How to Balance Your Radiators | Save Money and Increase Heat
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- Опубликовано: 4 май 2024
- In todays plumbing diy guide i will be showing you how to balance your heating system step by step. I will explain how the system works and show you how to adjust the radiators to balance the system perfectly so that you can save money this winter. If you like the content leave a like and please subscribe for more content like this as I've got a lot more to come and there will be something that will help you out.
Tools i recommend for this job below:
TopDon Thermal Camera - amzn.to/3ROyaVm
Digital Thermometer - amzn.to/3TfJVoV
Adjustable Wrench - amzn.to/3TgI4A8
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I am an 81 year old woman who is totally moronic about anything technical A freezing cold radiator in my study - but miraculously after watching your video I have made it work! Heat again - fantaasic!
Glad i helped you
Awww well done and more so as you can now help friends who may have the same issue but find it a little daunting...but you can now show them ...👏👏
At 81 and a woman at that, you are utterly fantastic to do that. Where can I find a woman like you?
I have a real problem believing this comment!
Not so moronic, are you!
This guy should be teaching this stuff to apprentices. So clear. Brilliant. Great job sir.
Glad you think so! Thanks
In 15 yrs we have had British gas in on our service plan to service and every year we tell the 2 main room radiators don’t get hot. The answer is every time, Turn heating on and close down upstairs rad untethered said cold ones get hot. Then open them.
Hahahhaaa 15yrs of shit.
I saw this and every lock shield valve was fully open. So at almost 70 and disabled I had a go.
Now every radiator is hot in 15 minutes. Even the 2 useless ones. All temp valve no set on low (1.5 to 2) and house is toasty warm, thermostat down to 20 degrees and magic.
Thanks DIY Man your a star. Shame you have to be Corgi to device a boiler. Thank You. Roland
Glad it was helpful 😊
Thanks for this. Really helpful and easy to follow. I'm sure we've inherited a mess of a system and going though this and finding that all the radiators were fully open and of different temperatures certainly points to that. A lot better now after following your advice.
Thanks DIY Guy, Some of my radiators were stone cold and others red hot, I thought sorting it out was a job for a heating engineer. Now I've got the system working perfectly with the heat where I want it! I'm so pleased 👍
When opening any valve fully,always turn it back slightly,will help it from seizing open 👍🏼
I have often wondered how to set up my radiators correctly. Your explanation made perfect sense seance. Really enjoy watching and learning about heating and efficiency. Keep up the great work.
Thanks very much for your video on balancing radiators... My boiler is in the bathroom and the downstairs dining room and the living room were very poor in heating up, but now on your instruction they are heating up in a matter of minutes and very hot... Thank you very much... a result!...
The most clear and concise explanation I've ever seen/heard. Thank you and Subbed. Have been following your SWA wiring vids and have learned a lot, thank you and keep up the good work.
Thanks for subscribing
So informative, clear and simply put. Thank you!
Thanks for your help!
I have such a big system that's been added onto over the years.
The flow goes up and down 3 floors all over the place. The 1st and last rad is on the ground floor, and there are 27 rooms!
Interesting we have one small room which is now my office which has always had a cold\luke warm radiator - this simple balancing process resolved the issue within 30 minutes - brilliant thanks very much indeed
I’ve just followed this, and it’s made a massive difference. All of my radiators are now red hot. Thank you Cameron!
Glad to help 👍
Great presentation, easy to listen to and to understand, even if you start off with no clue about how Gas Central Heating systems and radiators work. Really appreciate the effort to provide diagrams and then to demonstrate the process. This is perfect teaching, and I've got it down now. Thank you so much!
Glad it was helpful!
Did this today had previously flushed out my system refilled via the header tank fired up the central heating and two of my downstairs radiators were stone cold, followed this tuitional and they're now all nice and toasty, thanks very much
Thank you, this has solved the issues even the professional tradesmen couldnt fix. We worked out we have 3 flow systems where radiators have been added at a later date.
Fantastic video ! I have watched another video of yours regarding poor heating on a radiator,mine were piping upstairs,but only Luke warm downstairs. After balancing the system, piping all the way through. So easy and your videos explain everything so easily.Wife was so impressed, she took off her coat.
