JonD Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 (edited) Hi All, I'm currently sat here with the heating on but still quite cold. The current radiator in the living room is a single panel 1200mm long by 600mm tall. I'm thinking of changing it for a double radiator and am wondering the following: How much more heat output will I get out of a double VS single? The Boiler is a Vaillant EcoMax 824 if that matters and will it be noticeable. The room is 3Mx4M but also have the main stairs in the room. Can the people in the know recommend a good brand and what sort of £££ I'm looking at? If I get a double will the connections be in the same place or do they come with narrower brackets to facilitate replacing a single with a double? I'm hoping to not have to redo any pipework. Is there anything you can recommend that I can put behind it to reflect off the wall and keep the heat in the house? Last question I know I'll have to drain the system down before replacing it but once it's replaced can I just take the cap off where the bleed screw is housed and replace the inhibitor there or does it need to go somewhere else? Cheers, Jon. Edited January 16, 2012 by JonD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Mongrel- Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 (edited) How much more heat output will I get out of a double VS single? Assuming you get one with double convectors( fins in between) you can reckon on a 60%+ increase. The Boiler is a Vaillant EcoMax 824 if that matters and will it be noticeable. Boiler will cope and as long as the rad gets fully hot, top to bottom, then the new one should throw twice as much heat out, but... The room is 3Mx4M but also have the main stairs in the room. Therein may lie your problem, the stairs will funnel much of the heat upstairs, you should improve the situation, but also look at how much heat may be going up and if you can reduce it keeping upstairs doors shut etc. Can the people in the know recommend a good brand and what sort of £££ I'm looking at? Anything to Eurpean standard/kitemarked will do the job. Myson, Stelrad are a couple of names but most heating engineers will use a heating merchants own brand. If I get a double will the connections be in the same place or do they come with narrower brackets to facilitate replacing a single with a double? I'm hoping to not have to redo any pipework. A double rad has to be deeper, you're unlikely to get any rad that won't require some alteration to the pipes, however, if the pipes are into a suspended wooden floor, you MAY have enough movement in the pipes. Is there anything you can recommend that I can put behind it to reflect off the wall and keep the heat in the house? The insulated foil that sticks on behind the rad is allegedly effective, never used it myself so can't confirm. Last question I know I'll have to drain the system down before replacing it but once it's replaced can I just take the cap off where the bleed screw is housed and replace the inhibitor there or does it need to go somewhere else? Doesn't matter where you put it back in the system so long as it goes in. Edited January 16, 2012 by -Mongrel- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daz2202 Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 Very good answers mongrel. Gold star for you, Johnd go with the above advice, all good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Mongrel- Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 Very good answers mongrel. Gold star for you, Johnd go with the above advice, all good You'd hope I'd be there or thereabouts after making a living out of it for nigh on twenty years now...but thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davva Posted January 17, 2012 Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 (edited) Good advice - Top skills. Always makes me happy to see/hear good advice especially as some so-called engineers are still incompetent or lazy in their work. But hey, they are the ones who keep me in business correcting their work. Just a tiny point to add and probably going to get me shouted at, but check 1st that the radiator you have got is fully turned up/rad valves not blocked..... could save some time and £. Dave. Edited January 17, 2012 by Davva Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin128 Posted January 17, 2012 Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 To which I would add...make sure your pipes are not blocked...mini/micro bore are prone to this. If the flow of hot water to the rad is restricted the doubling of rad size may not translate to a doubling of heat output into the room. Also...the old rad may be clogged...many heating engineers can do pump changes etc without draining down...my system is 23 years old and I have drained down many times from different empty cocks hich produces black sludge sometimes...better out than in. Excellent advice above... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ME Posted January 17, 2012 Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 We had a problem with our lounge being cold and upstairs being roasting hot. After some tweaking we slowed the flow to upstairs and got the balance right. I was in my local Wickes the on Saturday. They had some radiators on a sale trolley for £7 each! I was tempted just to buy them but then I don't really need one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davva Posted January 17, 2012 Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 They had some radiators on a sale trolley for £7 each! Sell them on Ebay? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonD Posted January 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 Cheers all particularly Mongrel The valves are wide open and the system was power flushed last year when the plate heat exchanger was replaced. The system is 15mm copper and running down the wall so I may be able to shim out the clips once the pipes are disconnected to get the connections in the right place or will chop off with a pipe slice and then put a bend in with a spring and then solder new pipework on. I think the problem is that the system was badly specced when it was installed, fixed price type thing (before I moved in) and I had the Vailliant Boiler and the Magnabooster fitted so hopefully there will be very little **** in the system. I have looked around online and have found a Delonghi double convector in the right size for £80, they also has a Stelrad but that is over twice the price and only has a 10 year warranty whereas the Delonghi has a 15 year, are they OK? I will be ripping all the rads out in the next 2-3 years and completely re-doing the entire system once I have the cash to build phase 2 of my extension. Last question which is about inhibitor, they all specify it can treat a 100 litre system or 10 rads, how to I work out the capacity of my system or do I just chuck it all in? Cheers, Jon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vampire Posted January 17, 2012 Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 Comprehensive answer existing is 3897 btu/h or 1142 watts and new double convector would be 7206 btu/h or 2112 watts and £78,have book in front of me doing a quote so just looked it up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonD Posted January 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unapalomablanca Posted January 17, 2012 Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 You'd hope I'd be there or thereabouts after making a living out of it for nigh on twenty years now...but thanks. Yeh you say that but ive been wiping my butt for 40 odd years and i still occsionally get a bit in my boxers!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Mongrel- Posted January 17, 2012 Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 DeLonghi is fine and about right price wise. With regard to the inhibitor, count how many rads you have and ascertain if any are exceptionally large (if the 1200 is the largest then no they aren't), if it's 10 or less then 1 full litre, if it's more than 10 or you feel you may have larger than average rads, put 2 full litres in. You don't have to worry about overdosing it but under dosing is a bad thing. Yeh you say that but ive been wiping my butt for 40 odd years and i still occsionally get a bit in my boxers!!! LOL! Don't get me wrong,every day's a school day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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