Add Heating Radiator in Garage / Any Plumbers offer Advice Please ?

[Darrell]

Its not too difficult as he said the boiler was in the garage, he could use:
10mm microbore,
Compression fittings,
Restrict the valves to help balance,
Adding inhibitor to header tank or maybe towel rail in bathroom,
Jetwash the old radiator.

Nice little project.

Yeah go for it.

Compression fittings
‘header’ tank’ whatever that is.
Jet wash the old radiator
Restrict the valves
10mm microbore

 

[pmcgsmurf]

Unfortunately it’s never that straight forward.

Can you access the existing pipework easily?
Do you have/need a pipe bender?
Do you have/need a blowlamp, flux, solder, heatmat
Do you know how to balance the system if needed?
Do you know how to put inhibitor into the system?
Will it need a power flush if you’re going to use a second hand radiator?

Yes to all apart from balancing the system.
I'd cheat though, have a nephew who is a plumber so I'd get him to do the tails into the existing feeds and likely have valves there so they could be switched off so as not to effect the system assuming there was a problem.

Inhibitor, have always asked British Gas about this when they service the boiler and they always tell me it is not needed. I've added it myself about 3 times after they have had the heat exchanger out and drained the system.

Don’t forget that if you do the job and it goes tits up, you’ll probably have no heating or hot water that night! And it’s cold outside!!

Another thing I found was an immersion heater in my storage tank.
Asked British Gas if I had one, the "engineer" said no, after investigation myself I do have one.

Is it easy to plug in an electric heater?

Very easy.

 

[pmcgsmurf]

In-laws used to have a Myson (not sure if there are other makes available, but they always referred to it as 'the Myson') in their garage so you could just turn it on when needed.

This sort of thing: WALLMOUNT fan convectors by MYSON - although theirs was more utilitarian looking, or perhaps that's just how they were years ago.

Thanks, will have a look.

 

[geoffus]

Yeah go for it.

Compression fittings
‘header’ tank’ whatever that is.
Jet wash the old radiator
Restrict the valves
10mm microbore

Unless its a conbi system where he could add inhibitor through any radiator before refilling and re pressuring via the filling loop.

 

[Darrell]

Yes to all apart from balancing the system.
I'd cheat though, have a nephew who is a plumber so I'd get him to do the tails into the existing feeds and likely have valves there so they could be switched off so as not to effect the system assuming there was a problem.

Inhibitor, have always asked British Gas about this when they service the boiler and they always tell me it is not needed. I've added it myself about 3 times after they have had the heat exchanger out and drained the system.




Another thing I found was an immersion heater in my storage tank.
Asked British Gas if I had one, the "engineer" said no, after investigation myself I do have one.



Very easy.

Get the nephew who is the plumber to do it!!

To be fair to British Gas, when you spoke to them re the immersion in your ‘storage tank’ their answer was actually correct. Your immersion lives in the cylinder. The storage tank is the large rectangular thing in your loft and the correct term is a Cold Water Storage Tank or CWST for short.

 

[Darrell]

View attachment 107082

Unless its a conbi system where he could add inhibitor through any radiator before refilling and re pressuring via the filling loop.

Thanks for the diagram.
Im an Advanced C&G plumber with 37 years experience. And it’s a combi system.

 

[geoffus]

Thanks for the diagram.
Im an Advanced C&G plumber with 37 years experience. And it’s a combi system.

So why the negativity when the OP asks for advice, and why would he have an immersion heater if it's a combi ?

 

[Darrell]

So why the negativity when the OP asks for advice, and why would he have an immersion heater if it's a combi ?

No negativity at all, just being realistic and helpful. I said right at the start that despite me being a plumber I’d fit an electric heater because it’s easier.

The OP asked BG if he had an immersion heater in his storage tank. BG said no. They were correct.

Who said the OP has a combi boiler? Not me.

 

[geoffus]

So why the negativity when the OP asks for advice, and why would he have an immersion heater if it's a combi ?

“Im an Advanced C&G plumber with 37 years experience. And it’s a combi system.”

You did.

 

[Darrell]

“Im an Advanced C&G plumber with 37 years experience. And it’s a combi system.”

You did.

The line about it being a combi was correcting your line where you called it a conbi.

 

[Darrell]

Unless its a conbi system where he could add inhibitor through any radiator before refilling and re pressuring via the filling loop.

Have a look.

 

[geoffus]

Your right,
I’ll get my coat.

 

[Darrell]

Your right,
I’ll get my coat.

Like I said. 37 years as a C&G advanced plumber

In all honesty, if a potential customer called me up to have a look at this little job I’d probably advise them to fit an electric heater unless the boiler was very close by.

 

[geoffus]

But I still think it’s an easy job and rewarding, And I’ve always called it a header tank, and BG would have known what he meant when he asked about immersion, storage tank or cylinder.

C&G qualified electrician with distinction.

 

[Darrell]

C&G qualified electrician with distinction.

It’s a Feed & Expansion Cistern.
British Gas can be pedantic.

So your not a plumber then?
When I’m after electrical advice I’ll ask an electrician and get him to do it. We have over 100 of them working for my firm.

 

[geoffus]

It’s a Feed & Expansion Cistern.
British Gas can be pedantic.

So your not a plumber then?
When I’m after electrical advice I’ll ask an electrician and get him to do it. We have over 100 of them working for my firm.

They would prob say be realistic and don’t bother.

 

[Deleted member 113659]

Ironic that a sparky is recommending a radiator and a plumber an electric heater.

I personally would go for a radiator. Cheaper to run than electric IMO. The boiler would barely notice an extra rad.

However, electric would be more flexible heat wise. Could be set up on a timber to come on at will. Rather than just when central heating is on. Unless you want to go all out and add a single zone.

Both have different advantages/disadvantages.

 

[pmcgsmurf]

Get the nephew who is the plumber to do it!!

Exactly, I always do the donkey work like fitting towel radiators to wall etc. then just leave him to do the connections. He is a busy lad though and prefers family time rather than an endless run of homers.

To be fair to British Gas, when you spoke to them re the immersion in your ‘storage tank’ their answer was actually correct. Your immersion lives in the cylinder. The storage tank is the large rectangular thing in your loft and the correct term is a Cold Water Storage Tank or CWST for short.

No CWST here, house is only around 17 years old.
I showed then my hot water storage tank in a cupboard with wires going into it and a switch on the wall that said "hot water"

 

[pmcgsmurf]

Like I said. 37 years as a C&G advanced plumber

In all honesty, if a potential customer called me up to have a look at this little job I’d probably advise them to fit an electric heater unless the boiler was very close by.

Thanks, that's probably my main point.
The boiler is right where I'd want to put a radiator in the garage.
Noting enclosed either pipe wise so I'd probably do some wood work and create a little cupboard around the pipe work at the same time just to make this look a bit better.

 

[optimusprime]

I used a greenhouse fan heater .It was set to operate by a timer,, to switch on, and off, through out the day and night .