Runtal Radiators
Hi, We’re considering replacing our cast iron radiators (hot water system) with Runtal, flat panel rads in just a couple of rooms. Interested in hearing from those of you who have done this as to what your experience has been. Are you happy with your Runtals? Do you stay warm wnough or do you feel…
Hi,
We’re considering replacing our cast iron radiators (hot water system) with Runtal, flat panel rads in just a couple of rooms. Interested in hearing from those of you who have done this as to what your experience has been. Are you happy with your Runtals? Do you stay warm wnough or do you feel they are better in looks than in providing heat? 🙂 Any issues with system compatibility when you are only replacing a few rads and leaving the rest of the system intact? Did you hire an HVAC professional to do the job or rely on a regular plumber for the install? We’d really love to hear the answer to these questions and any other practical advice you can share ASAP as the order really needs to go in this week.
Thanks!
We recently finished a renovation and had Runtal rads installed. We are having several problems with the system, which was working fine before the renos.
First, on the second floor, the rads are super hot and noisy – we have bled them several times, but very little air comes out. Also, these rads tend to come on first, before the main floor rads.
Second, the main floor rads were working, but one was cold. Now only two are working, two are cold, and two are lukewarm!
Our plumber doesn’t seem to be able to balance the system and doesn’t know enough about Runtals. We had a heating pro come in but his suggestion was to replace a boiler that is only a few years old and has had regular maintenance.
Any thoughts?
Thanks so much,
Lisa
Does anyone care to say where you purchased your Runtals? (We currently have a quote from Park Slope Plumbing Supply.) Renomandru, that’s a great offer. We may take you up on it.
Thanks everyone!
We installed Runtal in several rooms where space was an issue….they never get too hot, and work well with the rest of our hot water system. Plus, they are beautiful to look at. Our local plumber did the job, and the only negative was the time it took for custom sizes to arrive.
We bleed our radiators regularly so air has not been a problem, and water temp. is about 3/4 of the way up the dial.
You do need to calculate the amount of heat that will be needed, and these radiators need to be bigger (i.e., either a bit longer or a bit taller) to replace the heat from standard iron radiators. They look great tall, and the kids lean up against them to warm up.
Hi,
We are about to hook up Myson radiators (actually, most of them are supplied by an Austrian manufacturer). A few things:
yes, you can combine Runtal or Myson radiators with other products such as baseboard heating and other forced hot water radiators, but you have to be make sure that the system does not get constant injections of new water due to a leak so that oxygen is not constantly reintroduced. Corrosion is a concern with too much fresh oxygen.
Also, thinner wall radiators will heat space more quickly, so I suspect that you might get unpredictable results, depending on the placement of the thermostats.
The lower temperature comment is relevant for only towel warmers and radiant floor, where the temperature should be kept around 120-130F. Myson is well known for their towel warmers.
We have just thrown out all of our cast iron radiators precisely because of the space they take up, opting for two, smaller, wall-hung radiators under the windows in each larger room. We are also going with tall, wall radiators in the hallway and kitchen area to conserve on space.
Each radiator has its own thermostatic valve and the design of the radiator with a bypass valve allows us to shut off any radiator independent of the others even though they are connected in series within a zone. Took a while to figure out the details and I am telling the plumber how to build it!
We replaced the old pipe with PEX tubing and went for both hydronic radiant floor and a towel warmer on separate loops controlled by a Roth Industries shunt valve that keeps the water supplied by the burner at the lower temperature needed.
You are more than welcome to contact me about our design decisions and take a look at the solution here in Sunset Park. Contact me at andru3 at gmail com.
We installed Runtal radiators this summer, and turned them on for the first time last night. We replaced fin-type baseboard heaters. Initially we weren’t going to do them all, but it turned out that although they work as a direct replacement, you can’t run both on the same system – something to do with one being more tolerant of air in the pipes than the other.
When we turned them on last night they got hot really fast. Denton, I was interested to read your comment, as I was thinking last night that maybe we should turn our boiler down. Does anyone have any idea what temperature it should be set to?
Don’t quote me on this, but I recall they are not compatible. I was told that with standard fin-type heaters you can run the water at 180deg F, but the Runtals, being exposed, need lower water temp so no one gets burned when touching them. This is anecdotal, so I’m not sure, but I would ask the contractor about this.