Thank you!! I was about to call a plumber to help me fit a smaller rad! I had no idea those unions were available! Now I can change the rad myself!! Excellent video! Second time you've helped me this weekend!
This guy is legend…the amount off money I have saved and the diy knowledge I have learned is mostly down to him. Great guy folks…I wholeheartedly thank him for his videos
Thank you so much for posting this, right to the point and incredibly helpful, even answering what would have been my follow up google searches. Thanks!
So glad I watched this, been searching for ages for a specific (non-metric) size, now I know what to do! Not been able to make any progress with our bathroom refurb plus the old rad is worryingly rusty along the bottom...Thanks for posting and I love the guest appearance from your little helper :D
Thanks for the tip. I recently decided to change a towel rail in a property I rent out. I measured centre of pipe to centre of pipe thinking this was correct. the plumber had actually said it's 600mm, but as he hadn't measured it, i assumed he was wrong. He returned about a week later to carry out several jobs, but when he came to fitting the towel rail there was a problem. Luckily I managed to take it back and buy the 600mm one, which I should have bought in the first place. Now we need a new radiator in our own house and it'll be fitted by the same plumber so I don't want to make the same mistake again. Regards from Whitley Bay
Thanks mate- nice plain English! Got an old rad under a window and when our cat wanted to go out of the window, as I opened it in bare feet I noticed the carpet was wet and the rad was leaking so thanks to Maisie, or I wouldn't have spotted it. Cats and plumbing? Well good combo for me- just have to replace the rad now! Cheers again.
Thank You!!! Just having walls re-plastered and taking the opportunity to replace some very old radiators. Also bonus points for keeping Shadow in the video and not re-shooting it.
@@dereton33 they get everywhere! Looks like I might be keeping the old rad anyway, the valve outlets for the current rad are 3/4" and it's a 1500mm rad, not sure what bits I would need to be able to fit a new rad without draining the whole system and fitting new valves.
great video thank you. i didn't know about those extending union parts but they solve my dilemma in changing old rads for new and could save me a great deal of cash. good on you mate
All your videos are so straightforward & helpful! You've saved me a lot of head-scratching and headaches. Thank you! Love Shadow, the plumber's apprentice :D
Thanks for this, it’s saved us so much money on refurbishing our family home to a tight budget. We have a current radiator that measures 2180mm width by 50mm height and it’s impossible to find anything that long. Screw fix do a 2000mm by 300mm rad, so with a couple of valve extensions I can at least give it a go. Thanks again!
Brilliantly explained. Wasn’t expecting the bit on imperial sizes - I am changing an imperial sized rad which is around 960mm wide so guess I better go for a 950 or 900mm. Thanks for the tutorial!
Shadow either wants to be a big star in the movies, or he/she is hungry. Quick - sign Shadow up - that cat's a natural! LOL Thanks for another great vid.
Thank-you this is just what I wanted to know about what size to order if you have old ones and can't find the right size. One other thing I wanted to check though was for really old houses (100 years old) where the pipework runs along the wall instead of out of the floor, should I also go for smaller ? B&Q's website advises to go for bigger if your pipes run along the wall and the extra pipes can be cut but they agree with you and say go shorter if the pipes come out of the floor. Thanks
Really helpful video. Thank you. Can I ask what is the limit in terms of going smaller? My radiators have been removed and I am looking to replace and so only have the distance between the pipes to go by. This is 81cm and the radiator available are either 82cm or 66cm. Is 66cm too small? Thank you in advance! Ps my cat always get in the way too. Hi shadow!
Hi, in the process of changing the rads in my house at the moment. An example would be a 1000mm long but they do not have TRVs on them. They are the old type inlet valve. The distance between centres of the pipe is approximately 1030mm Can I simply buy a new 1000mm rad and TRVs and fit them without trouble or would I get in trouble because there is not enough room for the TRV? From my understanding I would need approximately 45mm either side of pipe centres so for a 1000mm rad I would need 1090mm for pipe centres in order to fit a TRV. Many thanks for the helpful videos too they have been really helpful in the past!
@@dereton33 great thank you. I will purchase the rads and see if I am short I can always buy the extensions. Would prefer to short rather than too much of a gap. Ideally just want to replace like for like with added TRV. Hopefully I can do that
Hi Al. watched loads of your videos but maybe you could do one on accurately calculating BTU for sizing up radiators for rooms. I'm no plumber but do a lot of maintenance on housing and have gained a lot of knowledge on plumbing through doing this. I know there are calculators online but I want to know if there is a way to do it in your head as it were? many thanks. Marc
Brilliant video thank you, I have a 1920mm X 400 radiator I want to change out, looks like an 1800mm is the closest size I can get with the metric sizes, something like an 1800x500 should hopefully do nicely as got a lot of spare height room, would a 60mm valve extension either side be the correct way to do it?
Hi Al, i need to buy radiator tails for a couple of radiators i'm replacing. Any chance you could do a short video explaining where i take my measurements from and to so as to get the correct length tails., Thanks Steven
Great video, especially the part about to fix the sizing problem (imperial to metric). I'm considering new wooden flooring, and I've got the imperial radiators, they seem to work fine but the the pipes connecting the radiator radiator look really rusty, is it easy to replace them or shall I just bite the bullet and replace the radiators? Thanks very much in advance.
Thanks for the video - I've bought a 1000mm rad to replace an old old old 960mm rad... Am I going to need to lift the floor and alter the feed do you think or should I take it back and get a 900mm rad?
@@dereton33 Cheers for that. I reckon I might still need to get under the laminate flooring. I don't think the feed and return legs are long enough for the new rad - I'm hoping there might be some spare length. Otherwise I'll have to use the old olive and valve nuts on the new valves and that's just not cricket. I just watched your video on removing olives and I did wonder if you've ever used a multitool to remove the pipe top from the olive upwards. I'm considering doing that but am a bit worried about sending that much vibration around the system... Cheers again and lover the channel - I never got an apprenticeship after I got my city and guilds cause I was too old so getting some seasoned advice is awesome.
P.s. request your next video to be how to deal with accessing under floor pipes when the bu**ars who laid the floor locked everything down with skirting and laminate
Hi, great video, love the nosey cat (got one ourselves).You mention at the beginning about old rads rusting.I purchased 2 Myson replacement rads for my bathroom (first attempt) and they started to show rust on the bottom seam after 2-3yrs. Someone told me I should have flushed them out before I fitted them. Are you aware of this? I used some extensions when fitting, made the job so much easier (no leaks :) thanks for the great vids.
Good video, thanks for uploading. I have a radiator that is just short of 1300mm in width. I'm looking for a column-style replacement and nearest i can find is 1193mm. Will this be ok?
Great video, but what about wall to centre measurements? I have 1989s rads rusting from the inside out and they're all imperial but they're also about 43mm wall to centre of valve. Any tips on putting, say, a new rad with 50mm wall to centre, or will the pipes need adjusting?
This was such a good video ... Thanks, wish I had watched it before scrapping my old rads before measuring for the new ones DOH now im stuck aaaarrrrgggghhhh
Another great video Al. Just one question.I’ve worked out the radiator size & what size union I need, the only problem I’ve got is that my pipe work is micro pipe (8mm) when I changed a valve in the kit was a reduced which I screwed into the radiator. How would I get over this if I bought a union as they all seem to fit 15mm pipe work?
You used to be able to get a reducer to fit in the union taking it down to 8 mm, if they are not available any more, then you may be able to buy a 15 mm to 8 mm coupling.
Hi Al , thank you for this video , I will have approximately 180mm to make up overall before my new double rad will meet my TRV and lock shied , for this rad I do not want to drain down the system and am thinking of using the extension pieces , the old rad is a single and could be 30 yrs or more old , I have very little movement on the pipe work , the outlets on the new rad will not line up with TRV or lock shield so I was wondering if it is possible to put a set on the the extension pieces as I see you can get the up-to 120mm or is the extension piece made of a “ non bending material “ or can I make my own set out of 15 mm copper and connect to the new rad with a compression coupling? . Regards, Dermot Kelly .
