Replacing an old radiator with a fancy new vertical one

[Chris Dancer]

Hope you can give me some advice. We have an old radiator in our living room which we'd like to replace with a nice vertical one. We're looking at the 1780 x 472mm Anthracite Double Oval Tube Vertical from Radiator Outlet. I have no idea how feasible this will be. The supply pipes are 10mm ones and they are embedded in the wall. They emerge just above the skirting board behind the existing radiator then run to the two valves.
Does this sound straightforward, difficult or impossible? It's an exterior stone wall, so I know it'll take the weight of the radiator, but will we be able to adapt the existing pipes to this style of radiator?

Thanks in advance.

 

[steadyon]

1. Determine the heat output of your existing radiator by looking up similar types (11, 21 or 22) and sizes on the internet.
2. Provided your room is warm enough as is, make sure the heat output of the new radiator is at least as much as the old.
3. If the new radiator is narrower than the old (likely), then you will have to move the pipes to match the centres of the new one. This may involve some minor building work and a bit of redecoration. It is likely that with stone walls the pipe are run below the floor and then brought up behind the skirting board. If the floor covering is easily lifted this should not be too much of a problem provided you have suspended rather than solid floors.
4. As an alternative to 3, you could run the pipes along the wall to the new radiator. The aesthetics are your choice.
5. Many "designer" radiators require the flow into the radiator and the return out of it to be on specific sides, whereas it doesn't matter with ordinary radiators. You need to find out from the supplier if the radiator requires specific flow and return, and then make sure your flow and return pipes are correctly located. The flow pipe is the one which gets hot first when you turn the heating on.
6. As well as being narrower, the pipe centres for the new radiator will be further out from the wall, so some adjustment needed there.
In summary I'd say not impossible, not straightforward. Doable with the level of difficulty largely dependent on floor / wall construction and covering.

 

[Chris Dancer]

@steadyon
Thank you, that's very helpful.
The floor is concrete. The pipes come down the wall behind the plaster, then come out just above the skirting board. I'm expecting to have to do some redecoration, my main concern was whether a modern radiator would require larger diameter pipes.

 

[John.g]

Would also suggest that you get clear instructions on the pipe orientation as some of these rads have a baffle installed and unless installed correctly can cause a lot of grief and you have a 6Ft beauty.

 

[steadyon]

1. Provided the new radiator has approximately the same heat output rating as the old one, then the pipes will be fine.
2. As the pipes are buried, and you are likely to have to extend them, it would be worth trying to move the existing ones to a central "box" in the wall, so that any joining fittings (which should not be buried) are in a (relatively) accessible place inside the box.