Silver foil behind radiators worth it?

davholla

If I put silver foil behind the radiators does it really make the house warmer?

bryanb

davholla wrote: »

If I put silver foil behind the radiators does it really make the house warmer?

It will reflect some of the heat that would have been absorbed by the walls. Whether it will prevent heat loss overall probably depends on the wall construction/insulation. I doubt if it is measurable.

Ken68

If you think about it, Dav, the central heating we all know and love is the clunkiest daftest system ever.
Radiators on the wall depend on heat rising to the ceiling and hopefully falling at some point thereby creating a convection currrent back to the source, and with a bit of luck heating the room and occupants.
The obvious place to have the heating pipes is in the floor.

Cardew

No they do nothing - otherwise we would line the whole room with silver foil.

The area behind the radiator(eg behind the silver paper) will get just as warm as the rest of the wall by conduction.

e.g. half submerge a house brick in a bowl of water, and the whole brick will reach the same temperature.

dixie_dean_2

Is this definitely not worth doing for radiators on external walls?

davholla

British gas think so :-
http://www.britishgas.co.uk/energy-efficiency/products/saving-energy-and-money/tips.html

INT1

£19 a year, wow-how much does foil cost to buy?!

davholla

Good point.

stevehead

If silver foil was any use as an insulator then you wouldn't be able to roast your turkey in it - the bird would be raw yes?
There is a similar looking material called Mylar which is a very very good insulator. (reflector)
You often see mountain rescue victims wrapped in the stuff, and indoor cannabis farmers use it to mask the heat signature from the loft!
Mylar 'might' (because it could) make a difference behind a radiator, but on an outside wall only.

mikey72

I put it behind all my radiators before I fitted them. Can't say if it makes any difference or not, but it means when I decorate it's a lot easier to paper down and round, without going down the back or taking them off again.

shandypants5

Foil may not be an insulator, but it IS a reflective surface that DOES reflect "some" heat away from the wall and back at the radiator.

Thats why they wrap runners in space blankets.

I have tried this on a single radiator and the effect was actually quite noticable to me.
it felt as though the rad was running hotter and you could feel the radiated heat from the front a couple of inches further away. (I never actually measured the temps)

My advice is give it a go and see what you think.


That said... I have moved house since and havent got around to it here yet.