towel rads need a boost

[Neil T]

I've been to see an old customer who is having a problem with a couple of towel rads in a bathroom.
It's a 'very' big old victorian house with 3 floors and basement (looks and feels like a hotel inside) and has 2 boilers in basement. Heating works perfectly for rest of house and customer wants to add a pump to the pipework to the towel rads with a manual switch so he can control when he wants them warmed. I suggested just fitting electric rads if he was going to do that but they are big towel rads and doesnt want to replace them.
Also the distance from programmer to the bathroom would rule out any extra wiring for a new stat and converting to wireless isn't an option to him at the moment or i would of suggested adding an extra 'zone'.
He's an old engineer and reckons his idea would work but i'm a bit sceptic about it. Wouldn't it cause a problem to main circuit if he added the pump on that pipework? (its about a 10m run to the towel rads and they are on 1st floor of house)
I have a feeling i'm missing a simple answer to this but thats why i'm writing on here
Any ideas?

 

[SimonG]

Id be wanting to know if it worked before or shut down a few rads to see if they work. Could just need rebalancing, could be the start of becoming sludged up. Could drop a couple of bittles of cleaner in it for a week and then drain and flush through.

 

[village idiot]

Don't you just love ''Engineers''?
If I were in your shoes, I will gladly go with his suggestion (after getting him t sign a disclaimer). Once they are convinced their ideas are the right ones, you may just as well be banging your head on a stone.
Should you choose not to go ahead with his idea, then whatever you do must work perfectly or he will say: ''If only you had done what I had suggested, all would have been ok now''

 

[Ermintrude]

Fit a pipe stat on primaries and control pump with that but where on earth will you fit said pump? Two boilers? Header? Or one 65kw open vent doing a 200l vented cylinder on the moon and 15kw balanced flue doing ch?

 

[Neil T]

he wants pump within a meter of rads and control switch outside of door. surely that will interfere with rest of system if he switches that on then the other rads on that floor and floor above would be affected. going to try simonG suggestion first then maybe try and swing him towards my electric rad idea ... will save time and any further probs but i don't think he'll go for it

 

[Ermintrude]

Oh well he's the engineer what do u know

 

[kay-jay]

You can buy elements to retro fit to his existing towel rads.

 

[Neil T]

Cheers kay-jay, I'm gonna have a chat with customer tomorrow and see if I can swing him that way. Seems a good compromise and saves me going backwards and forwards to tinker with any further probs caused with system. Got a spark on stand by to fit fused spur and controller just in case

 

[Neil T]

Oh, apparently rads have never worked properly, never managed to get full heat to them. Think there has to be a piping issue as they are pretty far from main circuit and still no joy when other rads are shut off. So rather than try and sort where and how, gonna go for quick and easy solution above.

 

[Centralheatking]

The Shower Power Booster (UKPF Sponsor) has an additional application which might be just what you need. Follow the ad above and call the inventor he will be pleased to talk to you. CHKing

 

[Neil T]

After getting customer round to thinking the dual fuel heating elements were a good idea, he has now decided the quote was too much and he wants to work on the system again. I have messaged Alan about the radiator booster that you suggested Centralheatking, and it looks like it could be a winner. He gets a pump that he insisted on (just not a daft 5m head one) and a cheaper quote, and I get an easy installation. Just waiting to hear from Alan

 

[Neil T]

Installed the rad booster today and towel rails are working a treat. Nifty litle pump and easy install too
Will use again if opportunity pops up

 

[AWheating]

what pump did you fit? does it provide boiler interlock?

 

[Neil T]

The shower booster one from one of this sites sponsors. Its fitted on a sepetate run off the main circuit to a bathroom. It seemed to be being bipassed as there was no circulation to the towel rad. The booster pump is connected to a standard plug so can be switched on and off when needed with no disruption to rest of system. I also fitted an iso valve that was just open so when it was on it just took enough to heat the rads.