Tip (1).

A good idea is to leave a radiator on most of the time, this will mean not fitting a thermostatic radiator valve to one of your radiators. This allows an open circuit to exist in the system. A favourite choice is the bathroom radiator or even the heated rail. It is recommended not to fit a TRV in a room that is constantly hot. Putney Plumbers can advise on and adjust TRVs.

Tip (2).

It is ok to make user of the old fittings like valves and pipe tails if you are fitting a new radiator. If you need to take off the tails use a radiator spanner in the tail and turn. These always used to work but these days the internal size can vary so much you might want to opt for the adjustable version. Lots of tails can now be unscrewed with an adjustable spanner on the outside.

Tip (3).

Radiators in homes will have two valves. The first is called a lock-shield valve and the second is either a wheel head or a thermostatic radiator valve (TRV). Wheel heads and TRV’s are fitted to turn the radiator on and off. The lock-shield valves on the other hand, are set for each radiator when the central heating system is first fitted. They provide a resistance to water in the radiator and as such make sure that all the radiators in the house get hot, as opposed to one or two getting desperately hot whilst the rest remain warm or even just cold. With this in mind the lock-shield valves are usually covered with a lid to stop you accidentally turning and altering their setting. Should you need to close the lock shield, for instance, when swapping a radiator, it’s important that you count the number of turns so that you can set it back to the original settings when you re-fit the new radiator. A Putney Plumber fits radiators and valves.