Vertical designer radiators

[Keefiedee]

VERTICAL DESIGNER RADIATORS

Have had recent upgrade of my central heating. Replaced horizontal radiator in bathroom with vertical designer radiator, as needed more output, and there was not enough space - bathroom is the coldest room in the house!

Puzzled by the fact that when heating comes on hot water goes straight across the bottom of the radiator, from the inlet side to the outlet side. As everything warms up, the top of the radiator gets hottest first, and then the heat slowly moves down.

I would have expected baffles to be part of the design which sent the hot water up, down and then across the radiator, but it seems to me there are no baffles at all. Is this standard practice, or have I bought a "pig-in-a-poke"?

If I have, what should I look for when getting a replacement - this was not an issue I expected to come up against.

The radiator is a Ximax Fortuna Duplex Designer Radiator 1800 x 472mm from Screwfix

 

[muggles]

Vertical radiators do usually have a baffle in them, along with instructions on which side should be connected to the flow, and which to the return. If they aren't connected correctly, they don't work properly, and I suspect this is your problem - you have the flow & return reversed. Check the installation instructions, and feel which pipe gets warm first to see if they correspond. Also check you've fitted it the right way up - some can be hung upside down with similarly bad results. The ones I've seen only have a baffle at the bottom, and not at the top

 

[Madrab]

Looking at the MI for these ones there are no details regarding specific orientation for flow and return, which would suggest these are not baffled nor require a specific 'this way up'. Unless there are stickers actually on the rad that specify which is which?

I reckon it's going to be a balancing exercise that's needed, what size of pipe feeds the rad?

 

[Keefiedee]

No, it's been balanced with the proper balancing kit. It's a 15 mm feed and return. And there were no stickers.

The installer (yes, still involved) checked there was no baffle to the top. Yet it still feels it isn't working as it should, and if when you start it up the water goes straight from input to outlet, that would indicate no baffle at the bottom. Might it have been assembled incorrectly? The MI seem to be mostly bothered about making sure the radiator is completely full of water with no air.

 

[Gasguru]

Google the manufacturer...they're Austrian but have a UK agent. Sounds like there's a lot of similar problems reported.
I think I may have come across these rads a while back...I told the customer to bin them. The water circulated straight across the lower header and after an hour there was a little warmth in the vertical tubes. Designer rads are nearly always a problem IMHO.

 

[mcmoby69]

Designer rads, designed to look good.... and they do...... that's about it.

 

[Hot&Cold]

Keefiedee Hopefully your installer (who has seen your heating system) can come up with a resolution

Have seen these universal type radiators (same radiator but with different wall mounting brackets, they can be fitted vertically or horizontally) ,they come in different fancy names but they are often the same product & sold online through out Europe and our country.

The ones without a fitted or loose supplied baffle for the installer to fit ,when fitted vertically need the flow pipe taken into the top of the radiator & the return bottom fitted common practice for most radiators in mainland europe and it works.
The same radiator fitted horizontally does not need a baffle and work very well with both bottom connections.

Retro fit milano flow diverters are available,These help the flow initially rise up the first few tubes. Ask your installer about them

 

[Ian H]

I have one that looks just like that, it’s a 6panel one and the baffle is 1/3rd in from the inlet (inlet on the right):