Mix and match radiators?

jonnydeppiwish!

Just buying radiators for the house. Need 7 - 3 bedrooms, toilet, hallway, living room and kitchen diner.

Was debating putting standard compact radiators in the bedrooms and toilet, then some fancy column ones in the other rooms.

All rads from Stalrad, slightly oversized for future proofing. Cost difference is £1,600 v £2,500 for columns throughout.

Thoughts please! Thanks in advance

ThisIsWeird

jonnydeppiwish! said:

Just buying radiators for the house. Need 7 - 3 bedrooms, toilet, hallway, living room and kitchen diner.
Was debating putting standard compact radiators in the bedrooms and toilet, then some fancy column ones in the other rooms.
All rads from Stalrad, slightly oversized for future proofing. Cost difference is £1,600 v £2,500 for columns throughout.

Can you mix and match rads? Yes, not a problem.

Each one has to have the required output for that room, obvs :-)

On that point, you are strongly advised to 'upsize' the rads, so that they will provide the required output with a lower water temp. This will not only mean your gas boiler will be more fully in 'condensing' mode = more efficient, but the possible future transition to a HeatPump will also be smoother.

These designer column rads are often directional, so make sure the F and R pipes to it are the correct way around. 'Cos, darn, it's annoying having to swap it when you get 'em wrong...

Eldi_Dos

Some of those column style radiators are very stylish but my preference is radiator covers. I find decorating easier with them and in some places the extra shelf is handy.

jonnydeppiwish!

Thanks for the responses - all are oversized for potential ASHP. Don’t want radiator covers as really don’t like them 👍 

ThisIsWeird

jonnydeppiwish! said:

Thanks for the responses - all are oversized for potential ASHP. Don’t want radiator covers as really don’t like them 👍 

Great - nice job.

Mix and match to yer 'eart's content

I fitted a couple of column rads in our new extension for aesthetic reasons, and they work - and look - a treat.

FreeBear

ThisIsWeird said:

jonnydeppiwish! said:

Just buying radiators for the house. Need 7 - 3 bedrooms, toilet, hallway, living room and kitchen diner.
Was debating putting standard compact radiators in the bedrooms and toilet, then some fancy column ones in the other rooms.
All rads from Stalrad, slightly oversized for future proofing. Cost difference is £1,600 v £2,500 for columns throughout.

Can you mix and match rads? Yes, not a problem.

Each one has to have the required output for that room, obvs :-)

On that point, you are strongly advised to 'upsize' the rads, so that they will provide the required output with a lower water temp. This will not only mean your gas boiler will be more fully in 'condensing' mode = more efficient, but the possible future transition to a HeatPump will also be smoother.

Ideally, the radiators need to be spec'd with a flow temperature of 35°C or even 30°C ( a ΔT of 15°C or 10°C) to maximise heat pump efficiency. But that means a radiator 5-10 times bigger than one would use with a 70°C (ΔT50°C) flow temperature. Running a flow temperature of 50°C (ΔT30°C) means doubling the size of the radiator for the same heat output. That won't preclude the option of fitting a heat pump in the future, and in the mean time, pushes the boiler further in to condensing mode.

If you are using the Stelrad basic heat loss calculator, it appears to be rather conservative on various parameters behind the calculations. Not a bad thing as it will recommend radiators larger than what is actually required. For a more precise estimation of radiator sizing would need more detailed assessment of the u-values of each wall/window/floor/ceiling in each room along with a different calculator. Or you could go to the extreme of measuring the actual heat loss with some rather expensive test equipment.

A cheaper alternative is to pop an electric fan heater in the room connected to a low hysteresis thermostat and measure the energy consumption required to maintain (say) 20°C on a really cold day - Did this with a box room I'd insulated, and came up with a heat loss of ~120W per hour. Stelrad estimates a ~490W radiator. Fitted a 670W, and the space is nice and warm (flow temp of 35-50°C).

kimwp

I think it would feel fancier to match them, but I've never gone to someone's house and noticed that their radiators in different rooms didn't match. If your decor in different rooms is different and you can't see the different styles at the same time, then I wouldn't worry about it. 

Albermarle

Column ones may look good in a bathroom or kitchen, but would look odd in a bedroom I think.
Whether they looked ok in a lounge or dining room would hinge around the rest of the decor/style.

badger09

Depending on size & shape of your kitchen diner, one radiator, even large column one might not be enough?

Ours is approx 22’x13’ with one long & one short exterior wall. We have a column radiator approx 1/2 way down long interior wall, just inside kitchen end, and a double narrow fin type (sorry can’t remember proper name) under window at dining end. Definitely need both in winter. 

Living room similar size, 21’x14’ has only one double narrow fin type under the window which is enough. BUT that room has only one exterior wall, approx 10’. 

(For context 70s built, extended bungalow with cavity insulation & concrete floor)

jonnydeppiwish!

badger09 said:

Depending on size & shape of your kitchen diner, one radiator, even large column one might not be enough?

Ours is approx 22’x13’ with one long & one short exterior wall. We have a column radiator approx 1/2 way down long interior wall, just inside kitchen end, and a double narrow fin type (sorry can’t remember proper name) under window at dining end. Definitely need both in winter. 

Living room similar size, 21’x14’ has only one double narrow fin type under the window which is enough. BUT that room has only one exterior wall, approx 10’. 

(For context 70s built, extended bungalow with cavity insulation & concrete floor)

Kitchen diner has a warmup underfloor heating throughout so the rad is just there to ‘help’ out.  Having the underfloor heating makes a big difference!