What Features Should You Expect from a Designer Radiator?

Designer radiators are all the rage now. Apparently, we live in particularly narcissistic times and many of us are all about appearance. Well, if that means buying designer radiators, then so be it; they do look incredible!

However, before you rush out and buy just any old radiator, you need to make sure that it sports desirable features. Any manufacture can call their radiator “designer” but that doesn’t mean that it sports all of the features that you should expect from such a radiator. Instead, this is something that you will need to look for yourself.

Here is a list of some features that you should expect to see on designer rads:

1. Thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs)

Seriously, no radiators should come without TRVs nowadays. They are essential in ensuring the efficiency of your radiators. They help to control the temperature of the radiator automatically, which helps you to save money on your energy bills. If you do not have TRVs, then it can cost as much as £100 a year more to heat your home.

Even if the radiator does not come with TRVs, you can always add them at a later date. However, they should be included on designer radiators as a matter of course.

2. Convector fins and double panels.

Both of these serve to increase the surface area of a radiator, which means that it will be able to produce more heat than the same unit would if it did not sport convector fins or panels. 

Here, while we are using the word “panel” we do not mean the flat panels that you see with traditional radiators. Rather, we mean that the shape is repeated. For example, if your designer rads look like a giant fig leaf, there should be two fig leaves one in front of the other.

These extra panels and fins ensure that the radiator is efficient, even though it may be an unusual design.

Are you interested in buying designer radiators? If you are, check out the fantastic collection at https://www.designerradiatorsdirect.co.uk/.

How to Keep Your Central Heating System in Tip-Top Condition

Central heating systems and radiators are expensive, so it’s important to keep them in tip-top condition. On top of being expensive to buy, if they break, the damage can be extremely expensive – burst pipes cause serious problems.

Fortunately, as long as you take good care of your central heating system, you are likely to avert any such issues. Follow the six pieces of advice below and you will help to keep your system safe and free from problems.  

1. Ensure you have high quality radiators and a boiler.

The better the quality of your radiators and boilers, the less likely they are to breakdown. Furthermore, if you buy a brand such as Reina radiators, you get a long warrantee, which in turn means that you can receive compensation if the radiators become damaged and it isn’t your fault.

2. Have your boiler serviced every year.

It is sensible to service your boiler once a year. You can find packages that allow you to pay a set amount a month for a single annual visit. For instance, we pay roughly £9 for an annual British Gas service.

3. Check your radiators every 6-months.

You should take a close look at each of your radiators every 6-months. Make sure that you bleed them if needed, and make sure that they do not show signs of rust or damage. Deal quickly with any issues you might find.

4. Have your radiators serviced every five to ten years.

It’s prudent to have your radiators serviced too, but they require less frequent servicing than the boiler does. Every five to ten years should suffice. The higher the quality of the radiators, the less frequent the service needs to be. For example, Reina radiators will only need servicing around once a decade.

5. Keep radiators clean and free of dust.

Dust can make your radiators less efficient, it can also lead to rust. Make sure that you clean your radiators frequently and that you get rid of any dust.

6. Make sure you set the radiators so that they come when the temperature approaches zero.

You must ensure that the central heating system comes on when the temperature approaches around 5 Celsius. You do not want the system to freeze as this can lead to burst pipes.

Are you interested in buying new radiators? If you are, please visit https://www.designerradiatorsdirect.co.uk/.

Radiators That Look Back

It’s only in recent years that radiator manufacturers have realised that there’s no need for all radiators to look alike.

Way back in Edwardian times only the super-rich, living in very grand homes could afford to install central heating. In those days the radiators were usually shaped like a big doughnut on its end.

They were all cast from iron and presumably took a very long time to heat. Then in the early seventies millions of ordinary people were offered central heating systems on very generous terms.

The order was signed for and a few days later the boiler along with radiators, valves and pipes would arrive to be fitted a few days later by a team of installation engineers and plumbers. Nobody questioned what the radiators would look like. They were just glad to have this new heating system.

In fact, all the radiators were painted white or cream on a pressed steel panel. And this is how they remained for decades.

Sometime in the not too distant past the radiator manufacturers had a lightbulb moment. As the simple physics of the radiator is to pump water into one end and out the other, there should be no restriction, other than surface area, of the shape.

A popular recent addition is mirrored radiators and these are particularly useful where there is not a great deal of wall space for both a large mirror and a separate radiator.

They are also useful in the bathroom as the best of these are designed not to suffer condensation problems.

Where radiators used to be necessary but quite boring wall mounted panels, they are now highly individual items that can enhance any décor. 

When completing a large refurbishment of a property, designers will incorporate into the plan the positioning of radiators in each room. Where they used to have to find a large expanse of wall to take a conventional oblong horizontal radiator, now they can fit them anywhere.

Every shape is available to fit under windows, in narrow alcoves or any other part of the room.

For mirrored radiators https://www.designerradiatorsdirect.co.uk/