UKC

Will getting a higher output radiator (higher BTU / Watt) give out more heat, or is it limited by the system?
Ive used an online calculator to see what size radiator my room needs and it works out at 1500 btu, my current radiator is rated at 1450 btu so should be about right, however this room is always cold compared to other rooms. This is the last radiator in the system and is always the slowest to bleed also, I dont know if it makes any difference that its slightly higher than the other radiators?

Thanks in advance

In reply to Pesda potato:

Good afternoon, your rad could be colder for the few reasons.

A. your central heating system is gummed up and need power flushing.
B. Your system needs balancing. This basically means controlling the flow from the rad from the lock shield valve on the return pipe from the rad. the rads closest to the boiler or hot water cylinder depending what system you have, need to be turned almost off. and floor by floor open the valves so as the rads that are last on the run or fully open.
C. your pump may be on it way out.

i hope that helps

zac
loftus plumbing

In reply to Pesda potato:
What he said ^^^

Plus it depends on your system, my mother has a single pipe system which seems to work surprisingly well.

If your room is cold is hardly likely that putting a larger radiator will swamp the boiler, usually the boiler is more than big enough.

Also if you have thermostatic valves then this radiator will get the most hot water if the other radiators are warm enough and the valves are set correctly, as they warm up their valves close so the coldest gets more heat.

what happens if you close off the other radiators off and you have the heating on?

Is this one out on a limb so to speak, extension or annex to the main house / system?

It should get hot pretty quickly.

In reply to Pesda potato:

Something else I've seen in houses that I've renovated are variable pipe bores resulting in a loss of pressure to some radiators.

In reply to Pesda potato:

You might just need a bigger pump.

In reply to Pesda potato:
Basically zacloftus is on the money,I did once find a dodgy trv on a radiator which wasn't pushing the small button on the top properly though so that may be worth checking. Balancing the system is most likely to cure your problem though.

In reply to Pesda potato:
Sorry guys...This isn't the normal way of ukc when it comes to things like this. It's normal that people who have no idea what they're talking about attempt to try and answer these things not actual plumbers and heating engineers who know the answers.
Mods please kill this thread.

In reply to Pesda potato:




Yes.

In reply to jimjimjim:




You're right, I'd like to amend my reply.

Why would you want radiators in the first place? You muppet!!!
What you should do is put the radiator on a treadmill and see how far it'll get up TPS.

If everyone wanted radiators,where would we be then, you're a racist and a biggot, how dare you?????

Do you even know what a btu is?? In case you, can't even be bothered to Google it; it's Better Turn it Up, which is why you stupid radiator isn't getting warm, idiot!!






Thanks, I feel much better now.

In reply to Pesda potato:

Zac is bang on in his answer, but to add to that:

D. (well, modification of A.) How old is the radiator? In my last house, there was one radiator that was always cold, so I took it off, took it outside drained it and just flushed that radiator through with the hose - amazing amount of crap that came out of it. Once re-installed, it was much, much better. This was downstairs - upstairs ones less likely to suffer the same problem.

You could try that and also try fitting an auto bleed valve.

In reply to Pesda potato:

Thanks for the excellent answers, radiator had been flushed yes.
I've not heard of an auto bleed valve, I'll look in to it and possibly a larger rad, all are balanced ok.

In reply to Pesda potato:


If you close all the others does it get hot?


Or does the boiler start cycling on and off, if it does then there's a flow problem.

In reply to jimjimjim:

he 'could ' put a fan in the room, to help the convection from the rad!

pump speed any one?? knob by the flex going into pump,