Hi I'm looking to install a vertical radiator and according to btu calculators I've used along with the rating of my old horizontal radiator I'll need a radiator outputting around 5600 btu / 1600 watts. I'm struggling to find one with that level of output for the weight restriction I have for the wall it will be fitted to. How much difference will it actually make in heating the room by getting a radiator of lesser btu / wattage? I've seen one that fits the weight restriction but it's listed as 4691 btu / 1375 watts. Does it mean the room will be constantly cold or will the boiler just have to work harder to get the room up to temperature? Thanks in advance
What sort of wall is it? I have a vertical radiator to fix. It came with 4 heavy brackets and 8 heavy duty 80mm plastic plugs and screws. I am hoping that my plumber can fit this to a dot and dab plaster-boarded wall with the fixings going into solid brick about 50mm. Even if you have a stud wall you should be able to fix 2 of the brackets to a vertical stud and the other 2 can be fitted with proprietary plasterboard fixings. I am only DIY but that is my opinion.
Thanks for your reply. It's a reinforced stud wall (the uprights have been doubled up to aid in taking the weight of a vertical radiator), dot and dab plasterboard. No brickwork to fix into just the wood and plasterboard.
Timber is extremely strong in compression as it would be if fastened to the doubled up uprights. Depending on the size of the holes in the brackets you could use big screws with hexagon heads. I am only guessing but I don't think a fixing in to soft internal blocks like Thermalite would be any more secure. But leave it a bit on here and see if others agree with me.
Hi 12C12. I don't understand - 'reinforced' stud wall and it's dot and dabbed plasterboard? Surely p'board is screwed on to studs? Who told you about the weight restriction? Are you thinking that the p'board itself has to take the rad's weight? Any chance you could add horizontal 'noggins' between the studs to take the radiator brackets directly? If so, that would hold up an elephant. I personally hate the idea of rad's mounted directly to p'board. It can be strong, but any movement and it'll start to loosen and crumble the plaster around the fixings. Looking at your post #3 - you will be screwing into the timber studs? I simply cannot see any issue there, then.
That's what I don't understand. If the OP has timber studwork and if the OP can get the rad bracket screws in to them, then it ain't going anywhere. Why would the p'board be D&D'd on to it tho'...?