Radiator Booster - any thoughts?

Mike_Harmon

I bought 4 of these from Gizoo and found them to be too noisy so returned them for a refund as not fit for the purpose. Customer service at Gizoo stinks and its really hard to even send them an email as it bounces from teh parent site in Germany and they insist to have to have a registration number...and it goes on. Because I returned them without the packaging, they would not refund me. lesson learned. avoid Gizoo like the plague!

Mike_Harmon

I bought 4 of these from Gizoo and found them to be too noisy so returned them for a refund as not fit for the purpose. Customer service at Gizoo stinks and its really hard to even send them an email as it bounces from teh parent site in Germany and they insist to have to have a registration number...and it goes on. Because I returned them without the packaging, they would not refund me. lesson learned. avoid Gizoo like the plague!

harryhound

Ken68 wrote: »

Amazed that heat suits have never been invented. After all, electric blankets cost nowt to run, could easily be integrated into an overall, heated up overnight etc.
Why heat the whole house.

As battery technology improves and China builds a massive internal market (forget the push bike, they are wizing about on electric bikes these days with the frame packed with lap top batteries) heated clothing will get more and more common.
As our depreciating pound makes the global price of oil and gas seem more and more expensive perhaps we will end up wearing tailored electric blankets and riding about on electric bikes?

http://www.blazewear.com/

Blanche_Green

Yes I have one of these. It is quite effective. The tranformer runs at 2.4v so very low on electricity costs .
My husband did comment that the packaging could be used to make another if you had a spare computer fan .
The principle being, the heat is there anyway but is not circulating about the room.
Regarding the reflectors behind the radiator comment, I think the problem is that if the half of the brick out of the water is as hot as the half of the brick within,then the heat is now exposed to the air and the heat is slowly being released into the outside air as well as into the the building. It is a bit like the 'pot within a pot' cooler system .

dopester

Cardew wrote: »

Whilst it seems like a good idea, there is absolutely no evidence that reflective foil(or any of these devices) behind a radiator saves any money.

British Gas are selling foil-type reflectors which go behind the radiator for £4 a go. They seem to claim it can save money. (see the video)

Save up to 20% on the cost of heating your home with Heat Keeper Radiator Panels. They reflect heat back into the room and keep it circulating, so you stay cosy and your energy bills stay low.

https://www.britishgas.co.uk/products-and-services/energy-savers/Heating/radiator-panels.htm

nigeldodd

There is a more subtle point to be made here. The thermodynamic efficiency of the heating system is increased as the temperature of the radiators is reduced. If you keep the temperature the same, the fan extracts more energy from the radiator. Alternatively you can reduce the temperature of the radiator and get the same heat out if you use a fan.

Another point has to do with modern condensing radiators. They only work in condensing mode if the return water is less than the dew point (about 55 degC). You are more likely to keep the boiler in condensing mode if you pull more heat out of the radiators and this you can do with the fan. The difference between a boiler working in condensing mode and not working in condensing mode is about 10% of efficiency.

I am somewhat appalled at the inadequate analysis to support the claims of the Radiator Booster. I am currently using an old fan heater (without the heat) to do the job.

moonrakerz

nigeldodd wrote: »

Another point has to do with modern condensing radiators. They only work in condensing mode if the return water is less than the dew point (about 55 degC). You are more likely to keep the boiler in condensing mode if you pull more heat out of the radiators and this you can do with the fan. The difference between a boiler working in condensing mode and not working in condensing mode is about 10% of efficiency.

I am somewhat appalled at the inadequate analysis to support the claims of the Radiator Booster. I am currently using an old fan heater (without the heat) to do the job.

????

I use an old table fan, but have replaced the plastic blades with £50 notes - works a treat !!

Jon_Tiffany

nigeldodd wrote: »

There is a more subtle point to be made here. The thermodynamic efficiency of the heating system is increased as the temperature of the radiators is reduced. If you keep the temperature the same, the fan extracts more energy from the radiator. Alternatively you can reduce the temperature of the radiator and get the same heat out if you use a fan.

Another point has to do with modern condensing radiators. They only work in condensing mode if the return water is less than the dew point (about 55 degC). You are more likely to keep the boiler in condensing mode if you pull more heat out of the radiators and this you can do with the fan. The difference between a boiler working in condensing mode and not working in condensing mode is about 10% of efficiency.

I am somewhat appalled at the inadequate analysis to support the claims of the Radiator Booster. I am currently using an old fan heater (without the heat) to do the job.

Just bringing an old thread back to life given the current cold spell.

Just wondering if anyone has actually used one of these for any period of time to give some feedback on their effectiveness?

The theory is sound and I'm sure that they work, although by how much is the question.

forgotmyname

Junk Junk Junk, Get a couple or cereal boxes and an old fan from a computer. or one of those posh
USB fans with a chavvy LED.

The heat you generate making it will save you on heating bills.

Want a room to warmup faster, Make the room smaller. Brother has just moved into a new house which had
the garage converted into a bedroom. He didnt need the extra bedroom so turned it into an entertainment room

Lowered the ceiling by just over 2ft and added insulation/soundproofing to the walls and floor.
He says the room warms up faster than anywhere else in the house.

Poosmate

Just a word of warning regarding heating yourself (via extra clothing) rather than heating your house, DON'T DO IT!

A few years ago I thought I'd be clever and instead of heating my house I decided to wear more clothes and a jacket and put off putting the gas fire on till I was cold enough.

I don't have central heating and at the time just 1 gas fire in the lounge.

By the time it got rediculously cold and I was having to put the gas fire on as soon as I got home from work, the whole house had got so cold it became almost impossible to heat up even just the lounge.

My lounge when I got home from work was at 13.5 degrees and my kitchen 9.5 degrees, bedroom 11 degrees and bathroom 5.5 degrees. After the gas fire had been on for a couple of hours the temps went up to about 16-17 degrees (lounge), 12-13 degrees (kitchen) about 13 degrees (bedroom) and 7.5 degrees for bathroom.

It was such a depressing winter, I contemplated shutting up the house and moving back to my moms!

Once the very bones of the house are so cold it's so hard to reheat the house. What heat you put in just seems to be leached into the walls, ceilings, floors and only when they are warmed up will your rooms retain any heat.

My gas fire is on much more now and I have a couple of oil filled radiators too. I'll never let my house get that cold again - whatever the cost!

Poo