Designer radiators - when do I need a plumber?

So the short answer here is - You need a plumber when you have the product in hand, have checked all the parts are with you – don’t worry we help here and it’s time to install, and here is why. 

Some scenarios that might occur – you have an existing radiator and want a new designer one in its place? 

Firstly can we move the pipes you have installed?

With a few key questions we can understand your current plumbing and advise on the best course of action, either aiming to get the proposed new radiator onto the pipes already in place or advising if alterations can be made. Generally altering pipes can be more cost effective than buying a radiator to fit the pipes, we can work with you either way and you will simply need to describe the situation or even better send an image of your current radiator and set up. We advise with the plumber considered and sensible ideas, no gauging into concrete floors just to fit a funky designer radiator in when we can work around that and minimise any disruption. 

Will the new radiator heat my room?

Again with a few questions and a bit of information from you like the height, width and length of the room we can tell you what heat will be required to heat the space. We’ve be doing heat calculations for 22 years and no cold customers yet! So we feel this is our expertise and performing the heat calculation is a standard calculation, so let your plumber have an evening off and grab the tape measure, 2 minutes of measuring and we assure you what we say can heat the space. 

Will the new radiator fit in the space?

Of course it’s a big decision to make when swapping a radiator and nobody wants to get it wrong so understandable if you want to have the dimensions checked for the space. Again we are here to help and with images and Whatsapp it is easy to ensure the space can accept the radiator and that the dimensions are correct, for example going under a window sil or in an alcove. So we will help here, take additional time in ensuring it will fit. 

I’m unsure on the valves I need?

Generally speaking thermostatic valves (TRV) are the go to valves now as they offer economic performance of the radiator. There is also a decision on whether you need angled, corner or straight but by this stage of the enquiry we will feel like we live in your property with the information we have gathered so we are totally confident we can advise on the valves you need. 

Can I have aluminium radiators, cast iron radiator and steel radiator all on my system?

Of course you can, internally your heating system should and will after our advice have corrosion inhibitor in it, your plumber will of course deal with this but with this in your system you could put one of each radiator material in each different room and all work absolutely fine together.

Is my boiler powerful enough?

A good and sensible question, thankfully boilers in the UK are over specified and again with the extra training undertaken in house and a few simple and none technical questions we can help understand this and advise. 

Do I have everything I need to install?

Plumbers are busy people so we know when you have one booked in for your work it is vital to have all the parts on site to get the installation done and dusted on that day, we will have specified the correct designer radiator, we will have all items delivered to you on a set day, they should and are 99.9% of the time complete but we are always on hand to go through these with you to be sure. We always advise inspecting the radiator and accessories a few days in advance of installation, to ensure that any missing parts can be despatched in good time before your plumber arrives and to avoid delays in installation.