radiator replacement - 960mm

[westie1961]

hi all, one of our rads is corroded, the rad measures 960mm * 450mm.

the gap between the radiator valves with the rad removed measures 1000mm.

i guess the rad must be a 960mm. the heating is small bore.

1) if i change the rad to a 900 *450 should i use those valve tails / extenders.

2) will i have to change the existing radiator valves, only because the valve may be the wrong size to fit the new rad. i was going to change these to thermostatic ones anyway, can you recommend a make.

 

[D_Hailsham]

1) if i change the rad to a 900 *450 should i use those valve tails / extenders.

A smaller radiator will give of less heat, thought you should not notice the change from a 960mm to 900mm as rads are invariably oversized.

Rad tail extenders are OK. But don't get confused by the nominal radiator dimensions quoted by manufacturers. It's the distance between the holes at each end of the rad which is important. Measure this (with the tails removed) on your old rad and get a new one which is the same or slightly smaller.

2) will i have to change the existing radiator valves, only because the valve may be the wrong size to fit the new rad. i was going to change these to thermostatic ones anyway, can you recommend a make.

To answer the first part: if you want thermostatic valves then, yes, you will have to change the valves The Drayton TRV4 are probably the best going. More expensive than Danfoss or Honeywell, but worth it. You can often find new ones sold on Ebay.

 

[simond]

Myson used to do a range of radiators called Premier which were the old imperial sizes. Plumbcenter used to do them, but they are so hopeless I haven't been in the last 24 months.....

The Drayton TRV4 is not a bad valve, but the Honeywell V200 and VT200 are manual and TRV respectively. They have interchangeable heads, so you can make a TRV manual and vice versa. We have had some TRV4 failures; found one the other day leaking wax out of the bottom. So I'd recommend the VT200.

For this 'customer swoppable' reason, reliability, and finally because they also form the basis of the Honeywell Hometronic valve actuator, we fit these as standard.

 

[D_Hailsham]

We have had some TRV4 failures; found one the other day leaking wax out of the bottom.

The TRV4 has a liquid filled sensor, not wax!