Build hot water radiator?

adambnyc

Anyone ever build their own hot water baseboard type rad? I've got a small half bath off my kitchen that has no heat. It's just about too narrow for a conventional baseboard hot water loop type heater. I am looking for an inwall recessed heater. All I've found are electric ones, and the beacon Morris kick plate heater with the in wall kit. That requires electric of course.

So I got to thinking (always a bad idea, usually means I'm about to spend money), why can't I grab some 3/4" copper and some elbows and build my own? I'd make 4 or 5 sections, kinda like

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Formatting is screwing things up. Image the picture as a kinda serpentine type

Sorry for the bad drawing, but hopefully you get the idea. I'd make each length 14" to fit in the stud 16" OC framing. I'd also add fins. This way I'm getting a good 3 to 4 feet or so of radiation in a smaller space.

Thoughts? Terrible idea? How do you think it would perform without some kinda blower?

SWEI

Is the recess going to be in an exterior or an interior wall?

What kind of water temps are you running in the system? Convectors fall off pretty sharply at low temps.

You can still buy recessed convectors (Modine PL comes to mind) but you can also buy bare fin/tube element from a number of sources, like Slant/Fin.

adambnyc

Interior wall. Its going to be a hw loop directly off a steam boiler, so I'm gonna mix to 180 degrees.

adambnyc

The bathroom is only 4 by 6. Very small.

Big Ed_4

Baseboard slowly I turn step by step......Panel Radiators is the way to go .They make narrow and tall units perfect for bathroom .. Easy to install more output then baseboard ..40% radiant heat 60% convection ..powder coated collects no dust .. Diverter tees on the run , if adding the optional thermostat Cool , add the second optional diverter at the radiator ...

SWEI

At that size, I'd recommend a hydronic towel warmer.

kcopp

http://www.qhtinc.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/ECO_COMPACT-LITERATURE.pdf

Mark Eatherton

Unless you will have a heat exchanger to isolate, you will need to use all non ferrous components. Steel panel radiators are typically a thin steel panel, and will rust out in short order due to the oxygen content in the condensate. Control is going to be another issue, because in most cases, the only time you will have hot fluid available will be when the steam thermostat is calling.

ME