Haha thanks a lot 🙂
I haven't had heating for twenty years but my elderly mother does so I will check her radiators and make sure they're balanced, thank you. 👍🇬🇧
Your welcome
Great advice, thank you. De sludged a radiator, then balanced the whole system. Worked a treat!
Glad it helped
Thank you for this very comprehensive guide to get the most heat out of your system for the same money.
have to say, this was a bloody awesome video! well done for breaking it down into simple steps. I don't normally leave comments, but was well impressed by this video!
Thanks a lot 👍
Nice video thanks for taking the time to make it, I'd be a bit reluctant to turn my valves though as one has some green corrosion, don't want it to leak if I turn it :-(
Thank you so much! that was brilliantly explained, I had the completely wrong idea about the lock shield valves purpose.
Thank you so much ! You are the only person in you tube to FULLY explain the balancing of radiators which I now understand as mine have all been wrong after watching this ,, t y !!
Thanks 👍
Really nicely explained. Funny as had just done this in my own house after watching how a plumber had done it in a mates house (He used the old school way). The plumber BTW advised to note down all the radiators and each valve settings and keep it with the boiler and any notes so you don't have to figure it out next time.
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Excellent presentation, easy to follow, and it has worked for us - used the old-school method - thank you 👍
Glad you found value
This is the first time I have heard anything like what you have shared. Thank you for sharing 👍👍👍.
I just sent you a question on another video about this subject then found this video.
Thanks for quality and informative content
Great video, these videos are EXCELLENT! Very well made, narrated and explanatory to even the novice DIYer.
Thanks 👍
Worked a treat for me, thanks. The biggest radiator in my house by the bay window has been stone cold for weeks and only got around to fixing it this morning. Took about 15 mins of dashing around the house tweaking radiators but all sorted now. Thanks for the simple to follow guidance!
glad it was helpful
We have the same issue, going to have a go this weekend. Its finding the order thats my biggest worry 😅
@@jamesdaballer See my comment, from doing 13 rads around 10 rooms. I was a bit OCD :-))
How would this work on balancing a big house and achieving 12 degrees difference?
Brilliant video - made a huge difference to heating our house more efficiently!
Fantastic 😊
What a Helpful Individual. Keep up the good work
I will do, thanks
Excellent video. I have an air source heat pump system, would be useful if you could do something on balancing up an ASHP system too.
Great video very informative and interesting I have been in the game for 55 years you covered pretty much it all well done balancing your system is key to reducing your gas bill 👍
Glad you like the video
how much can it save ? percentage wise
This is the best demonstration of radiator balancing I have seen - great job and thanks!
Thanks very much
I learned a lot from this and having followed your instructions it worked!
The biggesr radiator in the nouse has never got really warm but it does now.
Previously had central heating engineers in and none oc them did what I managed to.
I didn"t have a thermal camera, I just gave it a go then tweaked the rads depending on how warm they got.
Now subscribed and looking through your other videos.
Awesome job 👍. Thanks
Fitted a new radiator today, just giving it time to settle and want to balance our system properly, so I search on RUclips and you've uploaded this 2 hours ago lol. Bloody good timing sir. Not even watched the video yet.
Haha perfect timing 😃
@@TheDIYGuy1
Mate, you did not explain how adjusting the lockshield valve will make the radiators get hotter for those of us who have radiators that do not get that hot despite them being bled and our boiler being serviced to excellent condition.
This is an ongoing problem for me and alot of other people.
Please respond mate.
Thanks so much for this video! I've had a room in my house that's been cold for months, this fixed it in no time at all. House is heating up twice as fast now as all the radiators are boiling 😁
Fantastic!
How do you live for months with a cold room and think it’s ok and do nothing about it? Only after seeing a RUclips video you try doing something about it 😁
Great video with clear instructions. I managed to bleed, re-pressurise and balance all my radiators today and the system appears to be working fine. I really like the idea of using the IR camera to sense the temperature to identify the radiators that are not receiving more flow. I didn't use it to balance mine but a useful tip for the future. Thanks a ton!
