Radiator pipework - how to get a neat finish

[nearlythereyet]

Hi all,

I have plumbers installing some old style rads in my living room. Annoyingly, they've ****ed up the measurements, so grateful for advice on a solution.

They've installed the pipes for either side of the rads, but the measurements are out by around 10-20mm on each (from the wall and from the rads) so they've said they'll need to put a couple of 45 degree joints on each pipe. Because new wooden flooring has gone down, there's no option to move the pipes now.

The rads will be clearly visible, so grateful for advice on how the pipework can be made as neat as possible. Is there a solution that won't involve ugly bends in the pipe? Ideally I'd like to end up with a chrome finish (was going to use chrome snap covers on copper pipe, but understand these can't go round bends).

Thanks in advance!

 

[Spanglesnatch]

Chrome paint!...........not much else really and could give it character

 

[big-all]

have you given the plumbers a chance to sort it
are the pipes to close or to far apart ??

 

[nearlythereyet]

Oh yes - the plumbers are coming back to sort it! But they couldn't care less what the end result will look like. Their plan is to just use lots of copper joints, so I wanted to check if there's a neater way for them to do it.

The pipes are too far apart, and / or too far back against the wall, so the pipes will be going in all directions!

Would using chrome pipe be an option rather than paint?

 

[muggles]

Chrome pipe on old-style rads!? I'd have thought copper would look much better, polished and lacquered if you like a shiny effect, personally I don't think chrome pipe and old-style rads really go together.

 

[NEALDEAN]

I would use a bending spring rather than joints. Will look a lot nicer and make the best of a bad job.

A nice flowing dog leg bend will look a lot nicer than soldered joints !!!

If there soldering chrome pipe they will have to file the chrome plate off to allow the solder to take to the copper underneath so thats going to look even worse.

Good luck !!!!

 

[nearlythereyet]

Thanks folks, much appreciated.

I'll ask them to use a bending spring (they'd told me joints were the only way...!) And I guess I'll have to think about the chrome finish.

 

[Charnwood]

they couldn't care less what the end result will look like.

I bet they care whether they get paid in full or not!

 

[namsag]

There may not be room to get half decent bends in spring or benders and fittings would look less intrusive done correctly, street elbows are ideal in situations like this

 

[ServiceNumpty]

10-20mm no chance of swept bends with a spring. Gotta agree with Namsag.

 

[danplumb]

If the pipes were just too far apart, rad extension bars can be fitted too the rad and then the valve onto them, work really well.. but if the pipes are too far back to the wall then they wont work, can they get back under the floor, and send 10mm pipe up instead, get a much neater sweeping bend on that rather than soldered joints.

 

[cantaloup63]

Am struggling to see how they can use a couple of 45's to correct 10 to 20 mm - the endfeeds themselves require more room.

 

[bhm1712]

Threaten not to pay until the job is rectified at THEIR expense, seeing as though it was their poor measurement and job planning skills which have caused the issue. If your paying someone to do a job, you would not expect last minute bodge jobs to get the job finished quicker and to cover up mistakes.

If it was me, they would have had the floor up by now and made a join where you cannot see it, and laid the floor back down, whether it be possible to lay a small section of floor or redo the whole lot.

 

[cantaloup63]

Were the radiators and fittings on site at the time of their first-fit?

 

[Kev F]

And how can you guarantee that someone hasn't moved the pipes ie plasters etc, it's alright blaming the plumbers but I've had this where people turn up after and your pipes are nowhere near where you left them, covered in ****, bent, kicked etc