Heating Georgian townhouses: tall rooms, long runs, old routes

A Georgian townhouse: the short technical version

A four-storey townhouse with a basement kitchen and top-floor bedrooms puts real distance between the boiler and the far end of the pipework, which affects pump sizing and pipe diameter choices. High ceilings increase the volume of air each radiator has to heat, so radiator sizing calculated for a modern room height under-heats a Georgian one. Original lath-and-plaster ceilings and skirting also mean pipe routes are planned to minimise disturbance to features worth keeping.

Key points on a Georgian townhouse

• Multi-storey pipe runs affect pump head and pipe sizing choices
• Room heat loss is higher per square metre than in a modern low-ceiling room
• Radiators sized for standard ceiling heights often under-perform here
• Basement kitchens can be a long way from a roof-level or rear flue route
• Existing chimney breasts sometimes offer a route for concealed pipework

Questions we get asked

Does a combi work in a tall townhouse?

It can, but pressure and flow at the top floor need checking — a system boiler with a cylinder is often more practical over several storeys.

Will pipework damage original plasterwork?

Routes are planned to avoid decorative ceilings and cornicing wherever a practical alternative exists.

Extra detail on a Georgian townhouse

Townhouses on Bath's Georgian terraces and similar properties in Frome often keep a system boiler with a hot water cylinder rather than a combi, simply because of the number of bathrooms and the distance water has to travel to reach them quickly.

Where we deal with this

• Holcombe (BA3) · 3 mi
• Gurney Slade (BA3) · 6 mi
• Cranmore (BA4) · 8 mi
• Coxley (BA5) · 11 mi