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

[Darrell]

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

That’ll be because the electrician wants a project and the plumber wants an easy life!!

Last time we did something similar it all went easily enough until it came to firing up the boiler. We ended up spending half a day taking it apart to fit new parts because it refused to restart.

Just spoke to some colleagues at work and the general consensus seems to be... f**k all that!! Plug in a heater. You probably won’t notice the cost difference anyway!!

 

[pmcgsmurf]

Some electricians do get peeved when I call them joiners.

 

[geoffus]

Some electricians do get peeved when I call them joiners.

Good for you for having a go at the plumbing, when it’s done you will be pleased, it’s an easy task and I did similar when fitting 2 rads in our conservatory.
Never been called a joiner, I was on installations and maintenance in the aircraft industry. We didn’t have any joiners making tornado afterburners.

 

[Happytalk73]

That’ll be because the electrician wants a project and the plumber wants an easy life!!

Last time we did something similar it all went easily enough until it came to firing up the boiler. We ended up spending half a day taking it apart to fit new parts because it refused to restart.

Just spoke to some colleagues at work and the general consensus seems to be... f**k all that!! Plug in a heater. You probably won’t notice the cost difference anyway!!

Lazy plumbers eh?

 

[Phil1968]

If you're worried about damp in the garage, get a dessicant type dehumidifier. As well as controlling humidity they have the added benefit of providing background heat. You can even attach a drain hose so you won't have to keep emptying the water collection tank.

 

[Darrell]

Lazy plumbers eh?

Nah, clever plumbers.

 

[geoffus]

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.

One I did earlier in the conservatory,

 

[Railwayman]

If you do end up doing it and have a Combi, will pay to install a filter at the same time (if not fitted), makes adding inhibitor so much easier.

 

[pmcgsmurf]

If you're worried about damp in the garage, get a dessicant type dehumidifier. As well as controlling humidity they have the added benefit of providing background heat. You can even attach a drain hose so you won't have to keep emptying the water collection tank.

Never had any damp problems either in the garage or the house.

 

[pmcgsmurf]

If you do end up doing it and have a Combi, will pay to install a filter at the same time (if not fitted), makes adding inhibitor so much easier.

Could be a good point.

I was thinking of taking a couple of small bore lines of the feed and return with valves at the boiler end.
If it does not work I can simply turn the valves off and the system is as before.

When I add inhibitor I do this at a radiator.
Are you saying I could add some sort of filter at the boiler feed or return that makes adding the inhibitor easier?

 

[W1ghty]

Could be a good point.

I was thinking of taking a couple of small bore lines of the feed and return with valves at the boiler end.
If it does not work I can simply turn the valves off and the system is as before.

When I add inhibitor I do this at a radiator.
Are you saying I could add some sort of filter at the boiler feed or return that makes adding the inhibitor easier?

Magnetic filters are fitted on the main return just before the boiler, the idea is that they catch magnetic particles before they get into the boilers heat exchanger , some of them make it easy to add inhibitor or cleaners .

 

[Darrell]

Could be a good point.

I was thinking of taking a couple of small bore lines of the feed and return with valves at the boiler end.
If it does not work I can simply turn the valves off and the system is as before.

When I add inhibitor I do this at a radiator.
Are you saying I could add some sort of filter at the boiler feed or return that makes adding the inhibitor easier?

Yes. Fit a MagnaClean. I’m surprised you haven’t got one already.

It’s imperative that your pipework is kept very clear hence my mention of a power flush earlier.

 

[Phil1968]

Never had any damp problems either in the garage or the house.

Ah OK. I assumed when you mentioned "keeping the car cosy" you were concerned about damp. Trouble with fitting a radiator in the garage is that (I'm assuming you'll be turning the radiator on with the valve only when you're in the garage) when the thermostat in the house is satisfied the garage still won't be warm enough. Which is why I'd go for a radiant heater or fan heater with thermostat, that way it can be controlled independently.

 

[pmcgsmurf]

Magnetic filters are fitted on the main return just before the boiler, the idea is that they catch magnetic particles before they get into the boilers heat exchanger , some of them make it easy to add inhibitor or cleaners .

Thanks, I do get a problem with a section within my boiler gunging up.
Causes the pressure release valve to open and the boiler pressure to drop and swtich off.
Last 2 times I've tried to explain the problem to the service engineer without luck.
They replace the pressure relief valve, refill the system and the fault remains a few days later.
Get the odd engineer that comes out that knows the fault (strip and clean gunged up internal pipe) straight away, others are useless.

 

[Darrell]

Yes. Fit a MagnaClean. I’m surprised you haven’t got one already.

It’s imperative that your pipework is kept very clear hence my mention of a power flush earlier.

 

[Petrol Pete]

I made the mistake of plumbing in a rad this way when I was a 16 year old apprentice.
It didn’t heat up properly.

When I bought my house it had a backboiler and 11 radiators ALL running from one single 15mm pipe, no flow and return . there was not one single soldered joint , every single one was a compression fitting , a clear indication of a non professional job. Other indications were chain drilled floorboards and bent over nails holding the copper pipes and zero insulation on any of the pipes on the lower floors. No TRV's and no stat...needless to say it was very inefficient. How the previous owners had lived with it for years was a mystery to me, one rad so hot you could not go near it...others ice cold. And to think single pipe systems were once a 'thing'

 

[W1ghty]

If you use the Adey Pro 2 filter above , you can connect one of the Adey Magnacleanse filters for a day (takes minutes to connect )

 

[Railwayman]

View attachment 107100

That's what I fitted to my system, works very well, clean it once a year and add inhibitor.

 

[Darrell]

When I bought my house it had a backboiler and 11 radiators ALL running from one single 15mm pipe, no flow and return . there was not one single soldered joint , every single one was a compression fitting , a clear indication of a non professional job. Other indications were chain drilled floorboards and bent over nails holding the copper pipes and zero insulation on any of the pipes on the lower floors. No TRV's and no stat...needless to say it was very inefficient. How the previous owners had lived with it for years was a mystery to me, one rad so hot you could not go near it...others ice cold. And to think single pipe systems were once a 'thing'

Sounds a bit like my nans old place.

 

[pmcgsmurf]

Magnetic filters are fitted on the main return just before the boiler, the idea is that they catch magnetic particles before they get into the boilers heat exchanger , some of them make it easy to add inhibitor or cleaners .

Yes. Fit a MagnaClean. I’m surprised you haven’t got one already.

It’s imperative that your pipework is kept very clear hence my mention of a power flush earlier.

Thanks, very cool, never seen these before but I'm not a plumbing guy.
Just watched a mad plumber on Youtube doing an install on this, seen a few of his videos, quite funny.