Still trying to cut gas bills? Check your radiators are balanced!

NX1977

After trying all the usual tricks to save money, I was recommended by a friend to check my system was balanced. Being a fairly new build, I was sure this would have been done, but to my amazement it wasn't at all!

Since balancing my system my heating now hardly runs at all and the house is nice and warm with the stat at 18C.

If like us you have cold rooms, or your boiler is almost always running despite no doors open and good insulation, then I recommend you check your radiators are balanced. Chances are, like ours, they're not! We were close to having an expensive system flush and even started looking at a new boiler when it turns out the fix was so much simpler.

Plenty of good guides and YouTube videos. Took me about an hour to do 10 radiators and then go round and double check them. You just need a thermometer and a pair of pliers to adjust the lock valves.

Hopefully this helps some of you.

Farway

Agree on the balancing 100% And not surprised new build, or even second properties are not

New build it costs time and energy = money

second properties, I bet many reading you post will not know what balancing heating is, if you do not, follow the above advice

NX1977

Indeed. I was absolutely amazed that all the lock shields were fully open on every rad so they weren't retaining any heat.

Followed a YouTube video during the week and at most they're open 1/8th of a turn and now stay warm for ages before the boiler has to reheat them.

Had all my neighbours checking theirs this weekend.

problemcashback

NX1977 wrote: »

Plenty of good guides and YouTube videos. Took me about an hour to do 10 radiators and then go round and double check them. You just need a thermometer and a pair of pliers to adjust the lock valves.

Hopefully this helps some of you.

Which video did you use

oldskoo1

Fairly new house here too. Again all lock shields were fully open. Used to take nearly an hour to raise the temperature 1c, now it's 25-30mins.

I was told by a plumber as most of the rads have trvs this automatically balances things. Found this pretty much rubbish.

It actually takes ages to do it right. A very quick stab at this you should

- set your pump the lowest it can be and still heat all the radiators usually 2 is fine
- find out the rough order in which the radiators heat up, usually the radiator nearest the pump first, then room by room you just to figure out in which direction it loops. You can feel the pipes for a rough idea. Usually upstairs first then the pipes go downstairs.

Once you have the order
- small rads closet an 1/8th turn open
- larger and double pannels 1/4 turn open
- further along the atypical upstairs loop switch to 1/2 to 3/4 turn open
- downstairs you may want to start with 1/2 or 3/4 turn open going to 1 turn to 1 and a half turn on the furthest radiators
- set the one by the hall stat to 2 turns

If you have dog legs and split pipes you should consider this and any radiators coming off the split as too much throttling will make that leg cooler.

If you have a modern condensing boiler try pump speed 1 after balancing and you've confirmed all radiator get hot, the slower the pump speed will slow the water flow down through the radiator allowing the radiator to extract more heat making the return temperatures more likely to be lower and therefore condense and run at higher efficiencies. Just make sure boiler and pump is happy, isn't cycling often especially early on and the boiler isn't popping or banging.

If you have an older system boiler pump speed 1 might be too slow as these older boilers need slightly higher return temperatures.

If you have a fairly typical ch install this advice usually works out nearly as good as painstaking carefully measured balancing. Key is work out the order in which your rads heat up and set the lock shield accordingly. Usually works out fine. Any rads that feel colder tweak the lock shield open a touch. An 1/8 might be too keen on the nearest rads.

After just set the trvs to between 2 and 4. 1 for unused rooms or close the flow wheel if no trv to 1 turn to limit water on landing or unused radiators. Best not to fully turn off radiators.

Bleed the upstairs radiators with the ch off and you are good to go.

Ps you should have a wheel valve on at least 1 radiator usually the one by the hall stat. You can use the wheel head to quickly turn the lock shield in most cases. Also make sure the flow side of the hall radiator is at least 2 turns open and 4 turns for good measure. Use the writing on the top of the wheel to measure your turns.

NX1977

problemcashback wrote: »

Which video did you use

Can't seem to find it now, but this is essentially what it showed
http://www.homebuilding.co.uk/advice/DIY/how-balance-radiators