Replacing radiator with towel rail.

swifty_2

I wish to replace the radiator in our bathroom with a heated towel rail. The present radiator is supplied by 10mm pipes that have been routed behind the drylining and exit through the skirting. My plan is to remove the radiator and then remove some of the plasterboard to access the feed pipes and adjust them so that the new towel rail is feed horizontally from the wall. Can any forum members pse advise on the most suitable fittings to use to achieve this aim, as I will have to increase the feed to 15mm to the towel rail.

Thank you.

uncle_buck_3

Use 15mm – 10mm internal reducers in the valves of the towel rail…this will save you having to change the pipe work.
You can get the reducers at most DIY places or your plumbers merchant.

http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?cId=100122&ts=44416&id=23297

Just place the reducer in the valve & put on the valve nut...push the 10mm pipe into the reducer….make sure the pipe is fully home….as you tighten the nut on the valve you will hear a snap noise…this is normal…it’s the reducer snapping apart….tighten the nut of the valve as normal….job done.

HTH

SmartRRRR

You might also consider uing these adaptors http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?cId=102636&ts=88046&id=17552 - I did exactly what you are proposing and the most difficult part was getting the feed pipes out of the wall in exactly the right place.

The fittings were on the inside face of the towel rail, and I had to finish the replastering and painting of the wall before I could fit the radiator. I did not use these adaptors and it was a tricky job to get the position just right (the pipe into the valve had about 8mm of movement on each to fit into the valve) and the pipe covers only just covered the holes.

silvercar

A word of warning, just moved into a house with a heated towel rail in the bathroom and no radiatior. It is cold! We end up taking the towels off the rail to let the heat reach the room, but still not as warm as a radiator would be.

Coolhandluke

I was thinking of replacing my existing radiator with a heated towel rail when i get round to doing the bathroom up but i had also been worried about it not being as warm as a radiator.
Can different towel radiators give out different outputs?

weekendwarrior

I was considering a towel rail and I read this- Heated towel rail problem

Make sure you have a compatible system or if you get a tall one it may never fill to the top.

tawnyowls

Coolhandluke wrote:

I was thinking of replacing my existing radiator with a heated towel rail when i get round to doing the bathroom up but i had also been worried about it not being as warm as a radiator.
Can different towel radiators give out different outputs?

Yes, they do - the output's given in British thermal units (BTU). (see here for a calculator: http://www.theradiatorcompany.com/heatoutput/). I had quite a large bathroom and replaced the radiator with a towel rail (this sort of thing: http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?id=47887&ts=24984), and it was much warmer than previously, plus lovely warm dry towels! You need to match up the BTU output of the towel rail to that of your existing radiator, or work out what heat output you need for the room

plumb1_2

uncle_buck wrote:

Use 15mm – 10mm internal reducers in the valves of the towel rail…this will save you having to change the pipe work.
You can get the reducers at most DIY places or your plumbers merchant.

http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?cId=100122&ts=44416&id=23297

Just place the reducer in the valve & put on the valve nut...push the 10mm pipe into the reducer….make sure the pipe is fully home….as you tighten the nut on the valve you will hear a snap noise…this is normal…it’s the reducer snapping apart….tighten the nut of the valve as normal….job done.

HTH

If you are going to use those reducers, use jointing paste otherwise they will tend to leak, imo they are crap.

If i was fitting it, i would just use 10mm valves, no need for reducers!
Plumbing so easy ,if you know how;)

BobProperty

plumb1 wrote:

If you are going to use those reducers, use jointing paste otherwise they will tend to leak, imo they are crap.

If i was fitting it, i would just use 10mm valves, no need for reducers!
Plumbing so easy ,if you know how;)

Completely agree with both points. I've never liked those reducers and think they are expensive.
edited to add....assuming you can get 10mm valves.

uncle_buck_3

Never ever had a problem with the one piece internal reducers myself or the 3 part version for that matter ....gifted I guess

As the towel rail will more than likely come supplied with 15mm valves I think it would be a lot cheaper to use two 50 odd pence reducers than go & buy new valves!

BobProperty

uncle_buck wrote:

Never ever had a problem with the one piece internal reducers myself or the 3 part version for that matter ....gifted I guess

As the towel rail will more than likely come supplied with 15mm valves I think it would be a lot cheaper to use two 50 odd pence reducers than go & buy new valves!

"gifted" could be one word
I can only remember when they first came out and the places I seemed to need them from were only supplying the original make (was it Kunifer?) and they were certainly more than 50p. Oh, and I've been called out in the last month to a leaking radiator fitted with them :rolleyes: