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Feb 21

Thermostatic Radiator Valves – The Lowdown

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Radiator Valves Online

Thermostatic Radiator Valves or TRV’s as they are commonly known are a simply way of controlling the temperature of your room via the flow of hot water to your radiators. Most people will have a thermostat that controls the temperature of your home, but a TRV allows you to do this on a room by room basis. For example it may be that a certain member of your family can’t sleep whilst the heating is on at night, or you may have a particular room that requires more heat.

TRV Thermostatic Radiator ValveThe thermostatic radiator valve will limit the flow of water to a radiator to keep it cooler or increase it to increase the heat output. The valves monitor the temperature of the room and when it falls lower than that required the valve inside is triggered and warm water enters the radiator. As the required temperature is met the valve will close and inhibit the flow of water. It’s an incredibly simple but effective concept.

Not only do thermostatic radiator valves have a practical benefit, there is also an environmental one. If you are controlling the temperature properly you can run a much more efficient system and only have the heat output as you need which means that you can save money on your heating and help reduce your carbon emissions too, both of which are incredibly important to people.

There are different types of valve and it can be difficult to decide which ones to go for, the price range is enormous and quality and style tends to increase with price. Having said that we would never recommend cheap products that are unlikely to work as well and therefore become a bad investment. We only advocate high quality products that balance design and function alongside price.

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Feb 06

How to stop your pipes freezing

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Radiator Valves Online

When the water in your pipes freezes it expands and can cause all kinds of problems, most drastically burst pipes. So when the temperature outside drops you need to make sure that the water in your pipes is unlikely to freeze, this usually occurs when the temperature falls below 20 degrees farenheit. This can be worse where there is poor insulation.

Here are some of the ways to prevent this from happening:

Make sure your pipes are well insulated, you can buy sleeves that fit over the pipes easily that do this.

Ensure that they are not exposed to these temperatures. If it is common for the weather to dictate sub freezing temperatures on a regular basis where you live a; then it may be worth investing in getting any exposed pipes moved. For most of us this won’t apply.

The most important thing is to ensure that your home is adequately heated, even if you are going away. If you are away then set your heating to constant and turn your thermostat down low, this will cost very little but will ensure that there is enough heat to stop your pipes from freezing.

If you are travelling for some months and do not wish to leave your heating on then an alternative would be to drain the system completely so that there is no water to freeze.

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Jan 25

Radiator Valves Online – A bit of history

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Radiator Valves Online

micro radiator valvesWe’ve not known each other that long and so I thought I would take the opportunity to share with you why we are so passionate about helping you save money and reduce your negative impact on the environment and also where our involvement with self bleed radiator valves came from.

I personally have always done my best to try and conserve energy in my I think it stems from being brought up not to waste anything (I also can’t help buy clear my plate at every meal time but that’s a whole other subject) and so from the moment I stepped in the door of my very first home I always vowed to try and do my bit.

So I am the one turning the heating down and putting on a jumper, making sure we recycle whatever we can and stomping around the house turning off lights, I have three children and trust me this is a full time job on it’s own. So when I came across NLB Engineering the people that invented the self bleed valve I was intrigued.

You see their valves ensure that your heating system runs more efficiently because it removes the air from your radiators. The more air you have the more it costs you because the tendency is to just keep turning the heating up when your radiators aren’t working as well as they should. Instead by fitting these valves you can rid your system of air and actually save money on your heating bills. Let’s face it it’s a bonus to have a little financial incentive as well as an environmental one.

Still not convinced? Why not read our article on how the micro valves work.

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Jan 18

How to Bleed a Radiator

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Radiator Valves Online

If your radiator is making banging noises or it feels cold at the top despite the heating being on full pelt then it is very likely that you have air trapped in your radiator. The only way to get rid of this air is by bleeding the radiator. There are two different ways of doing this, the first way is to fit an aladdin self bleed radiator valve which will automatically vent the air from your system. You can find out more about those by clicking on this link if you have modern radiators or click on this link if you have older style radiators.

But if you prefer to manually bleed the radiator yourself, then the steps below will help you along the way, remember though if in doubt call in the experts.

1. Turn your heating off to stop any more air entering your system before you start to bleed your radiator.

2. Locate the bleed valve and protect the area underneath it as you may find that some water leaks out, a cloth or small bowl or plastic container should be sufficient.

3. Be aware that any water that escapes could be very hot so protect your hands too.

4. Use only your radiator bleed key for the next step, if you do not have one then they are easily purchased in the major chains  DIY shops such as Wickes or Homebase.

5. Insert the key into the valve and turn it anti-clockwise, but carefully does it you shouldn’t neto turn it very far, you should hear the air escaping quite quickly it tends to make a kind of hissing noise.

6. When the air stops and the water starts, this usually means that all of the air has been forced out of the radiator. Simply tighten the bleed valve, clean up any water making sure again that you protect yourself as the water can be VERY hot. Then turn your heating back on again.

If the problem doesn’t go away and air returns quickly to the radiator then you may have an underlying problem, so if in doubt call in a plumber who can identify the problem for you.

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Jan 06

And as the weather turns cold ……

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Radiator Valves Online

We’ve been fairly lucky so far with the winter weather, the snow and freezing temperatures of last winter don’t seem to have visited us yet. In fact my husband and I had a bit of a competition going to see who would give in first turn the heating on. Let’s face it, we are all trying to save money, the news is full of doom and gloom and the economy doesn’t look set to recover any time soon.