Glad it helped
Thanks for the informative video! Only problem with my place, a rental, is that it's been bodged over the years, we have different types of radiators, mini bore pipework, and one downstairs radiator get's it's feed from the upstairs!
Loved the 2 step approach as well as the walkthrough.
Not a plumber but when it comes to valves and water I tend to open it close fully then just ease it back a fraction. That way if it starts seizing I have got a little bit of wiggle to go back and forth.
👍👍👍
Glad you like the video and good tip
I picked up the same tip working with process engineers in an R&D setting. Their reasoning was that, particularly in an emergency situation, you may not be able to tell if the valve was seized solid or resting against the stop if you happen turn it the "wrong way". So the risk was that by forcing it you could break it completely or cause a dangerous leak!
By easing it back off the stop, even if it seizes you will still feel it hit the stop when it frees up again and know you turned it the wrong way. Sometimes you can't always operate a valve from an ideal orientation to instinctively turn it the right way first time, so that feedback can be critical.
@@markbeauchamp3192 *Some
Just as further interest! what I do is fully close off the lock shield valve on all radiators and fully open all thermostatic valves. Then go around each radiator and open the lock shield valve each by half a turn...then fire the boiler up sit and wait for them to stabilize then check temp looking for 12 deg across flow and return adjust necessary radiators by 1/4 turn until all rads are running hot, some may only need fine adjustment....after you are happy turn the thermostatic valve down to the required room setting....next make a note of each room lock shield opening on a piece of note paper for future reference...then go to the boiler and again look for 12deg across flow and return and if your pump is so fitted look for the same there you can on some pumps restrict the flow to get that temp return plus adjustment of the pump speed helps...do this and/or incorporate with advice given from G Man and you will have the most efficient system you can get.....one word off warning be careful of lock shield valves that haven't been adjusted i n awhile or you may end up with a leak.
That's certainly how it used to be done and works to get the desired heat, but having maximum flow will allow for greatest efficiency in a condensing boiler. Starting with all open a quarter will put a fair restriction on the system.
This is great, thanks! Very informative and clearly explained. A thumbs up 👍
Great video, very helpful. But what do you do with the last radiator in the system which has the lock shield valve fully open after balancing the system? Any advice greatly appreciated!
Gary here from the UK I am an old heating engineer and you always want the heat to get to the radiator as fast as possible and stop the water leaving the radiator as slow as possible this allows the heat to pass from the water into the steel of the radiator, When you turn the heating on you walk around your home and put your hands on the pipes that feed the radiator, the one that gets warm first is the flow so Mark that corner of the radiator with a cross, I use a pencil to make the mark now you know witch is the flow, always turn the flow on full then back one turn . adjust the other end of the radiator or turn it down to close the valve, this slows the water leaving the radiator, as a rule the upstairs is closed more than the downstairs most of the other stuff you commented on was correct , Now that's the old ways on how to do it, don't forget to vent the radiators with the boiler OFF air in the system means less heat,
Happy Balancing
So are you saying his advice is wrong or right? I’m asking because it’s a lot easier to follow his clear well articulated instructions with visuals for support than to follow your comment. Which should I put my effort into?
@@lioneljonson161he's chatting a load of shit to stroke his own ego, you can basically ignore everything "Gary from UK here" says on youtube.
Brilliant🎉 I cannot balance this central heating system with confidence at last knowing what I’m doing and why I’m doing it. Not sure how you came up in my feed but I’m glad you did🔥🔥🔥
Thanks a lot 👍
Thank you so much I have followed the stepsthat you suggested and the last radiator now works.
That's great
60yrs old and never knew about this!
I wonder how many central heating fitters actually balance a customers heating system for them?
Thanks for the video which is really helpful but I have a question. I have a four bedroom house and total of 15 radiators. What's the easy way to find out which is the closest and the furthest radiator from the boiler?
Thanks for the advice - I'm going to try that out tomorrow!😁
Great video! Got my whole system working perfectly now. Thanks!
Glad it helped!
Thank you this is helpful. Question though: if your system is so unbalanced that some rads are not even coming on at all, how can you figure out the order of rads?
Very informative,clear and well explained. What more does a non DiY guy want!
Glad you like the video
Great video! Saved me after messing around with lockshields, not fully understanding how they work.
