Can you actually buy a 'bad' radiator nowadays??

[Blackspaven]

Okay, so apparently nobody has heard of the Warmehaus rads I questioned about a few days ago, Anyone heard of Warmehaus / Fjord radiators?! - Plumbing Forum , but it made me think in more general terms as to whether nowadays it's realistically possible to actually buy a bad radiator and how you could tell whether it is going to be a duffer? I mean, how would it have to be constructed or what would it have to be missing in terms of how it's made to make it not worth it?

Basically, the towel rads I've seen on clearance are knocking around £30-40 and even if it lasts 5 years until a new one was needed, is it likely to be a bad thing?? Working on the basis my old boss used to use that for every DeWalt cordless drill at £200 meant that he could just buy a new Screwfix own one at £20 every year for ten years and still cost the same... if they lasted two years, he was up on the deal!

Thoughts?

 

[gassafe]

A rad is a rad... Screwfix offer 15 years guarantee, my local merchant sell a much more expensive rad with only 5... Quality is about the same...

Don't agree with the dril scenario... You can't beat proper quality tools, I would go crazy working with Mickey Mouse 20 quid gutless Ryobi stuff 😉

 

[Blackspaven]

Ah, seemed to work for him: 24v was 24v for general stuff. 🙂

So basically, as long as the sizes are right, just go for it, fit and forget??

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

stelrad all the way,yes you can buy rubbish rads,stelrads top end though IMHO,mainly all i fit or quinn designer range

 

[thereisawizza]

Found cheap designer rads are FULL of swarf!! Also rails and tubes not always fully aligned and hole connected horizontal and diagonal bars only about 7-8mm. Oh and some of them will only work one way up as have a pre-fitted baffle. Oh and some have a loose baffle that has to be fitted but has been robbed by counter staff!

Other than that all fine.

 

[Blackspaven]

Looked at a quinn rad but heard about Chinese knockoffs pretending to be them and marked up the same. One thing buying expensive rads, another to pay for something it isn't!

 

[gassafe]

My sisters new build has Quinn rads approx 3 years old & all the paint enamel is cracking badly across the roll top rads!

 

[gassafe]

Used to like stelrad soft tops, but became hard to get...

I used mr central heating rads the other day, cheapest I could find anywhere! Great quality & no complaints! I usually just stick to the local screwfix as they have good availability!

 

[Blackspaven]

Would the swarf matter if it's fitted in a system which is gonna get fully flushed before commission and have a magnaclean fitted?

 

[hammers4spanner]

Always find the poofix rads eventually leak always use stelrad myself.

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

My sisters new build has Quinn rads approx 3 years old & all the paint enamel is cracking badly across the roll top rads!

meant the upmarket designer quinns,not the crap they make for myson

 

[gassafe]

Would the swarf matter if it's fitted in a system which is gonna get fully flushed before commission and have a magnaclean fitted?

I hear swarf in the designer style rads when turning them over... I guess it's impossible to get out...

I'd rather it wasn't in there corroding in the bottom but with inhibitor I guess it's okay?

 

[Blackspaven]

So if it doesn't rattle, there's no or virtually no swarf, correct? Just thinking logically.

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

So if it doesn't rattle, there's no or virtually no swarf, correct? Just thinking logically.

problem with swarf is if it comes out and makes its way into things like plate heat exchangers and pumps,not good IMHO

 

[Blackspaven]

Would a decent magnaclean or similar not stop that, they're relatively new to me but I presumed that was the whole point of them?

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

Would a decent magnaclean or similar not stop that, they're relatively new to me but I presumed that was the whole point of them?

depends what the rads made of,would not rely on it