So there are a few things you can do to help save money on your heating, here are just a few suggestions:

  • Turn your thermostat down by 1 degree, it really will make a difference
  • Check your home is properly insulated, the Government has a few different grants available which can help pay towards the cost of ensuring your home is retaining as much heat as possible.
  • Put a jumper on!!
  • If you have some capital, install solar panels there are currently feed in tariffs available which can actually make you money longer term.
  • Ensure you have efficient radiators installed in your home
  • Fit Aladdin Self Bleed Valves to your existing radiators to ensure they run more efficiently
  • Shorten the amount of time you keep the heating on

Hopefully these will give you a few ideas, obviously i’d love for you to opt for the self bleed radiator valves, I have them in my home and we have seen marked reduction in our heating bills. They are a fairly cheap way of helping you save money.

 

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Nov 24

Aladdin Autovent Chrome HV30C Fitting Instructions

Posted on November 24, 2011 by Radiator Valves Online

HV30C Towel RadiatorThe HV30C valves comes with easy instruction of how to fit to your radiator, but this post will give you and idea of what is involved. Inside the dust cap (the black plastic bit on the back of the valve) you will find a U key which you will need during the installation, please make sure that you keep hold of this for if you need at some point to replace the cartridge you will need this.

Always try to fit the valve to the hotter, flow side of the radiator as you HV30C will start to work much more quickly.

You will need an adjustable wrench to fit.  We also recommend an old cloth to dry the radiator tapping.

  1. Switch the central heating system off and allow to cool.
  2. Isolate the radiator.  Avoid flooding by closing the radiator valves at the bottom of the radiator – at one end this will be a lockshield valve with a plastic cover – remove the cover and turn the spindle clockwise using the adjustable wrench.

At the other end will either be a wheelhead valve, which can be turned off by hand, or a thermostatic radiator valve which should be turned to 0’.

  1. Remove the old manual vent.  Unscrew the old manual vent plug using an adjustable wrench.  Mop up any spillage with a cloth.
  2. Fit the valve.  Screw the valve into the radiator tapping, nip tight with the adjustable wrench.  Ensure that the cartridge in the middle of the valve is screwed all the way in (use the ‘U’ shaped insert tool across two of the vent holes).
  3. Turn the valves back on.

It really is that easy, but if you have any questions or concerns then please do not hesitate to contact us and we will be only too happy to help.

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Nov 04

Aladdin’s Radiator Bleeding Valves

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Radiator Valves Online

Aladdin is the brand of the innovative Radiator Bleeding Valves that are so popular today. They solve a long time hated DIY problem and alleviate the need to bleed your radiators manually, but surely a good central heating system shouln’t collect any air right?  Well unfortunately this won’t stop the problem completely:

  • Tap water contains about 17% air by volume
  • Where systems aren’ t particularly well designed in the first place or radiators have been replaced air can enter the system
  • Corrosion can mean that gasses form inside the system

Radiator Bleeding ValvesBy removing air from your radiators you will be increasing the overall efficiency of your heating system, this has it’s own benefits. By fitting Radiator Bleeding Valves that automatically vent air from the system you will help extend the life of the parts that make up your system as this helps to reduce the amount of corrosion that takes place.

Also, by removing air from the system your heating will run much more efficiently which means that you are not only helping to conserve energy but you will also be helping to reduce your own heating bill. These valves are suitable to use with existing radiators and new installations alike. They do not require you to completely drain the water out to install them and it takes just a few minutes to fit.

Find out more about our range of radiator bleeding valves

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Oct 27

Save money with Self Bleed Radiator Valves

Posted on October 27, 2011 by Radiator Valves Online

Self bleed radiator valves can help keep your radiators hot to the top and running efficiently. Air enters the central heating through tiny gaps, this air can build up in your radiators and stop them working properly, if your radiators are cold at the top or are making banging noises every time the heating kicks in, then it is likely that you have a build up of air which is causing you problems.

Self Bleed Radiator Valves
The way most people get rid of this air is through manually venting the radiator; this is a long and laborious job and one which needs repeating consistently to ensure that your system runs efficiently on an ongoing basis. Most of us don’t exactly relish DIY and this is just another in a long list of jobs that we have to tackle. But now you can cross that task off of your list as there is an alternative available and the best thing is that it will save you money too.
With a self bleed radiator valve you no longer need to do the bleeding yourself. These valves automatically vent the air in your radiators as it arrives, this means that they always stay hot and are always running well. As well as meaning you can do away with one of those horrible DIY jobs, by fitting these valves you will save money, they more than pay for themselves because of the cost savings in being able to reduce your energy bills. You see, if your central heating is running efficiently then it requires less energy to run which in turn saves you pennies. Find out more about our self bleed radiator valves

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Oct 05

Aladdin Radiator Valves

Posted on October 5, 2011 by Radiator Valves Online

Aladdin Radiator Valves are a range of self bleeding valves invented in the UK, a relatively new product; they fit easily to your radiator to make sure that your central heating system stays full of water and devoid of all air. Air can have quite an impact on a central heating system, when it gets into your radiators it can stop your radiators from working efficiently. Some of the tell tell signs are hearing your radiators making lots of noise, or having the heating on but the top of the radiator not really getting very hot. Read More »

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