All back now nice and even 👌
Glad I could help!
Subscribed. Simple and straightforward, clearly presented and filmed. Thanks, in advance of my next task.
It would be a good idea to have your windows insulated like I had undertaken 3 weeks ago. Ensure you have a warm blanket to cover your lap and feet plus keeping your windows and doors shut enabling the heat to circulate around your home. Drink plenty of hot fluids too.
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This is great, and we did get our back bedroom rad working much better by preventing a hogging rad in the front room BUT…watch out for the almost inevitable leaks. A lot of valves, once disturbed, will leak. 90% of the time, they sort of stop after a while, but beware you will need to top up the water inside the boiler area, using the taps to do that afterward. But, all good stuff, this works.
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Very helpful, this is not something I've thought about previously and I'll be giving it due attention. Thank you.
Glad you found it helpful
Thanks for that, just balanced my radiators as one room was cold for years, turning down the biggest problem one also sorted issue with noises made by thermal expansion of the radiator. Probably one of my sons turned all valves open while playing with adjustable spanner.
Glad it helped, nice one
Do you need to allow for things like towel rails where there is no TRV?
I made a tool for this. It's a tiny little USB powered sensor with 2 sensors on long leads. One goes on one pipe, the other on the other. The device sends the temp of each pipe to a database and then displays it as a graph.
Basically you just attach it, turn the heating on and in 20 minutes check if you've got the right drop. Then keep looping around the radiators in the same circuit until they stay that way.
Another useful thing to check is turning a few of the TRVs to 0 and checking you still have balance at the radiators and importantly the boiler in and outlet.
After I did my radiators I left the sensor in place 24/7 on the link pipes between downstairs and upstairs circuits to give me a "mid point" view. It is nearly always 12*C delta.
I have that exact same thermal imaging camera and balanced all our rads with it. Top job and good video thanks.
Thanks, glad.you liked the video
When I was an apprentice I was shown it as a clock face, boiler at 12 and radiators depending on the amount, I taught this to my apprentices.
Great video, very informative. However, I'm curious about the temperatures - both absolute and difference. I though that return temp for modern *condensing* boilers was supposed to be about 40-45 degrees for max efficiency (not over 60C as per your example. Also, why only 12C temp drop between flow and return? I'd read that ~20C would be more efficient. So we'd be looking at about flow/return of 60/40, rather than 77/65?
Because the radiators in virtually every house were fitted when older boilers were in use at a 10C drop (70c in/60c out) means an average radiator temp of 65c to heat up your 20c room, and the rate of heat transfer is proportional to the difference in temperatures, in this case 45c.
So people replace their boilers with 60c inflow, but a 20c drop to 40c outflow means the average radiator temperature is 50c so only 30c advantage so you’ll be waiting much longer for the house to get hotter.
One question: isn't it necessary to fully open all of the TRVs first (to ensure that only the lock valves are restricting flow)?
Perfect timing for this type of video. Well explained. 👍
Thanks a lot. That's my thinking. More heating related videos to come this winter.
Brilliant. Very easy to understand with good practical knowledge.
thanks, glad you like it
Thank you for these clear and straightforward instructions. :-) I've seen the 12K temperature differential mentioned in a few places. Do you know where it comes from? What is the reasoning behind aiming for a 12K temperature drop from in- to outflow? Thanks !
Your welcome. The temperature is to give you guidence as to the level of restriction on the return, therefore the flow rate of water traveling through the radiator between flow and return.
@@TheDIYGuy1 this makes sense. Thanks!
Let's attack our 14 radiators...
Cheers
P
The temperature differential in smallbore heating systems i.e. those using 15mm and 22mm pipework, is normally 11 Deg.C, (Delta T) this is related to the radiator sizing, before condensing boilers came along then a system would be designed at 80 Deg.C flow and 69 Deg.C return, giving a mean water temperature of 75 Deg.C, you would calculate the heat loss of the room and refer that to the manufacturers sizing chart, you would then select the radiator to suit that room. When condensing boilers were introduced we mostly moved to a Delta T of 20 Deg.C which meant using a correction factor in the early days, until radiator manufacturers introduced mor sophisticated sizing charts.
