COLD HOUSE, Small rads - Replacement options help.

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Hello all,

I have a bit of an issue at home, its a pain in my neck... From the wife moaning about how cold our house is.
We are Renting this property of a friend of a friend sort of relationship who has given me permission to do whatever i like with the house etc, he has reimbursed me with work i have done this far.

Ok, We live in a fairly large terraced, Modern Double Glazing, have a Celler which has no insulation, a very well insulate loft conversion.
3 up 3 down.
Kitchen and bathroom are in an extended build i believe. Our Kitchen is the only room with a Double Convector Rad. and keeps fairly warm, the room directly above, the bathroom, is awful, it is SOO cold, on occasions we can see our breath... The bathroom has a Cheap nickle coated towel rail which is hot to touch but i don't think it gives off much heat, this is on an internal facing solid wall, The Exterior wall is often damp with condensation as is the first run and a half of tiles on the adjacent wall.

Back Bedroom is OK as its my office so the tech pumps the heat out.

Front Bedroom (ours) is also pretty cold, this is a north racing room, its the largest room of the house @ 3.4mtr x 3.8mtr and 2.5-> mtr Tall.

Our boiler is a Worcester 24i jnr.

Rads -
Living Room (cold & north facing) = Single rad 300x1200 at guess (i will measure up when im home and edit this), this is the room above the cellar and the rad is on the internal wall direct facing the exterior wall.

Hall Way - Single 500x600.

Dining Room - Rad is again single and 300x1400, on an external wall under the window. This room isnt to bad at keeping warm

Kitchen - Rad is a 600x600 Double Con Rad, no problems in this room

Bathroom - One Rad, A cheap towel rail, this is the main reason to be posting this essay.

Back Bedroom - Single Rad 300x1200, not a problem in this room.

Main Bedroom - Single Rad 300x1400, on the External wall under the larger window. The wall under the smaller window is very cold and damp, this is also near to our bed (my side!)


I want a warmer bathroom, living room and bedroom, My idea is this.

EITHER Keep the towel rail in the bathroom and Add a double rad, location is what im hoping to find here too, perhaps on the external wall to dry that damp out?
OR
Ditch the towel rail and just use the existing plumbing to add a new Rad in its place.

Bedroom, Replace the Rad which is in there now, with two new double Rads, one under each window (if i can get them in the right size, need to be arrnd 400 high MAX) or, add one 400x2000/2200 double rad.

Living room, Keep the existing Rad and add the Rad taken from our bedroom and place it under the window, there are pipes ran to here already, rad as been moved in the past.

I am a joiner, not a plumber so forgive me if i sound daft, My brother is a plumber so we have it boxed off.

HELP?

Very Merry Christmas too all!
 
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Afraid it is not as easy as that, if you increase the radiator sizes you will need to increase the pipe sizes to carry the extra load and also may have to increase the boiler size.
 
Thanks for your reply,
i am not sure why you suggest ill need to increase the pipe sizes, the norm is 15mm is it not?
Please advise on this in a little more detail if you could buddy.

The boiler is fine to handle the extra rads, at the moment its at around 38% Load.

Thanks once again.
 
On the contrary, 15mm pipe will only carry approx 15000 Btu`s or 4.5 Kw over a certain length, So you may have to increase the index circuit at least to 22mm. Get your plumber to do the pipe sizing for you.
 
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Do check the radiator sizing relative to your heating needs, but also check your exterior wall insulation. You'll need to know this for the heating calculator anyway. The bathroom condensation might just be because it is cold in there but it might be because that wall is not insulated. Slapping in a bit of cavity wall insulation, especially with grants, may be a simpler and cheaper way to solve most of your problems. If you're going to be replacing radiators on external walls, you definitely want to insulate as well as you can behind them otherwise you're just heating the outside!
 
Thanks for that guys, ill look at retrieving the info for the wall insulation.

A rough working out for the rads in place at the minute are -
BTU = 17381
Watts =5213
 

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