Can i increase size/capacity of radiators?

longwalks1

we are decorating the lounge, that was extended a few years ago and need a bit more heat in there, could we replace 1 or 2 of the radiators (in same locations) with the 2 panel/double ones to get more heat? Would it put more 'strain/stress' on the boiler, or doesnt it work like that?

Its an old Potterton boiler, with 2 water tanks in the loft (if that helps)

dggar

britishboy wrote: »

we are decorating the lounge, that was extended a few years ago and need a bit more heat in there, could we replace 1 or 2 of the radiators (in same locations) with the 2 panel/double ones to get more heat? Would it put more 'strain/stress' on the boiler, or doesnt it work like that?

Its an old Potterton boiler, with 2 water tanks in the loft (if that helps)

Depends on whether there is spare heating capacity in your present boiler.


At the very least you need to now the power of your boiler, and the output of all of your present radiators.

Alex1983

You need to know the boiler kw size and then tell us how many rads you have.

There is a sorts that go in to heat loss calculations to work out how much your rooms need and what your boiler could cope with such as floor material, windows etc....a real rough estimate will be 1.5kw per radiator and 3kw for hot water, so if you have 8 rads 8x1.5=12+3=15kw if your boiler is at its max with that rough guide then I wouldn't change what you have.

vw100

Along with checking if your boiler can support the extra capacity of bigger rads, you need to check how the radiator pipes are set, and see if they have some movement capacity for the double radiators, otherwise will involve some work on the pipework and also the brackets.

longwalks1

Alex1983 wrote: »

You need to know the boiler kw size and then tell us how many rads you have.

There is a sorts that go in to heat loss calculations to work out how much your rooms need and what your boiler could cope with such as floor material, windows etc....a real rough estimate will be 1.5kw per radiator and 3kw for hot water, so if you have 8 rads 8x1.5=12+3=15kw if your boiler is at its max with that rough guide then I wouldn't change what you have.

Sorry for the long delay, other things in the house have taken priority. My Potterton Profile 60eL is 17.58 Kw rating.

We have 11 radiators in the house (2 are chrome towel rails) and we'd like to make 1 of the radiators, a double panel one (the large radiator in the lounge)

EmmyLou30

Definitely need to check the pipework. I wanted to change our single panel huge lounge radiator for a double panel one so I could make it shorter height wise - it currently sits less than an inch from the underside of the windowsill which makes decorating a nightmare! Unfortunately that makes the pipe centres into the radiator further away from the wall.....and we had zero play in the pipes so that was a non starter. If yours are surface mounted pipes it might be a lot simpler than ones buried in the wall.

Wookey

Measure the rads and look online for there rated output substituting the old one for the new one, if you have stored hot water you also need to find the size of your cylinder and look up it's rated Kw, add them all up together and if it comes in at or below your boilers rated output you should be fine. It may have been a better job to put an extra rad in at the time of the extension if it was a largish size of expansion to ensure the heat rises evenly around the room.

longwalks1

EmmyLou30 wrote: »

Definitely need to check the pipework. I wanted to change our single panel huge lounge radiator for a double panel one so I could make it shorter height wise - it currently sits less than an inch from the underside of the windowsill which makes decorating a nightmare! Unfortunately that makes the pipe centres into the radiator further away from the wall.....and we had zero play in the pipes so that was a non starter. If yours are surface mounted pipes it might be a lot simpler than ones buried in the wall.

Thanks, sorry i should of said all the pipework is exposed, steaight up through the floor, and have so far found standard sizes for replacements. The hidden pipes do look very smart, but would be a nightmare in our house

Phil&Michelle

Most heating systems can cope with an extra radiator or two but best to check will a plumber.

longwalks1

Thanks again all. I've been looking at one of the radiators, a single row of tubes, 600 x 600. Seen 2 that look identical but 1 says 2060 BTU, the other says 1545 BTU.

Can you really get that much difference in an identical looking radiator?
It gets even worse in the double panel rad, one says 3880 BTU, one says 2300 BTU?