Radiators and windows

Why do we seem to put radiators underneath windows.....has anyone noticed that the majority of radiators are underneath windows in nearly every home.?

Is there some unwritten law about it

Karen

oh said(plumber) its because of when the cold air comes in off the windows and hit the hot air from the rad it helps to circulate the hot air but you dont have to have them under the window its just that they work better by doing so

I think it's a space saving thing although, of course, it makes no sense from a heat saving point of view. However, if you fit a shelf above the radiator, it will push the heat outwards into the room instead of being lost upwards and out at through the windows.

When we renovated this house, we purposely put the radiators on walls away from the windows.

That's a new one on me When I qualified as an energy advisor, we were taught that radiators should be fitted away from windows where possible. Must ask my tutor about that when I next see her.

I have heard that aswell. But in the main they should be kept free from any objects in front of them and in most houses that is likely to be under the window.

aha saw a programme yesterday and Tommy walsh said most rads are put under windows


oh said(plumber) its because of when the cold air comes in off the windows and hit the hot air from the rad it helps to circulate the hot air but you dont have to have them under the window its just that they work better by doing so

yeap the other half was right

I just had 7 new rads put in downstairs, and the plumber said they've got to STAY under the windows, even though I didn't want them there! We have put a couple elsewhere as extras though. I've always had them under the windows coz of what's been said earlier?

Radiators work best in the coldest part of the room. Ideally this will be on an outside wall, usually under a window where the cold air drops to the floor. If you have long curtains or don't want to put a radiator beneath a window, it is perfectly acceptable to place one where it will suit your furnishing arrangements.
If you haven't got enough room for the right-sized radiator, you can choose two smaller ones and spread the heat more evenly.

I was told that radiators were put under windows in order to minimise cold draughts. The cold draughts are caused because the external window is the point where heat loss is greatest, and is usually the coolest point in the room. Warm air in the room is cooled by the window and as it cools, it sinks .... causing a draught.

Placing a radiator under the window means that the cooling air is warmed back up and will then rise and cool slowly elsewhere in the room. However, you will get greater heat loss through the window, so it isn't very efficient.

Of course, that was back in the days of single glazed windows. Modern double/triple-glazing will minimise cold draughts, so there is no real reason for placing radiators under windows in modern homes. Additionally, there are energy-saving reasons for not doing so.

I think I must have the only house without a radiator under a window in any room. Only one on an outside wall too.