Professional advice needed re moving radiator

GlynD

I've had a survey done prior to refitting our bathroom. One of our requirements is to move a heat-loss radiator and replace it with a heated towel radiator. The distance is 6 1/2 feet. The towel rail going in is about 18 inches taller than the current radiator but we don't need to have it raised off the floor anymore so the level of the bottom would drop by around 7-8 inches.

The surveyor says the radiator is the end of the pump circuit and moving it would mean that the towel radiator would remain cold. I am cynical about this and feel I need a second opinion. The surveyor is suggesting an electrically heated towel rail and I believe he's doing this because the floor is solid and he wants to save time for his installation team by not having to cut the flooring.

Are their any central heating installers who could give me their professional opinion?

WestonDave

I'll leave the technical question to the heating installers (my amateur opinion is that if its on the end of the circuit now and will still be, it shouldn't make any difference!) but I would recommend considering having a towel rail with dual heat. Ours runs on the central heating during the winter but also has an electric element in it that we can switch on (ours is on a programmable timer) for times when we have damp towels but the heating isn't in use.

southcoastrgi

as above dave is spot on

GlynD

WestonDave wrote: »

I'll leave the technical question to the heating installers (my amateur opinion is that if its on the end of the circuit now and will still be, it shouldn't make any difference!) but I would recommend considering having a towel rail with dual heat. Ours runs on the central heating during the winter but also has an electric element in it that we can switch on (ours is on a programmable timer) for times when we have damp towels but the heating isn't in use.

Thanks for your opinion, it's very useful and it concurs with mine. I don't think the dual option is for us as we wash bath/shower towels after one use but it's interesting to know that such an option exists.

alinwales

GlynD wrote: »

we wash bath/shower towels after one use

... then why even bother with a towel rail, when you can warm a towel on a radiator while you're in the bath?
an ex-gfs mum use to single-use towels, i personally thought it was a very big waste of time energy and cost, but what the ho (had to say it, this is MSE after all!)
and towel rails do naff all to heat a bathroom.

GlynD

alinwales wrote: »

... then why even bother with a towel rail, when you can warm a towel on a radiator while you're in the bath?
an ex-gfs mum use to single-use towels, i personally thought it was a very big waste of time energy and cost, but what the ho (had to say it, this is MSE after all!)
and towel rails do naff all to heat a bathroom.

We've had them before in other houses and know they produce sufficient heat for us however, the same would apply to a radiator (apparantly) if we moved it.

Mr_Ted

:eek: Being the end of the circuit shouldnt make any difference, the end of a circuit is only subject to the correct balancing of the system to ensure it gets a sufficient feed the same the rest of the circuit(s)!
The solid floor doesnt have to be cut up, pipework could be run facework, if your prepared to see the pipework?

There was a time, (yep ol timer logic coming), that a towel rail was actually piped into the primary DHW circuit for the cylinder.
The logic being that you would have a heat supply to the bathroom towel rail or radiator even in the summer, unless you used an immersion then, and that as towels are used after a hot water washing/bathing usage, the towel rail would be heated for the towels to warm, or dry with hot water usage used for other purposes at other times during the day!
But of course ol timers are just dinasaurs who dont know anything :eek::cool:

warmhands.coldheart

GlynD wrote: »

I've had a survey done prior to refitting our bathroom. One of our requirements is to move a heat-loss radiator and replace it with a heated towel radiator. The distance is 6 1/2 feet. The towel rail going in is about 18 inches taller than the current radiator but we don't need to have it raised off the floor anymore so the level of the bottom would drop by around 7-8 inches.

The surveyor says the radiator is the end of the pump circuit and moving it would mean that the towel radiator would remain cold. I am cynical about this and feel I need a second opinion. The surveyor is suggesting an electrically heated towel rail and I believe he's doing this because the floor is solid and he wants to save time for his installation team by not having to cut the flooring.

Are their any central heating installers who could give me their professional opinion?

So replacing one radiator (which I assumes works) with essentially what is a fancy looking different radiator, means the new one won't work????? I'd question his logic on this!!!

GlynD

Mr_Ted wrote: »

:eek: Being the end of the circuit shouldnt make any difference, the end of a circuit is only subject to the correct balancing of the system to ensure it gets a sufficient feed the same the rest of the circuit(s)!
The solid floor doesnt have to be cut up, pipework could be run facework, if your prepared to see the pipework?

There was a time, (yep ol timer logic coming), that a towel rail was actually piped into the primary DHW circuit for the cylinder.
The logic being that you would have a heat supply to the bathroom towel rail or radiator even in the summer, unless you used an immersion then, and that as towels are used after a hot water washing/bathing usage, the towel rail would be heated for the towels to warm, or dry with hot water usage used for other purposes at other times during the day!
But of course ol timers are just dinasaurs who dont know anything :eek::cool:

Thanks for this advice. This was my feeling but I don't have the technical knowledge or terminology to express it.

In this case I would be insisting on hidden pipework for aesthetic reasons. Interesting point about the DHW option though. I've never heard of that being done before but the cylinder is within 10 feet of the towel rail so that provides another option.

Thank you so much.

keystone

Mr_Ted wrote: »

:eek: Being the end of the circuit shouldnt make any difference, the end of a circuit is only subject to the correct balancing of the system to ensure it gets a sufficient feed the same the rest of the circuit(s)!

Unless its right on the end of a one pipe CH circuit in which case it could be cooler than the others but that's a highly unlikely configuration.

The solid floor doesnt have to be cut up, pipework could be run facework, if your prepared to see the pipework?

OP's "surveyor" (hem, hem) hasn't heard of boxing pipes in obviously. In any case why move it unless its in the way of something else planned.

There was a time, (yep ol timer logic coming), that a towel rail was actually piped into the primary DHW circuit for the cylinder.
The logic being that you would have a heat supply to the bathroom towel rail or radiator even in the summer, unless you used an immersion then, and that as towels are used after a hot water washing/bathing usage, the towel rail would be heated for the towels to warm, or dry with hot water usage used for other purposes at other times during the day!

LoL. Mine still is, thats the way its going to stay and there are an awful lot out there that still are too. As OP hasn't said what their system configuration is then perhaps OP's is too. Added advantage is that the towel rail also acts as a bypass.

But of course ol timers are just dinasaurs who dont know anything :eek::cool:

Oh bu..er! IO suppose that makes me a dinosaur too. :(.

Cheers

keystone

GlynD wrote: »

In this case I would be insisting on hidden pipework for aesthetic reasons. Interesting point about the DHW option though. I've never heard of that being done before but the cylinder is within 10 feet of the towel rail so that provides another option.

If you have a conventional open vented system there's a very good chance that your bathrom rad is already on the primary. Can't say that for absolute certain though at arms length. Does it get warm/hot when you have DHW only selected?

Cheers