Heated skirting boards

[Jazzy Jag]

I have a few pet hates when it comes to the house and DIY

Radiators
Skirting boards
gloss paint

As I am in the throws of some serious (for me) renovations, I am remodeling the hall way and stairs with a new staircase, wooden flooring etc.
in order to do the flooring properly, I will be pulling off all the old skirting, which leaves me with an opportunity.

I have found a company that supplies a heated skirting board which attaches to the existing radiator pipes and therefore does away with the radiator.

http://www.discreteheat.com/

I have previously spoken to several underfloor heating companies and all have ruled it out on the basis of the budget and my unwillingness to pull the entire house apart to re pipe and rewire it.
I don't want electric underfloor heating

Has anyone any first hand experience of heated skirting?

[richatnort]

Not very helpful but this is the first I've ever even heard of this so I can't imagine it's very popular / works.

I'd just try and find a nice radiator and maybe run the pipes in the wall, skim over then there's only pipes coming out of the wall into the radiator and not sticking up through the floor.

[037]

Can't imagine them giving enough heat out! Is there a spec? How much skirting in your hallway?

[Jazzy Jag]

037 said:

Can't imagine them giving enough heat out! Is there a spec? How much skirting in your hallway?

http://www.discreteheat.com/thermaskirt/technical-information/performance-data.aspx

hall way is jus over 7meters long

[blueg33]

Thermaskirt is good. We use it in most of our developments. You need a good installer though. They also do an electric version.

Just noticed one of the testimonials is from our care provider partner, Lifeways.

Edited by blueg33 on Sunday 4th December 20:46

[Jazzy Jag]

blueg33 said:

Thermaskirt is good. We use it in most of our developments. You need a good installer though. They also do an electric version.

In an ideal world, I would love to replace as many rads as possible with it.

is it a good substitute?

[blueg33]

Jazzy Jag said:

blueg33 said:

Thermaskirt is good. We use it in most of our developments. You need a good installer though. They also do an electric version.

In an ideal world, I would love to replace as many rads as possible with it.

is it a good substitute?

We think so. We have fitted it to about 200 units in the last 3 years. No complaints at all, but it can be tricky to install. Your average builder or plumber probably won't so it well if its his first install.

Edited by blueg33 on Sunday 4th December 21:10

[V8A*ndy]

I have no idea if this is correct however......,

According to a BTU calc, a 10' x 10' Typical modern living room with an 8' ceiling and a couple of windows requires aprox 4800 BTUS

The site suggests @ 75oC the regency profile will give 189BTU per foot.

So a theoretical 10+10+10+10 (excluding openings) is 40 x 189 = 7560

I could be talking bks though.

[Jazzy Jag]

V8A*ndy said:

I have no idea if this is correct however......,

According to a BTU calc, a 10' x 10' Typical modern living room with an 8' ceiling and a couple of windows requires aprox 4800 BTUS

The site suggests @ 75oC the regency profile will give 189BTU per foot.

So a theoretical 10+10+10+10 (excluding openings) is 40 x 189 = 7560

I could be talking bks though.

You could be..

but I still love the whoosing noise it makes as it goes over my head

[V8A*ndy]

Jazzy Jag said:

V8A*ndy said:

I have no idea if this is correct however......,

According to a BTU calc, a 10' x 10' Typical modern living room with an 8' ceiling and a couple of windows requires aprox 4800 BTUS

The site suggests @ 75oC the regency profile will give 189BTU per foot.

So a theoretical 10+10+10+10 (excluding openings) is 40 x 189 = 7560

I could be talking bks though.

You could be..

but I still love the whoosing noise it makes as it goes over my head

I'm about to undertake a total house refurb and will be taking to the builder about this heated skirting. If it really puts out those numbers it will be great along with the wood burner.

I've never heard of this stuff before. Thanks for posting about it.

[LordHaveMurci]

Saw it on Dragons Den a year or two back, nobody backed it from memory.

[finlo]

Worked in a few houses that had it from the 70's, it always ends up getting ripped out and replaced with conventional rads.

[blueg33]

finlo said:

Worked in a few houses that had it from the 70's, it always ends up getting ripped out and replaced with conventional rads.

That was clever. Thermaskirt is a recent product. Nothing like the 1970's rubbish

[finlo]

Never said it was Thermaskirt, just my experience of heated skirting.

[wolfracesonic]

If they chose the name 'Discreteheat' because it signifies your heating system is unobtrusive etc, shouldn't it be spelled 'Discreetheat'?

[Risotto]

wolfracesonic said:

If they chose the name 'Discreteheat' because it signifies your heating system is unobtrusive etc, shouldn't it be spelled 'Discreetheat'?

Yep

[bogie]

I know someone who has had Thermaskirt in a few rooms, for a few years now. They fitted DIY and are really happy with it. Im going to use it for our kitchen next year. We have 2 walls with no cupboards so 1/2 the kitchen will have the deepest skirting they do and free up the wall space where a big rad is at present.

[mjb1]

About 10 years ago I was wondering if something like this was available, but couldn't find anything, and assumed it was technically not technically/financially feasible. Will certainly be looking at it when I need to add/alter my current radiators.

[Sheepshanks]

V8A*ndy said:

I have no idea if this is correct however......,

According to a BTU calc, a 10' x 10' Typical modern living room with an 8' ceiling and a couple of windows requires aprox 4800 BTUS

The site suggests @ 75oC the regency profile will give 189BTU per foot.

So a theoretical 10+10+10+10 (excluding openings) is 40 x 189 = 7560

I could be talking bks though.

75C is the boiler going flat out though. Most rads are rated like that - if the flow temp is lower you have to significantly upsize them.

If you've got exposed rads and kids or old people you don't want them that hot, and condensing boilers are allegedly more efficient at lower flow temps.

[V8A*ndy]

Sheepshanks said:

V8A*ndy said:

I have no idea if this is correct however......,

According to a BTU calc, a 10' x 10' Typical modern living room with an 8' ceiling and a couple of windows requires aprox 4800 BTUS

The site suggests @ 75oC the regency profile will give 189BTU per foot.

So a theoretical 10+10+10+10 (excluding openings) is 40 x 189 = 7560

I could be talking bks though.

75C is the boiler going flat out though. Most rads are rated like that - if the flow temp is lower you have to significantly upsize them.

If you've got exposed rads and kids or old people you don't want them that hot, and condensing boilers are allegedly more efficient at lower flow temps.

I have had this argument with the people who built my current house. My boiler has 1-5 then "e". The "e" mode heats to 80c and the rads were very small (and dam hot). On the coldest days it would need to heat to this temp to heat the rooms.

This means the return temp is high and not condensing. I just put bigger rads in the bedrooms and bathrooms. Now works great at 65c.

Those skirting rads give specs down to 40c. I find it hard to believe they chuck that much heat out though.