Where to site radiator pipes?

helping_hubby

We're having 2 new radiators put in the living room which runs the length of the house. There are no existing radiators in the living room.

The floor is concrete, so we've been told to either have the pipes running from a radiator thats in the hallway which is on the opposite wall in the living room, so pipes would run along the skirting on 2 walls round to the third wall where the 2 radiators would be.

Or have the pipes come through the ceiling in one corner of the wall where the radiators will be, and then they'll run along the skirting to the 2 radiators.

I'm struggling to make my mind up as to which is best. Any pros and cons that people can see about either way?

Paparika

make sure your radiators are sited underneath a window, or as near as dammit - the convection benefit will be lost otherwise. I have two rads in my front room and they were routed up in a corner to the ceiling - the boxing in around them looks yuk! As I'm having a new boiler fitted, the engineer has taken a look and has said he'll run them up the edge of the windows instead so they'll be covered by the curtain edge

helping_hubby

Paparika wrote: »

make sure your radiators are sited underneath a window, or as near as dammit - the convection benefit will be lost otherwise. I have two rads in my front room and they were routed up in a corner to the ceiling - the boxing in around them looks yuk! As I'm having a new boiler fitted, the engineer has taken a look and has said he'll run them up the edge of the windows instead so they'll be covered by the curtain edge

That's interesting. I wonder why the people I've had in to quote haven't suggested putting it under the window?

That's what I was worried about with the pipes coming through the ceiling. I think the pipes along the skirting are less noticeable, and most would be hidden by the sofa and TV cabinet.

Here's a quick sketch showing the layout. Maybe that will help:

seashore321

We live in an old house with concretefloorsdownstair andall our pipes run in the concrete. They dug out 3 inch wide trenches and put them in. Lined them with something and then filled them in.

We also found that the floor gets warm where the pipes run so we have under floor heating as well!!

jblack_2

Radiators were put under windows to ease the draft in the days before decent double glazing. There is no need to do that today. If you have full length curtains this can block the heat in too.

Another popular location is behind the door to the room where the space is always unused.

Why not run the pipes down the wall behind where the curtains are when opened?

J

Paparika

jblack wrote: »

Radiators were put under windows to ease the draft in the days before decent double glazing. There is no need to do that today. If you have full length curtains this can block the heat in too.

Another popular location is behind the door to the room where the space is always unused.

Why not run the pipes down the wall behind where the curtains are when opened?

J

"Radiators are designed to emit heat by radiation and convection. Radiators which have fin's welded to the rear of the radiator panel emit most of their heat via convection, with a small amount radiating direct from the steel panel. This leads to greater efficiency and a more even heat distribution throughout the room. Standard steel panel radiators which do not have fins rely on radiant heat, this leads to less efficient localised heating and potential cold spots within the room" (nicked from a Google!)

Radiators stuck against solid walls are very poor at convection heating, because they lose the colder air falling on them from windows - hence you're only getting a secondary effect of radiant heating which is inefficient.

Generally, plumbers don't like burying pipes that could possibly rupture or leak at joins because of the hassle of getting at them to repair. A halfway could be to cut channels into the wall (if solid) and embed some commercial ducting - expensive. Or just use white ducting available for copper pipes (from Screwfix, etc.)

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/14118/Heating-Cooling/Ducting/Flat-Channel-Ducting-110-x-54mm-x-1000mm;jsessionid=A4JIFPBU05YUOCSTHZOCFFI

danielfulshaw

I thought it was no longer regs to have pipes in the floor? We had them in the floor, had a burst and then they put all pipework in the floor. Neatest, but most messy option and with added expense is to have all the pipes buried into the wall then plastered smooth though you will of course need to redecorate.

jblack_2

Paparika wrote: »

"Standard steel panel radiators which do not have fins rely on radiant heat, this leads to less efficient localised heating and potential cold spots within the room" (nicked from a Google!)

I think you'd be pushed to find any decent radiators without fins these days (designer ones omitted). Heated air rises, when it cools it falls back to ground, it's an ongoing circulation regardless of where the radiator is.

Paparika wrote: »

Generally, plumbers don't like burying pipes that could possibly rupture or leak at joins because of the hassle of getting at them to repair.

Any bad plumber maybe. If a plumber is competent then they'll have checked all joints and will be confident in their work. I'm certainly not in the habit of telling customers to leave pipework exposed as it may leak:rolleyes:. I'm yet to be called back to a leak in any soldered pipework.

Plasticman

If it was me, I would have the pipes run in the wall or floor. But that's just me - I hate pipes or cables on show...............

Incisor

jblack wrote: »

Radiators were put under windows to ease the draft in the days before decent double glazing. There is no need to do that today. If you have full length curtains this can block the heat in too.

There is less need but the windows are on outside walls, so these walls are the most lossy. It is counter intuitive, but, the reason for radiators is not so much to heat the room as to meet all the heat losses when the room is at the required temperature. So if you put the rads on the cold wall your room will heat up more evenly. If you put them on any other wall you will get a powerful convection loop from the rads to the cold wall, with hot air transferring at ceiling level towards the window or cold wall and cold air from the cold wall back to the rad at foot level. Brrrr! Perishing!

LandyAndy

Incisor wrote: »

There is less need but the windows are on outside walls, so these walls are the most lossy. It is counter intuitive, but, the reason for radiators is not so much to heat the room as to meet all the heat losses when the room is at the required temperature. So if you put the rads on the cold wall your room will heat up more evenly. If you put them on any other wall you will get a powerful convection loop from the rads to the cold wall, with hot air transferring at ceiling level towards the window or cold wall and cold air from the cold wall back to the rad at foot level. Brrrr! Perishing!

They'd be a bit wasted on internal walls:rotfl: .