Plumbing via concrete floors

[hansPulesh]

Hi all,

I went to see a house which was for sale this afternoon. The radiators in this house were pretty old and knackered. If I was to buy it, I'd want to change these to the newer upright ones.

However, when I lifted the carpet to see if there was any access to the pipework, I realised that the copper pipes feeding the radiators went down into a concrete floor????

How easy is it to change this type of pipework? And how is it done?

Many thanks.

 

[muggles]

You'd be looking at a complete re-pipe with pipes dropping down the wall from upstairs if you're not happy that the existing pipework is sound

 

[AGAS]

hello,
if you want to change pipework you'll have to dig out concrete so you can connect onto existing pipework ,then channel new route in concrete for rad tails . you could feed heating pipes from upstairs / ceiling and cap the existing rad tails . either way its a bit of work . got to make sure existing pipes are sound thou

 

[AGAS]

or you can re-pipe as muggles says

 

[hansPulesh]

Good morning all, thanks for that, really appreciate it. I thought that was a possibility but didn't like the idea of tails dropping from the ceiling and so totally dismissed it. What a total nightmare! No real forward planning with concrete floors is there!

The other thing is that I think it'd be best to do it now while the house is empty rather than leave it, move in, switch the heating on and at that point realise that there's a major problem in the concreted pipework!

Thanks again all.

 

[dilalio]

If you're interested in purchasing the place then you could always return with a plumber, get an estimate for the works and try to negotiate a deal with the vendor off the purchase price... But, as you know, ppl can get snow blind when they see a house they want!

 

[45yearsagasman]

Be careful when replacing standard rads with designer upright types that you get the heat loss calcs for each room done.

 

[bernardgreen]

If there is enough height you could install a suspended timber floor with new pipes and cables and additional thermal insulation on top of the concrete and below the new floor. Not a low cost solution but one that has many advantages.

 

[DaveHerns]

Seems the electric sockets are in the wrong places as well so this probably isn't the right house. Or he's too much of a perfectionist.

 

[Agile]

I visit many houses with pipes in concrete.

They mostly work fine. But I do take care with what I do there.

Been asked to power flush a system with pipes in concrete.

Tony

 

[Agile]

If the house is large enough then the concrete might be able to be removed to say 150mm and have insulation laid with underfloor heating ( UFH ) above it.

I would not recommend that though with a smaller older house as UFH works best with larger floor areas and a low heat loss. Not with engineered wood floors either. UFH is best with ceramic tiles and no carpet.

Tony

 

[DaveHerns]

I'm sure many people ( myself included) would be happier if our CH pipes weren't buried in concrete but until it leaks, what's the point in worrying?

 

[simond]

Crikey, removing concrete to 150mm...

NB: There is nothing new about upright radiators.

They cost as much to make as the horizontal ones but have a lower heat output, and much of that ends up in the ceiling. Manufacturers love them because they can mug punters into paying twice as much for the same amount of metal.

 

[dilalio]

Crikey, removing concrete to 150mm...

NB: There is nothing new about upright radiators.

They cost as much to make as the horizontal ones but have a lower heat output, and much of that ends up in the ceiling. Manufacturers love them because they can mug punters into paying twice as much for the same amount of metal.

Yeah, but they're great for your back