Wickes specify the wattage of the radiator at 70℃ input and a drop of 10 degrees.
Basically, the longer the time the water is in the radiator, the more heat it will transfer to the air around it. Providing the vents are free of dust, drying wellies etc etc. of course.
Great video, thanks. I've only used the manual system to try to balance my rads. The Topdon kit you used is expensive for diy-ers, so I might try the type of infrared temperature probe that normally sells for around £15. Might not be as accurate but better than guessing.
Even the cheap IR temp detectors are accurate to within 2 degrees so not too bad.
Which one did you get please?
Thanks bud, perfect video - simple, short and to the point 👍
I drew a plan of my house with radiator positions and then the in and out side of each rad... Not all lockshield valves were the out (return) side 😜
@@GaryMcKinnonUFO Not exactly true - if pointed at a reflective surface (chromed valves/copper pipe) the emissivity encountered will put them out a lot.
As it's a temperature difference the accuracy doesn't matter very much so long as the readings are consistent. The emissivity of both pipes should be the same, but usually are both plain or painted the same colour.
Very good / CLEAR presenter - he is a natural…..
Thanks 👍
Legend, thanks a million brother, respect from Ireland 🇮🇪🤝🇬🇧
Thanks a lot 👍
The flow temperature here was about 70C - seems a bit high for a combi boiler. You should try reducing the flow temp at the boiler first and THEN balance the system as best you can.
Thanks for the great video. Silly question but at what stage from turning the heating on should you take the thermometer reading? I have two digital thermometers with probes, but wondered when the best point is to take the initial reading for analysis
Well just give the boiler time to heat the water in them depending on how many rads you have. Know your 1st rad 2nd etc . Sure give it 30 mins or so. Happy balancing
Brilliant, I always wondered how this was done and it seems really easy. 🙏 thanks
Get it done 👍
Amazing video, helps me a lot!!! Thank you the DIY guy!
That's a theoretical start, but the trouble is that both the heating and house are dynamic when you take into account thermostatic valves, the house thermostat, where people are and what equipment is running in the house. So a beautifully static balanced system may put heat in the wrong place. It also depends if you want a heating system that warms the whole house evenly or the rooms you use when you return home. If you have thermostatic valves, balancing only really applies as the system comes up to temperature as the thermostatic valves will start kicking in. So my theory of balancing is to start off with a balanced system but then bias it by opening up the valves on radiators on rooms you want to heat quickest, this will reduce heating elsewhere but as the thermostatic valves kick in, the balance will redistribute to the other rooms. That allows you to switch on the heating later as you are not evenly warming the whole house. Remember, very few heating systems are properly balanced to start with and plumbers will sling in a radiator they guess will work, so theoretical temperature drops will lead to some rooms being overheated compared with others.
Another problem, if you economise and turn off heating in a room, adjoining rooms are affected as the wall between effectively becomes an outside wall, without insulation so the radiator needs to put out more heat!
Then bear in mind a big TV and sound system and couple of people watching TV will apply a lot of heat to a room, so the temperature of an empty room you want as you walk into, is not the same as the heat you want when the room is used.
Did I mention the effect of opening and closing curtains? You are probably getting the idea now.
Then the nightmare is what happens with a house thermostat which if the room it is in gets to temperature will cut off the rest of the house. If that is in a room with a thermostatic valve, how does that work? (Quick answer - it doesn't!).
Oh, what happens to the balance when it gets cold and you turn up the water temperature of the boiler to heat the house?
So in the end, setting up a system takes time. Think about how you use the house, how your system will change as things change. Don't be afraid to tweak a radiator down that heats a room too much and too quickly and use thermostatic valves as part of the balancing equation. It takes weeks to tune a system as every change interacts with the whole system and you need to learn how the system is applying heat in the real world.
Do 20% of the faff to theoretically achieve 80% in heating efficiency. 😉
Good enough information for those offended by plumbers' rates, but I was taught to set the index radiator(s) first and work back towards the boiler. That said, it was back in the late 1970s and much has changed since then.
