Extra Large Radiators

nofoollikeold

1. The old radiator is pressed steel, not cast iron.
2. I wouldn't rely on an online calculator for a room with unique features.  
3. Have you thought of getting the bracket welded back to the radiator.  Perhaps supplement with a couple of feet under the base.  
4. I'd be surprised if something like a Stelrad Elite 600 x 3000 K2 wouldn't do the job.  This (and most other alternatives) would require minor pipework changes.  

chargesuck

Kartell Kompact 400mm High x 2200mm Wide Double Convector Radiator - Type 22 (plumbingworld.co.uk)

heres one for £500 but not quite your size but a hell of a lot cheaper.

If your existing size doesnt fully heat the room, dont go smaller...unless your larger rad is under performing because its old.

Happy_Sloth

FreeBear said:

22509 BTU is ~6.6KW - That is a lot of heat !

Try using this calculator and see what it comes up with - https://www.bestheating.com/btu-calculator

Replacing your existing Type 20 with a similar sized Type 21 would (in my opinion) provide a bit more heat without sacrificing wall space or requiring extra plumbing. You could go to a Type 22 radiator, but I find them to be too intrusive in most rooms (they stick out a long way from the wall). You can also get fan assisted convector heaters that are quite compact - https://thermix.co.uk/fan-convectors/habanero2100c/ - Might be an option if you have power close by that you can tap in to.

That's the calculator I used,  sadly it's a big room, with a 10ft * 10ft bay window, 2 external walls, no cavity and an unheated space below.  

tbh i suspect i don't need that much, as i said the room has an old radiator right now which can't can't possibly give out 22000 BTU and the room does eventually warm up in the winter but it does take a few hours before it's comfortable.  (with a jumper)  

400ixl

Stelrad appear to do 2600mm wide radiators of various heights.

Plumbnation has a 700mm x 2600mm K2 / Type 22 radiator for £583.99

Other sizes are available if it needs to be less than 700mm tall.

https://www.plumbnation.co.uk/site/stelrad-compact-double-panel-double-convector-radiators/

Bendy_House

Cheapest method - repair that rad, paint it matt black, replace it, and build a bespoke cover over it.

If, as currently, there are times in winter when it cannot get the room easily up to temp, then turn on another source of heat to get it to temp, and then the rad should be able to take over.

Or, replace that non-finned rad with two or three modern type 22s to get to a similar or slightly higher (lawdie!) output, and daisy-chain them with a simple short length of pipe adjoining them - they can sit pretty close to each other. Then have one bespoke cover built over them all.

Anything else on that wall? Going bespoke, you can incorporate a rad cover in to a large unit - bookcase, or whatevs.

BUT, having - and actually using - 6kW's worth of radiator for just one room is NUTS. That's enough to keep most modern 3-bed houses warm. Don't you have a smaller reception room you can withdraw to in winter time? Or are you considerably more wealthy than moi... :-(

(And think about draught-proofing the floor, and - if possible - adding insulation to the external walls.)

"Unheated space below"? What's currently on the floor - carpet? Could you bear to lift it, lay 8mm LD fibreboard sheets, tacked down, and sealed between them with frame sealant, especially along the outer perimeter where it meets the skirting boards, and then relay the carpet? This will block draughts - I suspect a large part of your problem - and add a small-but-useful level of actual insulation underfoot.

Happy_Sloth

Bendy_House said:

Cheapest method - repair that rad, paint it matt black, replace it, and build a bespoke cover over it.

If, as currently, there are times in winter when it cannot get the room easily up to temp, then turn on another source of heat to get it to temp, and then the rad should be able to take over.

Or, replace that non-finned rad with two or three modern type 22s to get to a similar or slightly higher (lawdie!) output, and daisy-chain them with a simple short length of pipe adjoining them - they can sit pretty close to each other. Then have one bespoke cover built over them all.

Anything else on that wall? Going bespoke, you can incorporate a rad cover in to a large unit - bookcase, or whatevs.

BUT, having - and actually using - 6kW's worth of radiator for just one room is NUTS. That's enough to keep most modern 3-bed houses warm. Don't you have a smaller reception room you can withdraw to in winter time? Or are you considerably more wealthy than moi... :-(

(And think about draught-proofing the floor, and - if possible - adding insulation to the external walls.)

"Unheated space below"? What's currently on the floor - carpet? Could you bear to lift it, lay 8mm LD fibreboard sheets, tacked down, and sealed between them with frame sealant, especially along the outer perimeter where it meets the skirting boards, and then relay the carpet? This will block draughts - I suspect a large part of your problem - and add a small-but-useful level of actual insulation underfoot.

haha i get what you are saying, it's a stonking big room and while we are financially comfortable for the most part we arn't rich.  

