[emob]

Hi,

I'd love to get feedback from anyone in the know...We are renovating a Victorian red-brick terraced house and have to install central heating. Keeping the old character and features of the house is very important to us.
We're on a gas line. We want to install new cast iron radiators in some rooms (replicas, not original salvaged ones) but our builder, who specialises in restoring old houses, has tried to persuade us to go for really modern looking 'Solo' rads with great heat output. He reckons the house will be cold and we'll end up using a lot more energy trying to warm the place if we go with the cast iron.

Can anyone offer useful advice or expertise?

Em

[Spear]

Moved from N&F.

[DoneDL]

The victorian rads may not be as efficient as high efficiency radiators but I would not be put off by that. Make sure that you size the radiators to suit the rooms heating requirements and balance the system properly. I had rads made by a company in London for our victorian house, the heating was fine and they looked the part.

[heinbloed]

If the thermal demand is known then both options can be laid down to the client, the financial risks/involvements be calculated.
Has the builder done that?

[emob]

Thanks. We're looking at Paladin Rads, would they be the same company you got, DoneDL?

[YIA]

I looked at the options when rebuilding our house.
I calculated the heat load in each room and sized the relevant cast-iron and modern high-output rads.
We then costed each option.
In the end, the cast-iron was only marginally more than the modern.
We do have one modern rad and 8 cast-iron.
By far, the cast-iron win out.
Granted, the modern one heats up quicker, but it also cools down quicker and seems to act more like a convection heater.
However, the cast-iron really give out a radiative heat and it lasts for several hours after the heating is off.
I find them so good that I've actually turned most of them down by about 40%.
And to top it of, they look so much better.
Evberyone comments.
I can give details of the place we got them down by Greystones if wanted.

Regards

[emob]

Great, you've convinced me! Cheers

[emob]

Originally Posted by heinbloed

If the thermal demand is known then both options can be laid down to the client, the financial risks/involvements be calculated.
Has the builder done that?

No. His plumber is meeting with us next week, so we'll have to have our researc h done by then!

[YIA]

This is good for calculating the load in each room: http://http://www.trademate.co.uk/Services/HeatLoss/default.asp?_brand=CP
It makes it easier to then compare like for like with the cast-iron and modern equivilants.
You should be able to get the kW or BTU output of each rad (modern) or rad section (cast-iron).

[emob]

Originally Posted by YIA

This is good for calculating the load in each room: http://http://www.trademate.co.uk/Services/HeatLoss/default.asp?_brand=CP
It makes it easier to then compare like for like with the cast-iron and modern equivilants.
You should be able to get the kW or BTU output of each rad (modern) or rad section (cast-iron).

That's great, thank you very much

[DoneDL]

No emob, it was a company called bisque but good luck with the refurb.

[paddy147]

use alloy rads,they are much better and can be also had in victorian look too.

Job done.

[emob]

Originally Posted by paddy147

use alloy rads,they are much better and can be also had in victorian look too.

Job done.

Thank you. Never heard of alloy rads, are they easy to get? Cost is an issue for us...

[glash]

Hi could you please send me the details of the company in greystones that you sourced your cast iron rads?

Thank you

[Stove Fan]

I installed a new solid fuel heating system from oil originally and had a mixture of 4 cast iron rads and 8 steel modern ones.

The cast iron looked and worked so much better. I bought ours used for around 30 euro each and just re painted them in dulux satinwood white. These were the classic with built in feet.

For the size the heat output was incredible and walking past you could really feel the heat from them. They took a bit longer to heat up about 10 minutes but the heat stayed whereas the steel rads were cold.
They actually felt hotter too than the steel rads.

Had no trouble with leaks as I asked where they came from. The reclamation yard had seen them working so knew they didn't leak.

I would buy again