Fitting ordinary radiator in Hot water system

Discussion in 'Plumbers' Talk' started by Penelopejean, Sep 26, 2016.

  1. Penelopejean

    Penelopejean New Member

    Hello all,
    Could you tell me if it is possible to fit a radiator(not a towel rail)in the hot water system rather than the CH system please? Is there a special way that it should be done? The reason why we want to do it is that the pipe runs as they are at present would make it easier and neater.
    Thanks
    penny
     
  2. KIAB

    KIAB Super Member

    Not practical.
     
  3. It's not practical because the radiator will be hot in summer when the heating is off but the hot water is on. It's all this green cobblers. It's also a control thing. Your thermostat will control the heating except for that one rad that will be controlled by your cylinder thermostat. Now it's starting to look less attractive. Sometimes towel radiators were plumbed like that to air the towels in summer but now most people use an electric element for summer.
    Sadly, just because it's easier it doesn't make it right!
     
    KIAB likes this.
  4. darren jackson

    darren jackson Active Member

    the best way to connect the radiator is not on the hot water side, but what is called an open circuit,
    depending what system you have got, the easiest way to explain is, you will generally have 2 x 2 port valves one for hot water control and one for your central heating.
    or you will have 1 x 3 port valve, common or boiler flow in and a hw flow on one side of the valve and a central heating flow on the other side,
    the trouble is if you put the radiator on the hw side it will only ever come on when hw is selected and once the hw is up to temerature it will go off,
    if you connect it on what is called an open circuit which is to cut a tee junction just before your control valves are located, this will be your radiator flow or feed, and your radiator return you should connect back into your common return going back into your boiler.
    this way what ever your boiler is firing for hw and ch or just hw or just ch the radiator will come on, fit a thermostat radiator valve so you can have some decent temperature control or if its to much turn it of completely, your lockshield on the other end of your radiator should only just be opened the slightest to allow flow through your radiator,otherwise if it is open to much it will rob the flow going to your hw and ch.
    you may have to ballance your system after this.
    but this is what i think your asking for, this is how we pipe up a bathroom radiator or towel rail.
    good luck
     
  5. DaveF

    DaveF Active Member

    Yes, it is perfectly possible, however I don't think it would be at all practical. The reason is that you would need circulation within the hot water system, and doubt you already have that. It is also pretty expensive to add a radiator to the hot water system because it has to be made of stainless steel or copper. It would probably be much easier to consider running new pipes to and from the central heating to wherever you want the radiator.
     
  6. philthespark

    philthespark Active Member

    if you have a system boiler then you have pipes from boiler to hot water cylinder and this is known as the DHW primary circuit,tapped into these pipes and controlled by motorised valves are the pipes for the central heating circuit.Now you could come off the DHW primary circuit,however,as others have said the rad would be hot all the time the water is being heated,you could get around this by putting a seperate thermostat and zone valve on the feed to the rad,this would solve some problems but is perhaps not the best.
    If however you mean connecting to the DHW secondary circuit,i.e the side from the tank to the taps then no that is not possible,the water in the pipe from tank to tap goes cold(known as the dead leg) hence why you have to run the hot tap for a while before the water comes out hot.If you connect into this pipe then the rad would only warm up when you ran the tap and would then cool off,also as a normal rad is made of steel,because of the oxygen in the water you'd end up with corrosion inside the rad,this would lead to brown,rusty water coming out of the hot tap and eventual failure of radiator.Sorry but that's the best I can offer you,hope it helps.
     
  7. AdvanceHelpline

    AdvanceHelpline New Member

    You could use a small heat exchanger isolating the rad circuit and controlling it independently - however, it is a bit of a sledgehammer to crack a nut
     
  8. KIAB

    KIAB Super Member

    Could alway use 10mm, maybe even 8mm microbore copper pipe, easy to route, to the feed new radiator depending on distance.

    8mm would give a theoretical heat flow rate of 2.5Kw, & 10mm 4.1Kw, you then need to allow for bends,etc adding flow resistance, so your good for a few metres run with the microbore pipe.
     
    Last edited: Sep 28, 2016
  9. Itsmeuknow

    Itsmeuknow New Member

    Hi Darren
    How do I message you. I need some advice on my bathroom radiator/towel rail.


     

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