Radiator addition question

Paul Callaway

Hello

I am in the process of remodeling my house and am moving a radiator. The system is two-pipe hot water with a pump (new boiler last year), with mains 2+" going down to 1" or 3/4" for branches. 1600 sq ft, 10 or so radiators. I've disconnected the radiator (fed by 1" pipe) and capped the pipes, and am looking to move it to another wall in the same room.

It's most convenient to tap into existing 3/4 inch piping for a small bathroom radiator. Would you envision problems with the flow and heat production if I were to use this piping? And, if I were to use it, would it make the most sense to do it in parallel (as all the other radiators are), or serial?

If that's not recommended, Option 2 would be to tie the two tiny bathroom radiators together on one 3/4" pipe, and use a dedicated 3/4" pipe for the moved radiator, which is larger.

I appreciate any advice you can give me, thank you.

Paul

Steamhead

Paul, you need to maintain those pipe sizes

This is an old gravity system, using very low flow rates. If you reduce the pipe sizes or try to piggyback onto another radiator, you won't get enough flow, and they won't heat well. I'd move the 1-inch risers to where the radiator will be moved to.

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Paul Callaway

I was afraid of that

Thanks for the answer. I will give that a try - unfortunately, the company I had hired to disconnect the radiator (before I felt comfortable doing things myself) gave disconnecting the pipes a shot, but ended up cutting them and putting expanding rubber plugs in them. Keeps a tight seal, but not so great for taking the pipes off to somewhere else.

I will get my pipe wrenches and elbow grease out to take out the pipe remnants and lay new pipes from there - I want to do this right. Last winter there was no radiator in the kitchen at all, although luckily as the only insulated room in the house (and under construction) it wasn't too bad.

Paul