Thermostatic valves and heads are mandatory in all apartment buildings for like 15 years here in Czech Republic, they probably know why they made this law. In the past, some people were overheating in small rooms where it gets warm fast so there was not enough hot water in radiators where it is really needed, thermo valves solved all these problems, nobody is accidentaly heating little room to 30°C like before. We had that theory in school about balancing with classic valves, but it works well only in laboratory, not in real buildings, even with all balancing done by second valve or other stuff, you still should always have thermostatic heads everywhere, it's ridiculous to not having them, I don't understand to people who don't have them, it changes everything.
Your videos are brilliant and have really helped me perform some tasks around the house. One question, I was making small adjustments to the lockshield pin - why would water start to gently flow out of the lockshield mechanism ? I made very slight adjustemts in both directions and the water started appeared...eventually I found a sweet spot that stopped the water coming out of the mechanism. Regards Aaron in the UK.
Been there. You have a leak past the valve stem. If you go near an old valve, the seal may give way completely so be ready with cloths trays etc.. Try twisting it on and off a few times in case there's a particle stuck in the seal. Try tightening the sealing nut. But if the seal or the valve body is worn, you will have to attack that by replacing the valve. Worst case a coupe of € for a new valve, plus isolating it to replace it. Eh don't flood the house.
I've got old radiators and the two in my kitchen and conservatory have been cold for three years now. Being the hub of my home it is a nightmare, particularly in this current cold weather. I have spoken to a couple of plumbers and all they suggest is to replace all my radiators and no one has ever mentioned balancing. I'm not in a position to afford new radiators so I had a go at balancing them. 2 of my 11 radiator valves, are jammed and I couldn't budge them. But I carried on with the others. OMG As soon as I got to the last radiator (conservatory). The heat instantly came through. I'm gobsmacked and so grateful for your clear simple instructions. Thank you so much. I have now subscribed to your channel ❤
Thanks for subscribing 👍 glad you like the vids
WD40 the spindle, also you could unscrew the nut just below the spindle (a little water may come out) and this might then enable you to turn the spindle. Don't forget to tighten (not over tighten) the nut back up after though.
This video has earned you a like and subscribe, thank you for the simple explanation. Another learnt trick in my locker 👍 and another excuse to buy a new tool for the job.
If you are able to set a 12C difference between input and output using an infra red thermometer, do you still need to determine which radiator is 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and so on in the system?
Great tips, but probably need to ensure there's no air in the system by bleeding first.
I usually just put my hand on the panels to see if they are all giving same amount of heat output, then do bleeding on any that are of a low heat output or warm at the bottom but cooler towards the top.
The other tip, if TRVs are fitted (which hopefully they are), is to adjust settings correctly according to heat demand required. Bedrooms usually should be cooler to aid restful sleep. When not in use in the daytime, the TRV can be turned down, unless automatically controlled by a programmer.
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Yes, but you have to be careful if you have a combi boiler and bleeding the radiators, it affects the boilers pressure and it may need adjustment after bleeding.
Your explanation is TOP!!!
Glad you think so!
You’re a gentleman and a scholar! 🧐 The exact opposite of those cads and bounders who “run” the energy racket. Best of British, keep up the splendid advice. Oh, and your etchings are top notch!
I appreciate that!
A suggestion, most folk like it warmer downstairs than in the bedrooms. Set the downstairs radiators to be fully on, and the upstairs bedrooms off. The bathroom radiator is often the fail-safe, that is permanently on to stop the system going bang. Set the thermostat, whether upstairs, as is mine, or downstairs in the living area to desired temperature. Eg. Mine at top of stairs is set to 18°C. Downstairs yours might be say 20°C. Heat from downstairs rises through the house and thus isn't actually being wasted. Obviously having the house walls insulated is first priority 😁
My hallway is the failsafe
Note to anyone reading the original post. This is poor advice. Boilers are normally sized to suit the whole house size and all radiators. By turning off half the rads, the boiler will see hotter return flow and is less likely to condense (operate at max efficiency). You're also using half your rads to heat your whole house (unless you close off the upstairs, but the original poster isn't doing this as his room stat is upstairs!). I could go on and on.
To save money I’ve turned off all radiators except the bathroom upstairs, then just a small room on down stairs.