Thanks for the video. My client has 380 width radiators? I want to change like for like and cant seem to fit them. I know I can get 400mm width ones. What do you suggest? Thanks
Need quick advice,about to change bathroom rad,it measures 64cm wide if I purchase 60cm wide rad and use the extension your talking about will this be ok.
Love it when you find a video that gets straight to the point in explaining the exact thing you needed explained. Nice one!👍🏻
No problem.
Six years later this video still serving the public. Great advice done well. Top man.
Some jobs remain the same.
@@dereton33 It's now *nine* years later. Top man and top cat!
That was a top video. I was not aware of the existence of extending union valves and was contemplating pulling up floorboards! Thank you.
Thank you!! I was about to call a plumber to help me fit a smaller rad! I had no idea those unions were available! Now I can change the rad myself!! Excellent video! Second time you've helped me this weekend!
No problem Robert.
Such a sensible and practical TH-cam video. I thoroughly recommend it.
This guy is legend…the amount off money I have saved and the diy knowledge I have learned is mostly down to him. Great guy folks…I wholeheartedly thank him for his videos
Thanks for your kind comments, pleased I could help
Like many people already commented. Simple and straightforward explanation. Thank you!
You're welcome!
Thank you so much for posting this, right to the point and incredibly helpful, even answering what would have been my follow up google searches. Thanks!
You're very welcome!
Just realised, whenever I look up a basic plumbing video I end up watching yours so finally subbed, thanks
Awesome! Thank you!
Great and simple video. I'm changing from an old rad and your info on those extenders is so useful.
Thank you!
Great to hear!
So glad I watched this, been searching for ages for a specific (non-metric) size, now I know what to do! Not been able to make any progress with our bathroom refurb plus the old rad is worryingly rusty along the bottom...Thanks for posting and I love the guest appearance from your little helper :D
You are so welcome!. Ps she always puts in a guest appearance, ha ha.
Really helpful. I'm ordering a replacement rad today and that makes it so clear. I loved your cat's insistence on gate crashing your vid! Jenny
Jenny Yes our cat shadow loves to be in on the action. Al.
Very useful short film, extremely grateful....and of course 'shadow' is now immortalised on film! Thanks, Chris
Shadow is a natural ha ha.
Thanks for the tip.
I recently decided to change a towel rail in a property I rent out. I measured centre of pipe to centre of pipe thinking this was correct. the plumber had actually said it's 600mm, but as he hadn't measured it, i assumed he was wrong. He returned about a week later to carry out several jobs, but when he came to fitting the towel rail there was a problem. Luckily I managed to take it back and buy the 600mm one, which I should have bought in the first place.
Now we need a new radiator in our own house and it'll be fitted by the same plumber so I don't want to make the same mistake again.
Regards from Whitley Bay
All the best Brian.
Excellent video. I have the issue of an old radiator and had no idea about an extending union. Thank you.
Thank you.
Your videos are always spot on straight to the point & informative not full of pointless rubbish like many others are well done 👍
Thanks Jeremy.
Brilliant! To the point and finally someone who gives proper solutions to everyday common problems! 👏🏼
No problem 😊
just re decorating mrs wants fancy new rads so came here to see how i get a proper idea how to measure for new ones... cheers mate...
No problem.
Thanks mate- nice plain English! Got an old rad under a window and when our cat wanted to go out of the window, as I opened it in bare feet I noticed the carpet was wet and the rad was leaking so thanks to Maisie, or I wouldn't have spotted it. Cats and plumbing? Well good combo for me- just have to replace the rad now! Cheers again.
Good luck with it Gary.
Absolutely great video. Straight to the chase and was understandable which is a miracle these days.
Thanks
Proper video with a proper direct answer and solution as I am replacing old for new. Top man top video 👍
Thanks Kirk.
1st video I looked at and it answered my questions perfectly. Thank you, to you and your cat!
You are so welcome! Meow.
brilliant thanks plumbers are so expensive and they hard to get round to give quotes. thank you for your videos very informative
No problem 😊
I thought it was measured half way from pipe to other pipe. This clears it up cheers again.
No problem
Thank You!!! Just having walls re-plastered and taking the opportunity to replace some very old radiators. Also bonus points for keeping Shadow in the video and not re-shooting it.
