Vertical radiator top/bottom and flow?

[^woody^]

I've just got a vertical radiator and I understood that these had a top and bottom - with some sort of baffle at the bottom to direct water up and down the tubes.

With this one, you can see straight through the fitting holes from one side to the other at either end of the radiator. This says to me that when the hot water flows in at one side, it will just flow straight out the other side directly opposite without traveling up the tubes.

Is my reasoning correct? Is the radiator a dud or just a crap design?

I don't want to fit it and adjust all the pipework only for the bottom part of the radiator to get hot.

 

[ianmcd]

read the instructions

 

[gasmanstu72]

i fitted one that sounds similar to this for my neighbour recently, they got it from Screwfix and the instructions were very vague, it took a while to heat up but it did in the end

 

[Hot&Cold]

I've just got a vertical radiator

Woody,you have a radiator which can be fitted vertical or horizontal (ok the fitting brackets can vary for vertical/horizontal mounting).

What does the supplied installation instructions say ?

To get the best heat output in vertical installation install the pipework TBOE or for traditional uk bottom inlet/outlet have a diverter/bung installed in the lower rail and hope for the best.

Good luck

 

[^woody^]

Woody,you have a radiator which can be fitted vertical or horizontal (ok the fitting brackets can vary for vertical/horizontal mounting).

What does the supplied installation instructions say ?

To get the best heat output in vertical installation install the pipework TBOE or for traditional uk bottom inlet/outlet have a diverter/bung installed in the lower rail and hope for the best.

Good luck

There were no instructions! What possibly could go wrong with hanging a radiator?

I've spoken with the supplier, and he confirmed it can go any way up and will function with the flow and return at the bottom as normal. But I can't see how it will work efficiently - yes it might heat up eventually as the heat convects through the water, but it seems that the pumped hot water will mainly be moving across the bottom.

Can you clarify your last sentence regarding the bung/diverter. Does that mean having the flow/return at opposite corners - ie one at the top and the other at the bottom?

 

[^woody^]

read the instructions

Never!

 

[ianmcd]

That is why you were asked to read the fitting instructions , they are not all the same some are flow orientated not all are , some you can fit either way up , some cant, my car has started making a noise can you tell me why ?

 

[Hot&Cold]

I've spoken with the supplier, and he confirmed it can go any way up and will function with the flow and return at the bottom as normal.

before paying for installation ,i would request the above merchant advice in writing. these rads do vary a lot.

Just scrapped several new vertical designer rads that were fitted incorrectly,

good luck

 

[John D v2.0]

Basically they aren't the best, but gravity is indeed on your side and you'll find with a low flow the return pipe stays cool until the rad is mostly warm.

 

[^woody^]

That is why you were asked to read the fitting instructions , they are not all the same some are flow orientated not all are , some you can fit either way up , some cant, my car has started making a noise can you tell me why ?

There were no instructions!

 

[^woody^]

i fitted one that sounds similar to this for my neighbour recently, they got it from Screwfix and the instructions were very vague, it took a while to heat up but it did in the end

Basically they aren't the best, but gravity is indeed on your side and you'll find with a low flow the return pipe stays cool until the rad is mostly warm.

I've spoken with a few of our plumbers and they basically said the same thing.

I'm not a physicist, but my own common sense tells me that anyway up, if the flow and return are on the bottom, then the hot water is just going to flow mainly in and out along the bottom of the radiator, and eventally the cool water above will just get warm at heat convects, and not by hot water being pumped up the radiator as in traditional radiators.

It seems that these are how the cheaper Chinese imports are made - which may explain why they are cheap(er).

 

[John D v2.0]

For ideal radiators from a physics point of view, the input is at the top. But t doesn't look good...

 

[endecotp]

Remember that normally the lockshield is only open a half turn or so - the actual pumped flow rate is really quite slow. And on the other hand, convection is maybe more powerful than you would guess; think about how much movement there is in a boiling pan of jam.

 

[HERTS P&D]

my car has started making a noise can you tell me why ?

Is the wife sitting in the passenger seat?

Andy

 

[Doggit]

read the instructions

You wuss Ian, real blokes don't read instructions, they're written for girls.

Hot water will fill the whole radiator, but because it will follow the easiest path, and go straight across, I suspect it will take time to heat. I think you can assume that the fittings will be at the bottom of the rad, but if you find the performance to be crap, the fit and test it quickly, and then reject it under the sale of good act.

Oddly enough, this is pretty much how most rads work, but because most we fit are double rads, and split either side of the entry points, we don't get to see straight through them.

Post a picture of it though.