Radiators: on internal walls or external?

JuliusCaesar

I'm thinking of moving some radiators around especially as I have long floor-length curtains. So someone was saying I should move them to internal walls, as this'll help heat the house better. What's the consensus on this? thanks

corkgsxr

external walls your heating the coldest side of the room first.

but if you cover the rads with curtains your not leaving the heat to the room.

up to you, alot cheaper to get shorter curtains

JuliusCaesar

Thanks, yes, but aesthetics count too! I thought if I move the bedroom radiator to the internal wall, it might somehow help heat the stairwell, which is always cold at the top. The heat from the hall radiator doesn't rise, but stays in the hall. I'd like to have a low even heat throughout the house, and light the stove in the living room where we spend most of the evening. Hope this makes sense.

corkgsxr

if your ripping up floors to move rads you can add more no problem. stick one at the top of the stairs

Billy Bunting

All heat rises. Any heat loss through walls from a rad fitted on internal walls will loose its heat into the house unlike rads on external walls that will obviously loose it to the outside, i prefer them on internal wall.

Dardania

I belive they should be on the external walls, precisely because that's where your heat loss is, so that you don't have an extreme difference between a hot inner and a cold outer part of the room...

Dtp79

Dardania wrote: »

I belive they should be on the external walls, precisely because that's where your heat loss is, so that you don't have an extreme difference between a hot inner and a cold outer part of the room...

Is putting that silver heat reflective stuff behind rads any good? Never used it but heard it makes a big difference

shane0007

Rads always work best under windows. The reason is because radiators give limited radiated heated but more connected heat. As the heat rises, the cooler air from the window rushes underneath the warm air to replace it, giving the heated air velocity to travel across the room at high level and return back at mid level, reflected from the opposite wall.
The will, of course, work on internal walls but not as well.

As for reflective sheets behind the rad, waste of time & money IMHO.

Billy Bunting

These days with cavity wall insulation and the fact that most Ladies would insist on "aesthetics" first and will not have short curtains or tuck them in above the rad leads me to the opinion that rads on internal walls will do the job as there is no obstruction to the convected heat but not so with rads tucked behind a curtain heating the outside.

corkgsxr

Dtp79 wrote: »

Is putting that silver heat reflective stuff behind rads any good? Never used it but heard it makes a big difference

Pointless the walls need bit of heat too.

Dtp79

corkgsxr wrote: »

Pointless the walls need bit of heat too.

For what?

paddy147

50-80mm Insulated slab on the external walls and then mount the rads below the windows.


Thats what I did.

Simples

Dtp79

paddy147 wrote: »

50-80mm Insulated slab on the external walls and then mount the rads below the windows.


Thats what I did.

Simples

Expensive I'd say

paddy147

Dtp79 wrote: »

Expensive I'd say

I had the entire house slabbed out and insulated the fcuk out of it.

Stripped back to 4 bare walls and had the roof removed too.Energy effiecent windows installed,New roof installed and spray foamed aswell.New heating system and solar system too.Installed a Stovax 8kw multi fuel inset stove aswell.


Short term pain for long term gain.

The house is now beautifully warm,as a result.:)

paddy147

Dtp79 wrote: »

Expensive I'd say

Even if you slab out the external walls you will notice a big difference.

And its around 25-30 euro for an 8 x 4 insulated slab.


..short term pain for long term gain....:)

Dtp79

paddy147 wrote: »

I had the entire house slabbed out and insulated the fcuk out of it.

Stripped back to 4 bare walls and had the roof removed too.New roof installed and spray foamed aswell.


Short term pain for long term gain.

The house is now beautifully warm,as a result.:)

Misread your first post. Thought u had said u had external slabs.

paddy147

Dtp79 wrote: »

Misread your first post. Thought u had said u had external slabs.

What I mean is the external walls of the house (walls with windows)...if you slab them out internally with insulated slab,then you will notice a difference in the heat retention of the rooms in the house.


You lose a very small amount of floor space,but you gain a warmer cosier house.


I went the whole hog and insulated the entire house from the ground up.

The ceilings are even insulated with insulated slab and then rockwoool sound insulation too.

Dtp79

paddy147 wrote: »

What I mean is the external walls of the house (walls with windows)...if you slab them out internally with insulated slab,then you will notice a difference in the heat retention of the rooms in the house.


You lose a very small amount of floor space,but you gain a warmer cosier house.


I went the whole hog and insulated the entire house from the ground up.

The ceilings are even insulated with insulated slab and then rockwoool sound insulation too.

