Just fitted K3 radaitor and the centre front panel won’t heat up

[Benny895]

I have started fitting new radiators in my house. The lounge kitchen gets very cold in the winter and is a big room that has previously had an extension put on it and is 19.5 metres by 6.5 metres with a 2.25metre high ceiling.

I started by replacing an old radaitor with a 1200x 600mm K2. Which heats up and works fine, great heat by Stelrad. I have this weekend fitted a K3 1800x700mm. I have this Radaitor hot but the lower centre front panels I can’t get hot. It does feel like the lower half of the radaitor (especially the front panel as that’s what I can get my hand too) isn’t burning hot like the K2. I have tried almost everything apart from actual changing components; I have bled the rads, shut the system down to one rad, balanced the system, the central heating pump is on max.

This Radaitor is working and convecting but not as hot as it should be.


Grundfos UPS 2-50/60
System / non Combi
4rads upstairs 2 hand towel rails
7 rads downstairs one towel rails
25kw boiler

Has anyone else experience this with k3 / triple panel Radaitors. Not a lot of posts online about triple panel radaitors. Some more posts and specifics about K3 issues would be helpful.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Have you tried turning all the other ones off to see if it heats up Fully ?

 

[Benny895]

Have you tried turning all the other ones off to see if it heats up Fully ?

Yeah I have and same issue persists

 

[Deleted member 120897]

Does the radiator have baffles inside and has it been fitted correctly? What size is your pipework?

 

[John.g]

Maybe worth draing down and refilling very slowly with vent plugs/blanks at both ends removed. A K31800X700 stelrad has a output of 4.88kw and will require a flowrate of 7LPM at 75C/65C/20C, (50 deg rad).

 

[Benny895]

Does the radiator have baffles inside and has it been fitted correctly? What size is your pipework?

The pipe work is 15mm coming out the floor. I have not fitted baffles. Concerning the baffles the heat is going up and around back to the return but then not dropping down the panels easily. The front panel has the most cool areas in the bottom half and centre I think (could potentially support a baffle to flow to the front panel). The back panel at the bottom is hot and gets slightly cooler at the bottom towards the centre. If I turn on the rest of the system thinking it is getting slightly cooler after balancing.

I am not a plumber but someone who does diy I have fitted it the same as the K2 so i think it is fitted correctly.

I think I might be in the limits of the central heating pump. The radaitor is probably the furthest from the heat source as it is in the extension. I think the pump does 3m cubed an hour.

What do you guys think the whole Radaitor does not heat properly when sectioned of for the system just to heat one radaitor. If there was a baffle it would need to be fitted near the plug at the top the opposite end to the bleed valve to point flow towards the front panel?

The flow pipe is hot the exit pipe is warm.

Thank you for any suggestions.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

It’s not the pump as you’ve shut all the other radiators and it still doesn’t heat up what brand of k3 is it ?

 

[Benny895]

It’s not the pump as you’ve shut all the other radiators and it still doesn’t heat up what brand of k3 is it ?

Hello Shaun, it’s a stelrad K3 compact I ordered it online from their website. The packaging said K3 compact Vita.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Hello Shaun, it’s a stelrad K3 compact I ordered it online from their website. The packaging said K3 compact Vita.

Might be worth contacting them to see if there’s anything wrong / needs a baffle etc

 

[Deleted member 120897]

Might be worth contacting them to see if there’s anything wrong / needs a baffle etc

Nothing in the Mi’s about it, but doesn’t mean to say it’s not wrong