4 March 2016

VIDEO - How to install a vertical radiator in a kitchen

In this video, James the plumber goes through the complete process of unboxing and installing an aluminium vertical radiator on a narrow wall in a customer's kitchen.

A kitchen is one of the most used rooms in any home, so it's very important that it is heated adequately to ensure it is a comfortable place to spend time at any time of year. In this particular video, we see a classic problem that many people experience in their kitchens.

Increasingly, kitchens in houses and apartments are small rooms that, through clever design, make the most of a limited area. This is all very well in terms of cupboard and storage space, but it often means that there is not a lot of space to fit a radiator.

As James mentions in the video, there is a small radiator installed just off camera, but it doesn't provide enough BTUs to heat the room on its own. The only option to increase the amount of heat in the kitchen is to use the one narrow piece of wall space James shows in the video.

Not so long ago, this area would not have even been considered for a radiator, but thanks to giant steps in radiator technology, a huge range vertical radiators are availble that are perfect for this kind of narrow wall space. In this instance, we see a beautiful Vertical Double Panel Aluminium Radiator being installed to fill the gap and provide the right amount of heat for the room.

At the 2:20 mark, James highlights a few things you need to know about this particular radiator, how it can be set up to fit in a space without pipes sticking out, and the special round corner TRV valves which are being used for this installation.

James also highlights the special stickers on the radiator that can help anyone know exactly what way water flows in the system. This is very important as column radiators have a small diverter inside which helps evenly distribute the hot water around the system.

At the 6:00 mark you can see the radiator nicely hung up and ready to be piped up before James drills through the wall. You’ll see how the pipework underneath the radiator in the kitchen is hardly noticeable.

All in all this is a very common situation and many people will be able to relate. James shows how you needn't worry if you have limited wall space as, most often, there is a very effective way around it!

Vertical radiators at Trade Radiators

View our vertical radiators

Ben Clarke

With a background in e-commerce, and a keen interest in creative writing and essayism, Ben's skills seemed a natural fit when he became Chief Contributing Editor for the Trade Radiators blogging team in the early days of the company. Over a decade later, Ben has crafted a vast library of incredibly useful home heating articles, guides, and posts on the Trade Radiators Advice Centre, that get accessed from all over the world. With a keen eye for a designer rad, Ben likes nothing more than snapping a picture of rad or rail in a range of exotic locations, from pub toilet to 5* (ahem 3*) hotel bathroom, and eagerly sharing it for feedback on the Trade Radiators WhatsApp group - a veritable hotbed of rad chat, it really is. He can also be found across a multitude of platforms providing further home & garden advice on a wide range of hot topics. Ben has never lost touch with what it was like to be a novice in domestic heating and aims to create content that makes even the newest of newbies feel welcome and comfortable when making decisions about heating their homes. The Trade Radiators Advice Centre is an ongoing, ever-evolving wealth of heating information and with Ben at the helm, you can expect high quality and easy-to-understand radiator and heating content continuing to flow on a regular basis.