Radiator installation and replacement

Swapping a radiator looks like a straight exchange until the new one leaves the room cold. Jamie fits, moves and replaces radiators and towel rails across Shefford, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and the Cambridge area.

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The mistake that makes a room cold

Almost every radiator complaint that comes in after a replacement traces back to the same thing. Somebody chose a radiator they liked the look of rather than one that puts out what the room needs. A slim vertical column in a chic finish can throw out a fraction of what the fat old double panel under the window was doing. The room then never quite warms up again.

Radiators are rated by output. Match or beat the output of the one coming off the wall and the room behaves as it always did. Drop below it and no amount of adjusting valves will get it back. That check takes two minutes and it is the single most useful thing a plumber can do before you order anything.

Output checked before you order

Tell Jamie the radiator you like the look of and he will tell you whether it will keep the room as warm as the one you are taking off the wall.

Fixed to hold the weight

A tall column radiator full of water is heavy. Brackets go into something solid rather than into plasterboard and hope.

Balanced before he leaves

A new radiator changes how the rest of the run behaves. The valves are set so one room does not end up stealing from another.

Jamie Barber of Jamie the Happy Plumber, radiator installation and replacement in Shefford, Bedfordshire

How a radiator swap runs

Most of the work happens either side of hanging the radiator. This is the order the job goes in so the room ends up warmer rather than quieter.

  1. 1

    Check the output and the fixings

    The existing radiator is measured and its output worked out, then compared against whatever you have chosen. The wall gets checked at the same time, because a vertical column needs something solid behind it rather than a sheet of plasterboard.

  2. 2

    Isolate and drain down

    Where valves allow it the radiator is isolated and dropped on its own, which avoids emptying the whole system for a single swap. Where a drain down is unavoidable it gets done properly and the water goes outside rather than across the floor.

  3. 3

    Set the pipework and the position

    A like for like swap usually lands on the existing tails. A move means lifting boards and running new pipe to the new position with the tails coming up in the right place for the valve centres on the new radiator.

  4. 4

    Hang it and connect the valves

    Brackets fixed into something that will hold the weight, radiator hung level and the valves fitted with the thermostatic head on one end and the lockshield on the other. Tails are cut to length rather than bent to fit.

  5. 5

    Refill, vent and balance

    System refilled, air bled out and every joint checked under pressure. Then the lockshields get set so the new radiator does not starve the rest of the run. That last step is the one most people never get.

The radiator work Jamie covers

Swaps, additions, moves and the towel rails that come with a bathroom.

Like for like replacements

Old panel off, new one on the existing tails. The quickest job on this page and usually done without disturbing the rest of the room.

Vertical and column radiators

Designer verticals and traditional columns fitted with the fixings and the output checked before anything is ordered.

Moving a radiator

Off the window wall, onto a different wall or out of the way of a new kitchen. Pipework rerouted under the floor to the new position.

Valve replacement

Thermostatic valves, lockshields and seized or weeping valve bodies changed, with the radiator isolated rather than the whole system emptied.

Changing a radiator or moving one?

Send Jamie the radiator you are looking at and the size of the one coming off the wall. He will tell you whether it stacks up before you spend anything.

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Choosing a radiator without regretting it

There is a lot of choice and very little useful guidance attached to most of it. These are the things worth settling before an order goes in.

Output beats looks every time

Every radiator has a rated output. Write down the height, width and whether the old one is single or double panel, then check the replacement against it. If the one you want falls short, going taller or doubling up on panels usually closes the gap without changing the style you are after.

Valve centres and tail positions

Radiators have different distances between their valve connections, so a new one rarely lands exactly on the old tails. Small differences are absorbed with the right fittings. Large ones mean lifting a board, which is worth knowing before rather than on the day.

What the wall can carry

A tall column radiator full of water is a serious weight hanging off two brackets. Solid walls are rarely an issue. Stud walls and dot and dab need fixings into something real. Occasionally that means a noggin put in behind the plasterboard first.

Making good after a move

Moving a radiator means floorboards up and often a chase in a wall. The plumbing side is straightforward enough. The decorating that follows is a separate trade. You will be told plainly what sits inside the quote and what does not before the job starts.

What it costs

A straight swap and a move to the opposite wall are very different jobs, so there is no single figure worth quoting. Every job is priced and agreed before work starts with no hidden charges. Send the details of the radiator when you get in touch and you will get a price for the job in front of you.

Where Jamie works

Radiator work runs across Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and into the Cambridge area from the Shefford base. You can check your own town on the areas we cover page, which lists every part of Beds, Herts, Bucks and Cambridgeshire Jamie travels to.

Not sure if Jamie covers your village?

The coverage hub lists every area across Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and the Cambridge area.

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Related plumbing work

Radiators tend to get changed as part of something bigger. These are the pages that come up alongside most often.

If a valve or a tail has let go and water is coming out faster than a bucket can take it, the emergency plumber page covers out of hours attendance instead. A weeping valve elsewhere in the house sits under leaking tap repairs. If the radiator is being moved to make room for a new suite then toilet repairs and installation is worth a look at the same time.

Radiator questions

Can I swap a radiator for one that looks better?

Yes, as long as the new one puts out at least as much as the old one. Radiators are rated by output and a slimmer or more stylish model often gives less than the panel it replaces, which leaves the room colder. Check it before you order rather than after.

Do you have to drain the whole system to change a radiator?

Not usually. Where the valves allow it the radiator can be isolated and dropped on its own, which saves a lot of time and mess. A full drain down is only needed where the valves have seized or where pipework is being altered.

Can a radiator be moved to a different wall?

Yes. It means lifting floorboards and running new pipework to the new position, with the tails brought up to suit the valve centres on the radiator. The plumbing is straightforward. The decorating afterwards is a separate trade.

What is the difference between the two valves on a radiator?

One is the thermostatic valve you turn to set the room, the other is the lockshield which is set once and left alone. The lockshield controls how much flow that radiator takes compared with the rest of the run, which is what balancing means.

Can you fit a tall vertical radiator on a stud wall?

In most cases yes, although it needs fixing into something solid rather than plasterboard alone. Filled with water a tall column is heavy, so the wall gets checked first and a noggin put in behind if there is nothing to fix to.

Can you add a radiator to a room that does not have one?

Usually yes, depending on how close the existing pipework runs and what the floor is. It is worth talking through the room and the position on the phone first, because the route the pipe has to take decides most of the job.

Get the right radiator on the wall

Jamie the Happy Plumber fits, moves and replaces radiators and towel rails across Shefford and the surrounding counties. Output checked, fixings done properly, balanced before he leaves.

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