairs will be freezing.......i dont know, i cant get me head round it, but thanks for your contribution..

 

[john4703]

It's actually technically the correct way to pipe up a radiator - all radiator outputs are measured based on the flow being connected at the top at one end, and the return being connected at the bottom at the other end. IIRC it gives about 10% more output than using both bottom connections.

I agree and I've installed a few systems using this in commercial premises but the pipes always went down. banjodeano said that the pipe goes up from the radiator, I'd suspect that he is right about thermo circulation taking all the hot water out of that radiator when the boiler shuts down. I'd be interested to know where the pipe goes to.

 

[aptsys]

i just wondered why it was done like this, it must have originally come through the floor as the hole is there for the pipe
Thanks for your reply

Maybe the pipe was damaged under the floor some distance from that radiator so the quickest thing to do for the previous homeowner was to take the feed from upstairs.