She is a star in her own right, ha ha.
@@dereton33 they get everywhere!
Looks like I might be keeping the old rad anyway, the valve outlets for the current rad are 3/4" and it's a 1500mm rad, not sure what bits I would need to be able to fit a new rad without draining the whole system and fitting new valves.
Yes that is a drain down job.
@@dereton33 thought as much, thanks for the confirmation, I don't dislike the current radiator enough for that haha!
great video thank you. i didn't know about those extending union parts but they solve my dilemma in changing old rads for new and could save me a great deal of cash. good on you mate
No problem 👍
What a nice guy. Thanks for this video, this was just the answer I was looking for.
You are welcome!
All your videos are so straightforward & helpful! You've saved me a lot of head-scratching and headaches. Thank you! Love Shadow, the plumber's apprentice :D
Thanks, I have to say Shadow`s a great apprentice.
Thanks for this, it’s saved us so much money on refurbishing our family home to a tight budget. We have a current radiator that measures 2180mm width by 50mm height and it’s impossible to find anything that long. Screw fix do a 2000mm by 300mm rad, so with a couple of valve extensions I can at least give it a go. Thanks again!
No problem Matt.
Thank you for a very helpful video, especially as we have plumbers who'll use any excuse to charge more and make it seem extremely complicated..!!
No problem
So helpful mate - thank you for recognising the need to help with this.
No problem.
Thanks, very helpful info on replacing an old imperial measurement rad and using a smaller one/extending union.
Very welcome!
Nice one Al and the gorgeous Shadow. Hope you and Jan have a brilliant Christmas!
Thanks Jim, have a good Christmas too.
Brilliantly explained. Wasn’t expecting the bit on imperial sizes - I am changing an imperial sized rad which is around 960mm wide so guess I better go for a 950 or 900mm. Thanks for the tutorial!
No problem.
Thanks for the tip I never knew they were measured from the frame. Never knew about the extenders either.
No problem.
A really helpful and well made video.
Thanks for showing meeow it's done.
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for the info, exactly what I needed to know as replacing one next week. Many thanks.
No problem 👍
Thank you so much for your vids. Doing some decorating and your vids are a godsend.
You are so welcome!
What a brilliant video. Answered every question of mine.
No problem.
Thanks so much for this and all of your videos, they are brilliant. I've learnt a lot from them.
Great to hear!
Shadow either wants to be a big star in the movies, or he/she is hungry. Quick - sign Shadow up - that cat's a natural! LOL
Thanks for another great vid.
Just the clarification I needed right now. Thank you Al (and of course Shadow)!
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you for a very informative video, exactly what I needed.
You are welcome!
Great video. Plain speaking and understandable. Love shadow too ❤🐈
Thank you! 😊
Just love Shadow's appearance in this video!
Yes she was lovely. Long gone but still miss her.
Great little video. You made it very clear what to do. Brilliant and thanks 👍🏻
No problem 👍
Another clear and useful video - thanks Al
No problem Dave.
Thank-you, easy explanation.
Extending Union, just what I was after .!
No problem.
Excellent, straight to the point, all my questions answered 👍👍 thank you
No problem.
Another superb video Al. Nice special appearance from shadow
Yes it was, she luv`s photo bombing. Ha ha.
your videos have been a massive help ,thanks
Peter Gale No problem Pete. Al.
Thank-you this is just what I wanted to know about what size to order if you have old ones and can't find the right size. One other thing I wanted to check though was for really old houses (100 years old) where the pipework runs along the wall instead of out of the floor, should I also go for smaller ? B&Q's website advises to go for bigger if your pipes run along the wall and the extra pipes can be cut but they agree with you and say go shorter if the pipes come out of the floor. Thanks
If you go for bigger and cut the pipes do remember that you will then have to drain the system in order to do it.
Thanks so useful and love the helpful cat too - we have one of them too ! :)
Really helpful video. Thank you. Can I ask what is the limit in terms of going smaller? My radiators have been removed and I am looking to replace and so only have the distance between the pipes to go by. This is 81cm and the radiator available are either 82cm or 66cm. Is 66cm too small? Thank you in advance! Ps my cat always get in the way too. Hi shadow!
