Rotarad Experience

[FozzieBear]

While searching for a swivel type radiator connection I came across a website called Rotarad who make a product found her on Screwfix.
I am trying to make a hot water laundry dryer from a large ladder rack towel rail and needed the rail to swing down away from the wall to about 20-30 degrees to allow towels etc to hang vertically from the "rungs".
These fittings are designed for maintenance cleaning and decorating which I suspect is only two or three times per year. However my intended use might be rotation two or three times per week during the winter.
Does anyone have any experience of fitting these? If not does anyone know of a swivel type 1/2" fitting that I could use like these for instance which sadly are only available in the USA. I could use the flexible tails used in plinth heaters like these but they are a bit long and many heating engineers have been pretty scathing on this forum when flexible hoses have been suggested before in HW CH systems
Fozzie

 

[Gasguru]

I think your idea is mad...
Rotary radiator fixings have been used in the past...they leaked after years of the seals taking the temperature.
I doubt those are any different...looks like the typical products designed by those with zero experience of the heating industry (or the limitations of o rings).

 

[oldbuffer]

If you really want to do it you could use any pushfit straight or elbow connectors (e.g. Hep2O, JG Speedfit, Polyplumb). These will swivel without difficulty. How long the seals (they are all O rings) would last at three swivels a week I don't know. However, fit them using some silicone grease. Also fit full bore lever valves before the swivel on each side, so if they do leak you can isolate the dryer and change the appropriate elbow / coupler. The foregoing assumes copper pipe connections, although you could probably use the appropriate plastic pipe. However, don't use chrome plated pipe, the push fit connectors are likely to come off.

 

[FozzieBear]

I think your idea is mad...
Rotary radiator fixings have been used in the past...they leaked after years of the seals taking the temperature.
I doubt those are any different...looks like the typical products designed by those with zero experience of the heating industry (or the limitations of o rings).

Thanks GasGuru You are of course perfectly entitled to your opinion, however there are reputable companies that make telescopic radiator tails that work on the same principle (presumably using O rings) and they have WRAS certification. Sometimes if you don't experiment then nothing advances and you would still be using screwed barrel rather than Speedfit

 

[FozzieBear]

If you really want to do it you could use any pushfit straight or elbow connectors (e.g. Hep2O, JG Speedfit, Polyplumb). These will swivel without difficulty. How long the seals (they are all O rings) would last at three swivels a week I don't know. However, fit them using some silicone grease. Also fit full bore lever valves before the swivel on each side, so if they do leak you can isolate the dryer and change the appropriate elbow / coupler. The foregoing assumes copper pipe connections, although you could probably use the appropriate plastic pipe. However, don't use chrome plated pipe, the push fit connectors are likely to come off.

Thanks Oldbuffer. The existing rad supply is 15mm copper and yes had already decided to fit isolators either side of rad valves. Thanks for the suggestion but I think I would be wary of using standard pushfit elbows as they are definitely not designed to rotate on a regular basis. I think the circlip might eventually chew up the fitting.
I am assuming the company who make Rotarad must have at least looked at the design. They offer a 5 year guarantee so must be fairly confident they don't leak too soon. I have emailed them to ask if there is one or two o rings in the fittings so will await their reply.
I just posted the question to see if anyone had fitted them previously and what the quality was like. For £20 I might just take a punt and buy a set.
Thanks again
Fozzie

 

[Gasguru]

Trust me...half the boiler manufacturers screw up o ring joints. WRAS approval means nothing when it comes to long term reliability. 30 years experience in a whole variety of engineering fields has given me more than enough knowledge to tell you they will leak at some stage. I suggest you take a good read of Parkers o ring handbook...I can assure you most designers don't and have problems down the line.

Those telescopic extension are a joke...they always leak. They are predominantly fitted by diyers.

 

[Dan Robinson]

I think I would be wary of using standard pushfit elbows as they are definitely not designed to rotate on a regular basis. I think the circlip might eventually chew up the fitting.
I am assuming the company who make Rotarad must have at least looked at the design. They offer a 5 year guarantee so must be fairly confident they don't leak too soon

Pahahahahahahahahahahahahahwhwhwhahajajajaanhah

 

[Dan Robinson]

however there are reputable companies that make telescopic radiator tails that work on the same principle (presumably using O rings) and they have WRAS certification

Phahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

 

[Dan Robinson]

And my van does the advertised 45 MPG.

Ask Servowarm owners how their hinged rads lasted

 

[ServiceNumpty]

Ask Servowarm owners how their hinged rads lasted

30-40 years

 

[dilalio]

I am trying to make a hot water laundry dryer from a large ladder rack towel rail and needed the rail to swing down away from the wall to about 20-30 degrees to allow towels etc to hang vertically from the "rungs".

Will this actually aid drying? I would have thought they'd need to hang over a heat source, not from it! You'd probably be better off with a caravan window type hanger that extends out from the top of the towel rail, into the room.

 

[Gasguru]

What fun inching out the rad waiting for the swivels to leak...must 15 years ago I last worked on one.


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