Heating this house is our biggest challenge, it's currently costing us £450 a month for our gas and electric to say it's costly to heat is an understatement.   Which is enough to heat/light 2-3 smaller homes!  sufficed to say i'm unamused by the current gas/electric prices.  

We are replacing the carpets, currently the carpet is over floorboards which are exposed directly to the cellar this we believe is the biggest cause of drafts etc as the celler in winter can be below freezing. 

We intend to go to some lengths to insulate the floor when the carpets are done (later in the year) which should improve the situation but im terrified of getting radiators that are too small to heat the room.  Finding the extra money is hard i don't want to get it wrong and still have a cold room! 

In the winter we do mostly live in a smaller room, so we don't have to heat the big room as much, but we have guests every saturday (we have the big room, so friends come to us).   

So while we do only heat the room on a Saturday,  i want it to be comfortable as currently friends come around in sweaters... which they don't mind haha because they are lovely but i would love to host people in a room that's actually nice and warm,  rather than being embarrassed by them asking if i have a spare blanket they can throw on their legs! 

I did re-do the calculation with underfloor insulation in mind which we will be getting and it came out at 16,000 BTU's which is lower but still quite high. 

FreeBear

Happy_Sloth said: Heating this house is our biggest challenge, it's currently costing us £450 a month for our gas and electric to say it's costly to heat is an understatement.   Which is enough to heat/light 2-3 smaller homes!  sufficed to say i'm unamused by the current gas/electric prices.  

We are replacing the carpets, currently the carpet is over floorboards which are exposed directly to the cellar this we believe is the biggest cause of drafts etc as the celler in winter can be below freezing.

If you have good access to the floor via the cellar, I'd suggest insulating as a priority - Some fibreglass insulation batts held in place with netting (chicken wire) is relatively low cost and go some way to cutting the heat loss. A layer of 5mm wood fibre laminate underlay over the top of the floorboards will cut out most of the draughts - I covered my lounge floor wall to wall with the stuff and then screwed the gripper rods down through the wood fibre boards. With a 10mm foam underlay and a thick carpet, it is so much easier to heat the room (energy bill was £49 last month).

Bendy_House

As FB says - add insulation from below if it's easy. BUT, also do the second bit - a full covering of fibreboard (often used for laminate underlay) sealed together and especially around - under - the skirting boards. I bet that alone will transform the warmth in that room.

If you are going to replace that rad, then by all means go for a similar output, or even higher if there's physical room. Hopefully, after you improve the insulation/draught in that room, the new rad will now be 'oversized', but that's absolutely fine; you can either adjust the temp output of that rad to reduce it to what is actually needed - ie make it effectively the same 'size' or 'smaller' than the current rad - or you can even keep it full capacity, but slightly lower the boiler's delivery temp. If your boiler is a condensing type - and I hope to gawd it is... - then it'll work more efficiently.

In essence, you can get the 'same' heat out from a small rad running piping hot, as a large rad being driven by 'cool' water. Same heat out = same heat in from the boiler, BUT the lower the water temp, the more the boiler can extract heat from the gas burner = more efficient. Ie, the flue gases will be colder - you'll have captured more of the heat from the combustion process, which would otherwise be warming the seagulls.

BUFF

FreeBear said:

Replacing your existing Type 20 with a similar sized Type 21 would (in my opinion) provide a bit more heat without sacrificing wall space or requiring extra plumbing. You could go to a Type 22 radiator, but I find them to be too intrusive in most rooms (they stick out a long way from the wall). You can also get fan assisted convector heaters that are quite compact - https://thermix.co.uk/fan-convectors/habanero2100c/

You can also get K3/type 33 radiators these days - I suspect that in a room that large the slight extra intrusion of a K2 or K3 isn't going to be noticed & could free up a lot of wall space.

BUFF

Happy_Sloth said:

haha i get what you are saying, it's a stonking big room and while we are financially comfortable for the most part we arn't rich. 

Heating this house is our biggest challenge, it's currently costing us £450 a month for our gas and electric to say it's costly to heat is an understatement.   Which is enough to heat/light 2-3 smaller homes!  sufficed to say i'm unamused by the current gas/electric prices.  

That's an ancient radiator, what's the rest of the heating system like? If of similar vintage it may well pay over time to radically update the whole system now (especially if energy costs continue to rise). Depending upon what boiler, controls, other rads etc.you have the potential % savings could be huge (30%+). Plus increased comfort & you might be able to release wall space by using smaller but more efficient rads.
If you can't afford to pay cash upfront then perhaps add to mortage at low interest?