I’ve completely forgot about the thermostat and even shut off the radiator that’s near it. I just turn the heating off when the small room downstairs feels warm enough.
Awful suggestion. You would be far better off turning the flow temperature of your boiler right down and opening all rads fully. Asking the downstairs radiators to do the works of the upstairs radiators you have already paid for is lunacy and is costing you money not saving it.
@@ImBarryScottCSS p
As my mum used to say "put a jumper on".
My wife still says it. 😬
Awesome thank you! Worked a treat.
best video of balancing i have seen so far, thanks, understanding the order of 13 radiators is harder
Glad you liked it!
should you have the TRV fully open on every radiator before starting?
yes
I just balanced my system based on the size of the radiator. For the smallest radiators (below 500 watts) I set the lock shield open by a quarter turn, the 800 watt radiator got a half turn, and anything larger (up to 2 kW) was left fully open. My aim was to force the largest radiators to get the lion's share of the water flow. What do you think of that approach? Seems to work OK on a short heating run, but being August I can't fully test it out.
NOTE - my system has each radiator fed by 10 mm microbore from manifolds, which I believe makes it self balancing to some extent.
We have 2 small rads too, basically I think of them as pipes but in the shape of a radiator and am wondering wether I should just open the L/S fully as it takes literally a minute for the water to run through them, what would be the point of throttling them down?. Thoughts?
Thankyou! This is something i have known needs doing for a while but never been confident enough to have a go. I have watched loads of other videos but nobody has explained it as clearly and as simple as you. I gave it a go this morning ready for winter (already snow on the ground) and its worked a treat! Thanks again, will defo be watching more of your videos 👍
very helpfuly mate. thank you
What if the order of radiators can't be determined exactly due to unusual layout (extensions)? Does the order matter too much? Is there a good general/"rough" lockshield starting place before adjusting using the thermometer (e.g half turn for small radiators, full for large?). Also, do smart TRVs need to be temporally fully removed for the adjusting as they can't be "fully opened" easily like a manual? Pp
You can determine the order by opening up all valves fully and turning the heating up. They will get warm in order.
@@mushy3424 Unless they don’t.
@@normanboyes4983 Would this be due to sludge in the radiator or something else?
A different, and potentially better but more time consuming way, is to have room thermometers start with everything open and see which rooms are heating up fastest, then close the lock shields a little until they heat at about the same rate. If you can, turn your boiler flow down to where the house is then just comfortably warm - then you have an efficient system!
@@markbeauchamp3192 what a thorough and nuanced response, you've convinced me
just install thermostatic valves and heads and let it be, hot water will always get where it's needed because you are not overheating, in smaller rooms, it's almost closed most of the time with thermo valve
@@markbeauchamp3192 nope is spot on Mark.45years as plumber never heard such rubbish
Hiya . Thanks to you for this video . Had a radiator that we just couldn't get hot after having 4 new rads installed by a plumber.
So did what u said ..without a heat sensing camera...lol 😂
Shut down the lockshield valves ..opened each one as u said & now it's working ..nice & hot 🔥
Thx again 😊
Glad it helped
Great video. Straight to the point. Not time wasting. I like that.
👍
Be gentle with the spanner on the lock shield valve or you will rip the top off as I did.
Ouch
We have a very old system in our house. Well, the rads are very old. They are those huge, robust brass ones with the release valve on the side, near the top.
If anyone has those and you haven't "balanced" them in years or every,
I HIGHLY suggest popping down to a good plumbing supply store and by a few of those spigots/valves.
I say that because when I first started doing this, as I loosed one to bleed off any air trapped, the spigot started leaking where the knob's shaft is. Turning it in and out quickly didn't work.
So, no problem. I went and bought a bunch of these and good chance too.
All of the other ones also started to leak after turning the knobs. They were very old.
Now, I have a habit, during heating season, of turning them all back and forth a few times, releasing any trapped air and keeping them from any mineral buildup.
Works like a charm now.
I also now use our Thermal Imaging camera to quickly identify any problem areas.
Such a great device for so many things.
Brilliant thank you
Ha! This was recommended to me and I was trying to find a video like this last year. Thank you so much for this. Subscribed!
Thanks for subscribing 👍
Excellent presentation.