Radiator Covers

madds · 05-11-2007 8:40pm #1

'Er indoors likes the look of these radiator cover things - I'm not so sure. Anyhow, in the interests of having a peaceful life back home I've agreed to keep an open mind on them.

2 questions:

1. Can anyone recommend some suppliers?
2. What are the pros & cons of radiator covers. As far as I see it, the only pro would be a cosmetic one, whereas the con would be a loss of heat?

Appreciate all responses.

Lemon · 05-11-2007 8:43pm

The Richard Burbidge brand -available in Woodies- are considered some of the best on the market..plus they are available at a discounted price in Woodies, bought some myself at the weekend at the recommendation of a decent interior designer...

carpainter · 06-11-2007 10:19am

I don't like radiator cabinets- in my opinion they accentuate an already unnattractive (but neccessary) feature in a room. Also I wonder are they inclined to trap dust and dirt as the air circulates through the cabinet. Just my tuppence worth.

mp31 · 06-11-2007 2:16pm

madds wrote: »

'Er indoors likes the look of these radiator cover things - I'm not so sure. Anyhow, in the interests of having a peaceful life back home I've agreed to keep an open mind on them.

2 questions:

1. Can anyone recommend some suppliers?
2. What are the pros & cons of radiator covers. As far as I see it, the only pro would be a cosmetic one, whereas the con would be a loss of heat?

Appreciate all responses.

1. Pearce St Hardware (close to Pearce St Dart station) make them up to spec. I work nearby and often see the lads making them out of MDF. They look pretty good IMO. Dunno about costs but I could find out if you give me some measurements.
(And no I don't have any 'vested interets' with them

)

2. Dunno about loss of heat - do they create any better thermal air flow and hence help heat the room quicker?

madds · 06-11-2007 3:16pm

Appreciate the replies lads. I was running late for work this morning, and as I was leaving the house at 9am a van pulled up outside with "Timberline.ie - custom fit radiator cabinets" written down the side. Anyway, we're looking for 5 radiator cabinets and my wife has just told me over the phone what she was quoted, and it's too much IMO.

So, MP31 I'd like to up your offer if it still stands? If its not too much trouble can you get a quote for the following? They'll probably have varying styles of cabinet at different prices so if you can go for the standard, I'd appreciate it.

3 Rads with following dimensions:
width = 1830mm
height - 780mm
depth = 190mm

Rad 4:
w = 1430mm
h = 760mm
d = 170mm

Rad 5:
w = 910mm
h = 830mm
d = 200mm

Thanks very much.

mp31 · 07-11-2007 4:52pm

madds wrote: »

Appreciate the replies lads. I was running late for work this morning, and as I was leaving the house at 9am a van pulled up outside with "Timberline.ie - custom fit radiator cabinets" written down the side. Anyway, we're looking for 5 radiator cabinets and my wife has just told me over the phone what she was quoted, and it's too much IMO.

So, MP31 I'd like to up your offer if it still stands? If its not too much trouble can you get a quote for the following? They'll probably have varying styles of cabinet at different prices so if you can go for the standard, I'd appreciate it.

3 Rads with following dimensions:
width = 1830mm
height - 780mm
depth = 190mm

Rad 4:
w = 1430mm
h = 760mm
d = 170mm

Rad 5:
w = 910mm
h = 830mm
d = 200mm

Thanks very much.

No worries. I would have used a table to show prices but I don't know how to do that so a list is all I can do right now.

All covers are supplied as unpainted MDF with fixing brackets.
Wood Mesh = Price of a rad cover with a wooden mesh
Metal Mesh = Price of a rad cover using a metal (silver/gold) mesh (optional)
Moulding = Price of decorative moulding around the mesh (optional)

If you have thermostatic rad valves then they can supply the cover with a removable lid which you lift to get access to the valve.

The fixings are kinda like what you see used in fireplace surrounds i.e they are screwed onto a recess in the plaster wall then filled with polyfiller and smoothed.

Width 1830mm
Wood Mesh €125
Metal Mesh €168
Moulding €38

Width 1430mm
Wood Mesh €115
Metal Mesh €156
Moulding €34

Width 910mm
Wood Mesh €75
Metal Mesh €109
Moulding €29

Check them out at http://www.covertheradiator.com/

HTH

madds · 07-11-2007 9:56pm

Appreciate your time and help here mp31!

Deragoth · 08-11-2007 12:30am

They reduce the heat into the room and also are liable to mess up the thermostat as it can`t read the heat correctly. In saying that, the thermostat with a sensor halfway up the wall is a better idea. A friend made one for his hall radiator and it does look well.

heirenach · 02-12-2007 10:29pm

B&Q are the best value for money.She picks out what she wants.She,s happy your happy.

cormac_byrne · 03-12-2007 4:55pm

Atlantic (in Blanchardstown) currently have Richard Burbage ones extendable 3' 6" - 4' 6" for €59 (reduced from €89 I think)

p.s. It's not recommended to cover thermostatic valves with a cabinet (rad will turn off too quick)

doozerie · 01-01-2008 1:31pm

madds wrote: »

2. What are the pros & cons of radiator covers. As far as I see it, the only pro would be a cosmetic one, whereas the con would be a loss of heat?