Yes 66 is too small. You would feel the heat difference. 🔥
Very helpful. All the info I needed in one vid
Glad it was helpful!
Hi, in the process of changing the rads in my house at the moment. An example would be a 1000mm long but they do not have TRVs on them. They are the old type inlet valve. The distance between centres of the pipe is approximately 1030mm Can I simply buy a new 1000mm rad and TRVs and fit them without trouble or would I get in trouble because there is not enough room for the TRV? From my understanding I would need approximately 45mm either side of pipe centres so for a 1000mm rad I would need 1090mm for pipe centres in order to fit a TRV. Many thanks for the helpful videos too they have been really helpful in the past!
You may still be a bit short , but if you get the rad valve variable chrome extension pieces you can make up the gap.
@@dereton33 great thank you. I will purchase the rads and see if I am short I can always buy the extensions. Would prefer to short rather than too much of a gap. Ideally just want to replace like for like with added TRV. Hopefully I can do that
You literally saved me hours. Thank you.
No problem.
Simple once you know how, thanks for posting.
No problem.
Hi Al. watched loads of your videos but maybe you could do one on accurately calculating BTU for sizing up radiators for rooms. I'm no plumber but do a lot of maintenance on housing and have gained a lot of knowledge on plumbing through doing this. I know there are calculators online but I want to know if there is a way to do it in your head as it were? many thanks. Marc
See what I can do Mark.
Brilliant video thank you, I have a 1920mm X 400 radiator I want to change out, looks like an 1800mm is the closest size I can get with the metric sizes, something like an 1800x500 should hopefully do nicely as got a lot of spare height room, would a 60mm valve extension either side be the correct way to do it?
That would be the easiest way to do it , other wise it is a case of draining the system and altering the feed pipes.
thanks the last bit about the extension connection was very helpful thank you shadow.
Thanks. Loved Shadow's appearance!
She`s always crashing my videos. Ha ha.
Hi Al, i need to buy radiator tails for a couple of radiators i'm replacing. Any chance you could do a short video explaining where i take my measurements from and to so as to get the correct length tails., Thanks Steven
I have a video on that already. th-cam.com/video/kMLsSA8r05M/w-d-xo.html
Excellent video! Very clear.
Glad it was helpful!
You have saved the day and my bank account! Thank you very much x
You’re welcome 😊
Great video, especially the part about to fix the sizing problem (imperial to metric). I'm considering new wooden flooring, and I've got the imperial radiators, they seem to work fine but the the pipes connecting the radiator radiator look really rusty, is it easy to replace them or shall I just bite the bullet and replace the radiators? Thanks very much in advance.
I would replace the radiators.
@@dereton33 thanks very much, you've got a new subscriber!
Just what I needed. Thank you!
No problem.
Thanks for the video - I've bought a 1000mm rad to replace an old old old 960mm rad... Am I going to need to lift the floor and alter the feed do you think or should I take it back and get a 900mm rad?
Take it back and get the 900, you can then use extending unions on the rad valves to make up the gap.
@@dereton33 Cheers for that. I reckon I might still need to get under the laminate flooring. I don't think the feed and return legs are long enough for the new rad - I'm hoping there might be some spare length. Otherwise I'll have to use the old olive and valve nuts on the new valves and that's just not cricket. I just watched your video on removing olives and I did wonder if you've ever used a multitool to remove the pipe top from the olive upwards. I'm considering doing that but am a bit worried about sending that much vibration around the system...
Cheers again and lover the channel - I never got an apprenticeship after I got my city and guilds cause I was too old so getting some seasoned advice is awesome.
P.s. request your next video to be how to deal with accessing under floor pipes when the bu**ars who laid the floor locked everything down with skirting and laminate
Really helpful - thank you - and Shadow is brilliant, too!
Ha ha thanks.
Hi, great video, love the nosey cat (got one ourselves).You mention at the beginning about old rads rusting.I purchased 2 Myson replacement rads for my bathroom (first attempt) and they started to show rust on the bottom seam after 2-3yrs. Someone told me I should have flushed them out before I fitted them. Are you aware of this? I used some extensions when fitting, made the job so much easier (no leaks :) thanks for the great vids.
