Upgrading Imperial rads to modern rads

[huliogeordio]

Hi, just went to swap the first of three imperial sized rads (750 wide by 500mm) to a metric 700*500 double convector and like a Doyle have found I didn't plan for the copper pipe to be another 10/15 mm in from the wall to meet with valve.
Before I go ripping up floor boards, what will be the easiest way to bring them out from the wall. There's alot of play in the pipes as it's a 60s bungalow sitting on a suspended floor, but don't think I should be pulling the copper pipes about.

Any advice is greatly appreciated

Cheers
Martin

 

[exedon2]

Just do a web search for radiator valve extension lots of different types available don't use the telescopic one's known to leak.

 

[huliogeordio]

Just do a web search for radiator valve extension lots of different types available don't use the telescopic one's known to leak.

Cheers, will go grab the set length extensions. Think I might not have explained the main issue well, this is that the pipe entry to the radiator is now a good 15 mm further away from the wall when compared to where the old Imperial rads sat. Is there a fix for this or will it involve removing floor boards and moving pipes to accommodate?
Hope it makes a bit more sense and cheers for the advice on the telescopic extensions.

 

[steadyon]

There are the following ways of fixing this problem:
1. Lifting floorboards, altering pipework to suit the new radiator, re-drilling / chiselling the boards as necessary and putting them down again. If realistically possible this is the best method.
2. Altering the pipework as it comes out of the floor:
2a. Perhaps by putting in 2 x 45 degree elbows to "kink" the pipe the right way. Depending on distance, not always possible if 2 x 45's and a short length of pipe between creates an offset > required.
2b. Bending an offset and using a coupling to connect to a stub of the old pipe. Neater than 2a but not easy to do without experience.
2c. Both 2a and 2b require soldering, and are not to everyone's taste aesthetically.
3. If the old radiator had the short side of the bracket against the wall, fixing the new one with the long side against the wall moves the radiator back towards the wall. May not give enough movement, and tends to constrict the heat rising up the back of the radiator.

If you make the new radiator slightly wider than the old, you can ease the problem of room to fit in an offset by rotating it to meet the new pipe centres.