Btu Calculators (& where to get a big enough radiator?)

aliasojo

Need a new rad for the kitchen...6m x 3m - 2.4 high. One outside wall with double glazed window/door. Wood suspended floor.

So far, after using calcs on the net...I have been quoted btu requirements of....3104 , 776 , 4800 - 5750.

Reasonably varied figures, which means different rad size for each...so how do I know which is the right heat output requirement and which size of rad to go for?

markleedsuk

Bigger the better. You can always turn a radiator down if the room is too hot (due to oversized radiator) but you cant turn up a radiator that is on full (due to being undersized).

economiser

Agreed! A bigger radiator will mean quicker response on start up and assuming it is fitted with a TRV will not be any less efficient that a smaller one. Can't do a check for you without the window/door size but the 776 Btu/h is far too low. The 3104Btu/h also seems low, about the same as a 1 bar electric fire (3415 Btu/h), you would have to be very well insulated for that to be sufficient.

aliasojo

Sorry...that should have been 7776, not 776.

Thanks btw, I'll go look again.

plumb1_2

Go with the 5700

aliasojo

I'm struggling to get an affordable vertical rad in the region of 1800mm high x 500mm wide which has a high enough output. This wall area is the only place it can go in the room so I dont have options, it HAS to fit here.

I'd prefer stainless steel but chrome would be ok too but the chrome ones have a lower output.

Anything around that size with a big enough output is anywhere between £600 - £1000+

Any ideas please? Best I've found is this Aeon Sovran for £519 for 400mm wide or £586 for 500mm wide. (5631/7039 btu's respectively)

Was also looking at the Zephyr and that's £612. (5712 btu - 1800mm x 590mm)

Am I being unrealistic trying to find something in this size with this output for less cash? Or am I just looking in the wrong places?

I cant even find standard (non-designer rads) that have a high enough output.

I'd be grateful for any pointers or advice.

aliasojo

Bump. No-one got any suggestions?

I is not going away.......:rotfl:

WestonDave

I'm going to disagree with my learned colleagues above and suggest that if this is genuinely just a kitchen rather than a kitchen diner, you can get away with less heat output than the standards suggest. This is because the kitchen firstly tends to be an active room rather than a sitting room so you will keep yourself warm, and secondly because most of what you do in a kitchen generates heat anyway (cooking etc). If therefore you could drop down to 4922BTU output then Abacus do a vertical chrome 1800x590 which are a good quality radiator for £466.18 albeit marketed as a towelrail http://www.totalbathrooms.co.uk/Bathroom-Heating/Towel-Rails/Elegance-Tiempo/Elegance-Tiempo-1800-x-380mm-Heated-Towel-Rail - nb I've bought stuff from totalbathrooms before and they are very helpful. They do a white one with marginally higher output that is less than £200 but I'm guessing that is out of the question. If you could tolerate horizontal bars the radius range by the same manufacturer (see links on left of above page) that are stainless steel but I think they are lower heat output.

Sorry if this is a bit too far out of left field but we've just fitted one of their stainless steel radius rails in the bathroom hence why the name sprang to mind.

aliasojo

Thanks WD. I'll check out the link. It's an Abacus s/s towel rail I have recently put in my bathroom funnily enough as they were the only company that did a really narrow rail with a large enough output.

It is just a kitchen btw, the dining room at the end of it has it's own rad.

I think a white version would stand out like a sore thumb given the other kitchen colours and metal work tbh. It did cross my mind to spray paint a white one, but I've still got so much to do I dont want to be faffing about more than I have too.

Off to go look. Thanks.





Edit: Looked at the Abacus 590mm wide but it would be too wide because of where the valves go unfortunately.