What is the best way to move a Radiator? Can I? Should I?

How difficult will it be for me to move a radiator?

A question we are often asked is "how to move a radiator" and one that relies on a number of factors to answer, such as the home's age and the location, such as whether it is on the ground floor or not. With the changing homeowner demographic and the average age for people buying a house now set at their mid-thirties there is no wonder that questions like this come up when one works on remodeling the house or home improvement in general for instance. Can I move a radiator is a great question and ultimately comes down to you and whether you want to, or can tackle the job?  And what knowledge one has of basic plumbing for instance. The fundamental principles of a central heating system need to be understood first, and a good trawl of the internet and such like should give you a brief outline. The whole process needs to be planned and a certain amount of discovery needs to be taken first. It is pointless to move a radiator into a position where you cannot get pipework to. Make sure that there is access under the floor boards or from the ceiling and that old pipe and new pipes can be accessible. There are lots of reasons to move a radiator, and taking out a horizontal one to use the space and utilise a vertical space is fantastic and a great option whether moving a radiator or getting a new radiator. If you are looking at the radiator now then you will have to trace back the pipework such as copper pipe or plastic pipe to see where it comes from and ascertain what is the flow and return. Moving a radiator into a new location and finding the right place for it is a great way to take advantage of the new styles, finishes and orientations now available in radiators. The room may have changed in its function or layout and you can get a smaller radiator or a coloured one like a raw metal, traffic red, orange or even the popular signal blue.  The options for new positions of radiators has also changed and with convector radiators you are not governed by under a window and also with the introduction of extra panels and extra convectors you can greatly reduce the size of the new rad required to heat the room versus your old radiator. So it is the common conundrum, do you want to have a go yourself or leave it up to the professional heating engineers. Whatever you choose please make sure that you use Adey chemicals to clean and protect your system. It is also a good time once you have drained down to maybe fit a magnetic system filter. View our range of Thermostatic Radiator Valves (also known as TRV's) Why not upgrade your valves to thermostatic valves while you are at it? This may actually pay for all of your work with the amount of energy that you may save.  We also have lockshield valves, compression fittings, reducers and various other accessories. View additional radiator and heating advice on our blog.