Ah Ye understand now alright. Seen it done a good few times. Good job

paddy147

Dtp79 wrote: »

Ah Ye understand now alright. Seen it done a good few times. Good job

Had to move out of the house when all the work was being done..but so well worth it in the end.:)

Billy Bunting

any pics

paddy147

Billy Bunting wrote: »

any pics

Oh about 500 pics or so...and Im really not joking here either.:)

Dtp79

paddy147 wrote: »

Had to move out of the house when all the work was being done..but so well worth it in the end.:)

Plumber colleague of mine built his own house. Didn't want rad pipes coming out of the ground exposed. As he was doing the same as you with the slab he decided to clip the acorn pipe to the wall in first fix and when slabbed he was gonna bring out copper to rad on the horizontal. Months passed and when he went to second fix, acorn had changed their fittings to the big stupid white yokes on the market. There much bigger than the old ones so at all his rads he had to cut the block wall behind the fitting to sink it deeper. Not a fan of those new fittings

Billy Bunting

Regular Qualpex piping can be used with standard compression fittings.

Dtp79

Billy Bunting wrote: »

Regular Qualpex piping can be used with standard compression fittings.

Of course. He had bought the fittings. Was willing to give them a chance. Don't think he will again. Me myself am not a fan either. I miss the old fittings!

paddy147

Billy Bunting wrote: »

any pics

1,2,3,4 and 5 of 500 or so.;)

Billy Bunting

I just knew you couldnt resist!

Fart in your house and you'd need to take ya cloths off.

paddy147

Billy Bunting wrote: »

I just knew you couldnt resist!

bait hook line sinker........:pac::D

dfbemt

Billy Bunting wrote: »

any pics

paddy147 wrote: »

Oh about 500 pics or so...and Im really not joking here either.:)

Please don't get him started with the pics.

We've seen all 500 of them. At least a million times at this stage.

We've even had pics of his missus legs, uninsulated !!!!

shane0007

dfbemt wrote: »

We've even had pics of his missus legs, uninsulated !!!!

Too much information! Could well be the wrong forum for that kinda exchange! Lol

paddy147

dfbemt wrote: »

We've even had pics of his missus legs, uninsulated !!!!

Where??????

Do please show me where I posted it then.....I would be very interested to see this particular pic,seen as I have never posted a pic like that here on any of the forums..

CarrickMcJoe

Paddy, pass no remarks, those lovely pins were well insulated up on the steps havin great craic painting the ceiling, proper gent you are

paddy147

CarrickMcJoe wrote: »

Paddy, pass no remarks, those lovely pins were well insulated up on the steps havin great craic painting the ceiling, proper gent you are

Thankyou indeed.:)


And shes a fully qualified professional too,who takes absolutely no shyte from anyone and gets stuck in and gets the work done.:)


Designing and building gardens,opening up beehives,installing large Discuss tanks,planting trees and hedging in the gardens aswell and using the concrete breaker to break up concrete paths...with regards to pics.


So dfbemt must be thinking of another member then.

kenny

External walls are the best place for a radiator typically.

The majority of the heat lost from your room will be via the surface which has the largest temperature difference on the other side from in temperature from the room. More so if windows are installed.

The heat is lost in 2 ways, cold air infiltration into the room (thro small cracks in the window frame or vents) and the building fabric being cooled by the outside air as the cold fabric will absorb the heat form the room.

Putting the radiator on that surface helps both by mixing the cooler air coming in with the warmer room air preventing drafts and also maintaining the surface temperature high enough to prevent condensation forming which can lead to mould etc..

CarrickMcJoe

paddy147 wrote: »

Thankyou indeed.:)


And shes a fully qualified professional too,who takes absolutely no shyte from anyone and gets stuck in and gets the work done.:)


Designing and building gardens,opening up beehives,installing large Discuss tanks,planting trees and hedging in the gardens aswell and using the concrete breaker to break up concrete paths...with regards to pics.


So dfbemt must be thinking of another member then.

Suppose she has to be a good allrounder, sure there would be nothing done if it was up to you....... Too busy taking pics:D

paddy147

CarrickMcJoe wrote: »

Suppose she has to be a good allrounder, sure there would be nothing done if it was up to you....... Too busy taking pics:D

Dont forget that I make the cups of tea too...that takes some skill aswell.:pac::D

dfbemt

paddy147 wrote: »

Dont forget that I make the cups of tea too...that takes some skill aswell.:pac::D

And take pics, plenty of them

JuliusCaesar

Billy Bunting wrote: »

All heat rises..

Yes, but it doesn't turn corners. I'm not the only person I know who has a staircase that as you go up, you can feel your head enter a different and colder climate...

JohnnieK

The design criteria for the placement of radiators dates back a good bit. It was when there was only radiant panel rads and floor standing casts. They were put under the windows because it was the coldest spot.
It didn't take into account modern convection rads, double or tripple glaze windows or insulated walls.

I have a modern house with good insulation and none of my rads are on window wall's or external wall's. The place is toasty.

In college we are still thought to place them under the windows.