Installing a replacement radiator (house)

Timpa Bylon

I bought a radiator (B&Q) to replace a leaking one in the bathroom. Trouble is the new radiator is not as wide as the old one. The fittings have me confused. The pipes coming from the floor (supply and return) both have valves on them. The old radiator had fittings on it that connected to these valves. I removed these and fitted them to the new radiator. They appear to be a pipe thread that goes into the radiator and then a compression fitting that fits the valves.

I tried to get something to bridge the gap between the radiator and the pipe but no luck. Nothing seems to fit the bill. I got 3/4" compression fittings but they are too big. 1/2" is too small. I'm going to end up cutting the supply or return pipe and fitting a pile of ugly fittings with resultant leaks and making something that looks like it came from a madman's laboratory!

Has anybody done this? Is there a better way?

DublinDilbert

Timpa Bylon wrote: »

I bought a radiator (B&Q) to replace a leaking one in the bathroom. Trouble is the new radiator is not as wide as the old one. The fittings have me confused. The pipes coming from the floor (supply and return) both have valves on them. The old radiator had fittings on it that connected to these valves. I removed these and fitted them to the new radiator. They appear to be a pipe thread that goes into the radiator and then a compression fitting that fits the valves.

I tried to get something to bridge the gap between the radiator and the pipe but no luck. Nothing seems to fit the bill. I got 3/4" compression fittings but they are too big. 1/2" is too small. I'm going to end up cutting the supply or return pipe and fitting a pile of ugly fittings with resultant leaks and making something that looks like it came from a madman's laboratory!

Has anybody done this? Is there a better way?

With plumbing stuff you have to be really careful with what you buy in B&Q as they sell alot of English metric stuff... I never buy plumbing stuff there, always goto a plumbing wholesalers...

how much is the radiator out by?? are we talking an inch or a foot??

what sort of floor is in the bathroom? ie are the pipes buried on concrete?? or is it a wooden floor??

do you have the heating system drained?? or just the 2 valves either side knocked off??


If its a wooden floor and the pipes are only out by an inch or so either side, i would cut some notches in the wooden floor and if there's enough play on the pipes you will probably get away with bending them....

If the above doesn't work, drain the system and move one of the pipes, eg cut the pipe and join it under the floor and bring it up in the correct location.
Also if your hanging the radiator on a stud wall try get at least one of the brackets onto a stud...

Timpa Bylon

DublinDilbert wrote: »

With plumbing stuff you have to be really careful with what you buy in B&Q as they sell alot of English metric stuff... I never buy plumbing stuff there, always goto a plumbing wholesalers...

how much is the radiator out by?? are we talking an inch or a foot??

what sort of floor is in the bathroom? ie are the pipes buried on concrete?? or is it a wooden floor??

do you have the heating system drained?? or just the 2 valves either side knocked off??


If its a wooden floor and the pipes are only out by an inch or so either side, i would cut some notches in the wooden floor and if there's enough play on the pipes you will probably get away with bending them....

If the above doesn't work, drain the system and move one of the pipes, eg cut the pipe and join it under the floor and bring it up in the correct location.
Also if your hanging the radiator on a stud wall try get at least one of the brackets onto a stud...

They are out about 2.5 - 3". The valves are locked off. The floor is tiled concrete. Not good!
One of the reasons I bought the radiator from B&Q was because it took the same fitting as the old radiator. If I had chosen another make I would have had to drain the system and take off the valves - right?
I guess cutting the pipe is looking like the only avenue.
Thanks for responding.

landydef

it depends on the make and size of the rad valve but if the rad side of the valve will take a 1/2" nut you could get a small piece of copper between the valve and the tailpiece in the radiator
the connection between the copper and the tailpiece could be made using a metric 15mm compression straight ("15mm 610") but make sure yo use imperial 1/2" nuts and rings on the copper
it wont be pretty but will do the job!

as dublindilbert said it would be preferable to drain the system and move the pipes closer but seen as its only 2.5-3" away its just something to consider

Timpa Bylon

landydef wrote: »

it depends on the make and size of the rad valve but if the rad side of the valve will take a 1/2" nut you could get a small piece of copper between the valve and the tailpiece in the radiator
the connection between the copper and the tailpiece could be made using a metric 15mm compression straight ("15mm 610") but make sure yo use imperial 1/2" nuts and rings on the copper
it wont be pretty but will do the job!

as dublindilbert said it would be preferable to drain the system and move the pipes closer but seen as its only 2.5-3" away its just something to consider

Maybe the photo below will help. It's a duplicate valve and fitting. The item on the left has a pipe thread which fits into the radiator. The nut connects it to the valve - a compression type fitting. For reference, the large thread on the valve is 1" OD.
Can't move the pipes - they're in concrete.

landydef

thats the other type, the copper pipe trick wouldnt work with that although i do know that B&Q do a chrome extention piece
basically its about 1.5" long and has a male thread on one end and a female thread on the other
the male part of it fits into the rad and the male part of your fitting in the left of the picture fits into the female part of it
one of these either side of the rad should do it, just make sure to put ptfe tape around the threads

311

These are handy also.

http://www.buyplumbing.co.uk/VEM-RVEX1547G

Timpa Bylon

Thanks guys. Both useful tips. I'll check out B&Q on Tuesday.

John mac

see if you can get the correct size rad.
adding bits is very messy

311

John mac wrote: »

see if you can get the correct size rad.
adding bits is very messy

Different manufacturers ,use different methods of sizing radiators.

A lot of radiators are measured in inches and a lot in millimetres.
Then some are measured in uneven inches and some in 100's of millimetres and 50's of millimetres.

It can be akward to get an exact match.

Timpa Bylon

John mac wrote: »

see if you can get the correct size rad.
adding bits is very messy

I had bought the radiator already. However I did shop around but only checked for size - i.e., width, height. None came closer than the B&Q ones. My guess is the guy who installed the original radiators got a job lot. That's based on some of the other things I found in the house after I moved in. But that's another story and I'm keeping it for the ineviatable autobiography that everybody's doing these days.