There are arguments for and not for boxing in a radiator. Whilst we can all agree that draping a towel over the bathroom radiator is a bad idea, boxing it in is another matter.
It’s also clearly a bad idea to have a wall mounted radiator beneath a window with curtains overlapping. This just results in heat loss through the glass.
One improvement we can all make is to ensure there is some reflective material on the wall immediately behind all radiators. This is particularly true if it’s an outside wall.
There are a number of proprietary products for this and the best resemble aluminum bubble wrap. Apart from preventing much of the radiator heat from simply heating the wall, it also helps radiate warmth back into the room.
The object of any kind of boxing is to delay the immediate rise of heat towards the ceiling and to try and radiate it into the room as much as possible.
Although we call it a radiator it is in fact more like a convector. This is because of the basic fact that all warm air rises.
To calculate how big a radiator is needed in a room is a fairly simple operation. Most sellers of central heating equipment will have a BTU Calculator on their website.
A BTU is otherwise known as a British thermal unit and this is calculated by feeding the dimensions of the room into a set formula. Other details are also required like the size and type of windows in the room.
The type of outside brick or stone is also taken into account along with details about the floor and ceiling.
It’s important to get the correct radiator output so that it’s not blasting away all day struggling to heat the room. And equally, a radiator with too much heat output is an unnecessary extra expense.
There is a strong argument that the latest new radiators are best left uncovered as their skin is thin enough to radiate more than older conventional ones.
But there is one other argument to cover radiators and that’s when there are young children around the house.
For a BTU calculator http://www.designerradiatorsdirect.co.uk/
It’s also clearly a bad idea to have a wall mounted radiator beneath a window with curtains overlapping. This just results in heat loss through the glass.
One improvement we can all make is to ensure there is some reflective material on the wall immediately behind all radiators. This is particularly true if it’s an outside wall.
There are a number of proprietary products for this and the best resemble aluminum bubble wrap. Apart from preventing much of the radiator heat from simply heating the wall, it also helps radiate warmth back into the room.
The object of any kind of boxing is to delay the immediate rise of heat towards the ceiling and to try and radiate it into the room as much as possible.
Although we call it a radiator it is in fact more like a convector. This is because of the basic fact that all warm air rises.
To calculate how big a radiator is needed in a room is a fairly simple operation. Most sellers of central heating equipment will have a BTU Calculator on their website.
A BTU is otherwise known as a British thermal unit and this is calculated by feeding the dimensions of the room into a set formula. Other details are also required like the size and type of windows in the room.
The type of outside brick or stone is also taken into account along with details about the floor and ceiling.
It’s important to get the correct radiator output so that it’s not blasting away all day struggling to heat the room. And equally, a radiator with too much heat output is an unnecessary extra expense.
There is a strong argument that the latest new radiators are best left uncovered as their skin is thin enough to radiate more than older conventional ones.
But there is one other argument to cover radiators and that’s when there are young children around the house.
For a BTU calculator http://www.designerradiatorsdirect.co.uk/
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