No they do not need flushing.
This has come in very handy cheers mate ! 👌
No problem 👍
Good video, thanks for uploading. I have a radiator that is just short of 1300mm in width. I'm looking for a column-style replacement and nearest i can find is 1193mm. Will this be ok?
Yes. you will have to make up the gap though.
Great video, but what about wall to centre measurements? I have 1989s rads rusting from the inside out and they're all imperial but they're also about 43mm wall to centre of valve. Any tips on putting, say, a new rad with 50mm wall to centre, or will the pipes need adjusting?
Hi Jonathan, when you get a new rad the brackets are made to fit with a short side or a long side to accommodate wall distances to rad.
Very good video. Thank you 👍🏽
You sir, are a legend! Thank you
No problem!
Brilliant, so helpful, thank you!!
You're very welcome!
This was such a good video ... Thanks, wish I had watched it before scrapping my old rads before measuring for the new ones DOH now im stuck aaaarrrrgggghhhh
Elizabeth Rayman Never mind Elizabeth, its something you will remember for next time.
Explained my issue perfectly, thanks!
No problem.
Another great video Al. Just one question.I’ve worked out the radiator size & what size union I need, the only problem I’ve got is that my pipe work is micro pipe (8mm) when I changed a valve in the kit was a reduced which I screwed into the radiator. How would I get over this if I bought a union as they all seem to fit 15mm pipe work?
You used to be able to get a reducer to fit in the union taking it down to 8 mm, if they are not available any more, then you may be able to buy a 15 mm to 8 mm coupling.
dereton33 Thanks Al 👍🏻
Thanks for such useful advice once again!
No problem.
Perfect - imperial to metric is such a pain with plumbing! Thumbs up for Shadow too.
Thanks Andy, Shadow is long gone now, we still miss her though.
Thanks a lot! Really helpful. I would like to replace my old bathroom radiator with a towel radiator any tips for me?
Just make sure it is the same width as your radiator it is easier to fit.
Very helpful mate, thank you for doing this!
Really helpful thanks. Love the input from from shadow 😊
Yes a real video crasher.
Brilliant information, thank you ⭐
Glad it was helpful!
Can you do a video explaining how to swap out a modern steel rad with an old cast iron one? Looking for that older look
That job does not happen all that often.
dereton33 hmm ok, I thought they were getting more popular. I think they look great for a classic look.
Hi Al , thank you for this video , I will have approximately 180mm to make up overall before my new double rad will meet my TRV and lock shied , for this rad I do not want to drain down the system and am thinking of using the extension pieces , the old rad is a single and could be 30 yrs or more old , I have very little movement on the pipe work , the outlets on the new rad will not line up with TRV or lock shield so I was wondering if it is possible to put a set on the the extension pieces as I see you can get the up-to 120mm or is the extension piece made of a “ non bending material “ or can I make my own set out of 15 mm copper and connect to the new rad with a compression coupling? .
Regards,
Dermot Kelly .
The extensions are not bendable but you could make up with a coupling and bent copper pipe.
Thank you Al,
Regards,
Dermot kelly .
Brilliant video, thanks 👍
No problem 👍
Thanks for the video. My client has 380 width radiators? I want to change like for like and cant seem to fit them. I know I can get 400mm width ones. What do you suggest? Thanks
Go with the 400 mm and make up the distance.
You can use rad valve extension parts.
Excellent video, love the cat!
Us too!
Very helpful as always thank you.
My pleasure!
Thank you so much, amazing help.
No problem Kirsty.
Thank you so much Al!!!
You are very welcome
Is this the same approach for replacing a standard radiator for a heated towel rail? Many thanks.
Yes.
Need quick advice,about to change bathroom rad,it measures 64cm wide if I purchase 60cm wide rad and use the extension your talking about will this be ok.
Yes they are made for the job.
Thank you! This has been extremely helpful:)
No problem Victoria.
Thank you so much really helpful and loved you plumbers mate :)
She is a great help. Ha ha.
Nice one. Great plain English explanation.
Very informative ! Many thanks ! 🙂👍
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you! So useful!
You're welcome!