The theory goes that a proper radiator cover actually increases the heat getting into the room. With nothing above the radiator, a lot of the heat goes straight up, "against" the wall to which the radiator is attached, basically losing heat as it goes (it is heating the wall, basically) so that a lot of this heat never makes it into the body of the room. The lid of the radiator, or even a shelf close enough above the radiator, causes the heat to push away from the wall and into the room instead.

There are recommendations for the optimum distance of the cabinet top and front from the radiator itself, which you would expect/hope that a commercial cabinet will follow. Similarly, there are suggestion for the positioning of gaps/openings in the cover to maximise the effectiveness of the cover in allowing the heat out into the room rather than trapping it inside the cover.

I built a cover for the radiator in one of our rooms, and it works very well - at least, we perceive an improvement of heat within the room. It also provides another useful shelf.

Some things to bear in mind:
- Obviously you will want easy access to the radiator valve, so the cover should facilitate this.
- You will probably want to bleed the radiator at some point, so look for a cover that allows you access to the bleed nipple (might necessitate removing the cover entirely, depending on the style of radiator, so perhaps look for a cover that is easy to remove).
- If you are worried about dust building up inside the cover, look for one that allows you to reach a vacuum cleaner under it so that at least you can vacuum the floor underneath the cover. Having said that, I'm not sure that accumulated dust is much of an issue really - the grot that I find under my radiator cover is the general dust and fluff that builds up on the laminated wood floor of the room, which just gets blown under the cover via the gap that I left for access for the vacuum cleaner, ironically enough!.
- Before enclosing the radiator, it is a good idea to install some reflective foil between the back of the radiator and the wall. This is to reflect heat away from the wall and into the room, otherwise some of the heat just gets wasted by heating that portion of the wall itself. This foil is available in various stores such as Homebase - it's not the cheapest stuff in the world, but it does make better use of your heating so probably pays for itself quickly enough.

ashm1981 · 04-02-2008 9:38pm

Ive used the guys from Pearse Street hardware. The Service is second to none and the quality is far superior to the cheap flat pack alternative. One of the lads will visit your house measure correctly and then come back and fit. They also make amazing bespoke wine racks, TV Units, Console tables etc. Contact Clive 01-6351865

youtheman · 17-02-2008 7:27pm

Folks,

I think the radiator cover qualifies as the worst invention ever.

Your radiator is designed to transfer heat from the internal hot water to the external air. If you put a box on it it will reduce this effect.

Imagine if you half covered your car radiator with newspaper. Your engine would overheat due to the decrease in heat transfer.

Modern radiators have fins to increase the 'effective area' and make the heat transfer more efficient. If you put a box over it you are having the opposite effect.

Granted, they look nice. But the will have an ongoing operating cost over and above a bog standard radiator In the form of higher gas/oil bills). Ask the missus if she it willing to pay the extra price.

See the following article which gives a good explanation:

http://www.newscientist.com/backpage.ns?id=mg18725112.900

doozerie · 28-02-2008 1:26am

youtheman wrote: »

Folks,

I think the radiator cover qualifies as the worst invention ever.

Your radiator is designed to transfer heat from the internal hot water to the external air. If you put a box on it it will reduce this effect.

Imagine if you half covered your car radiator with newspaper. Your engine would overheat due to the decrease in heat transfer.

Modern radiators have fins to increase the 'effective area' and make the heat transfer more efficient. If you put a box over it you are having the opposite effect.

Granted, they look nice. But the will have an ongoing operating cost over and above a bog standard radiator In the form of higher gas/oil bills). Ask the missus if she it willing to pay the extra price.

See the following article which gives a good explanation:

http://www.newscientist.com/backpage.ns?id=mg18725112.900

A proper radiator cover is not a "box". It is a covering with openings/gaps in it which allow the heat to escape into the room, and whats more if the design is good the cover will actually encourage the heat to go where you want it to go, which is into the "living" area of the room (rather than just heating the wall behind and above the radiator, for example).

The following links take a counter view to those expressed in the page linked to above:

http://www.beautifulradiators.com/radiator-covers.htm
http://www.servicemagic.com/article.show.Get-Better-Heat-and-a-Cooler-Look-with-a-Home-Radiator-Cover.14926.html

and here is a quote from the latter:

Under a radiator cover with the proper backing, a radiator can distribute heat better than one that is uncovered. Since the backing pushes heat away from the wall and the lid reflects heat away from the top, heat that would otherwise go directly to the ceiling is pushed towards the level of the living area. Studies have shown that the difference in the lower space of the room can be affected by as much as four and a half degrees.

And here is a view that seems to suggest that "proper" radiator covers are neither beneficial nor detrimental:

http://www.diyfixit.co.uk/diy/centralheating/position_radiator/position_radiator.html

On a similar point, avoid placing objects which will reduce the effectiveness of the radiators. Shelves positioned immediately above can have an adverse effect so make sure they are at least a couple of inches up from it. If a shelf is set in this position and is reasonably narrow, the air will simply flow around it. Radiator covers without enough allowance for air circulation can also be a problem. Make sure air can pass freely in at the base, and out through the front at the top.

Each to their own, but my personal view is that a good radiator cover is actually beneficial, and my experience with my radiator cover has reinforced this view.

Radiator Covers

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