Radiator reflectors/fans

DWhite

Hi,
I’m looking for the best place to buy some reflective foil to go behind my radiators. I’ve seen it in B&Q and Wickes for around £13 a roll which seems a bit steep!
What are your thoughts on radiator fans? I’ve seen some advertised that sit on top of the radiator and the heat then is dispersed around the room. What puts me off them is that the air will become cooed when blown by the fan??

RebeccaAnn

I bought some in lidl a few months back for about £5 a roll. Unfortunately, I imagine this was a deal.

I can't pass judgment on the radiator fans but I have heard good things about them. The air isn't cooled, it helps it circulate the room and not just rise. In our case, our curtains would be in the way as we have big lined curtains that I tuck down the back of the radiators.

Linda32

I've never heard of radiator fans, but I would have thought that central heating does what it says on the tin.

Might be worth buying one roll of the reflective foil and put it behind where you think are the coldest rooms to see if it makes a difference.

Seakay

I got a radiator fan when I lived somewhere with really high ceilings. It had a tiny battery to power the fan which was triggered by the heat of the radiator, and it wasn't very noisy. It encouraged the heated air to circulate in the room rather than rise straight up, so although it neither cooled nor warmed the air it did make the room feel a little warmer more quickly.

Mistral001

The radiator fan will draw more heat out of the radiator. It does not cool the air but can increase the heat output of your radiator.

I have a homemade one which consists of a old fan heater whose heating element was broken and no longer could be used as a heater. It was one of the old type with square corners as opposed to the newer types which tend to have curvy cases, so it fitted on top of the radiator perfectly. I have made a sort of duct so that the air is directed down and out the bottom of the radiator.

I use it in my home office as my desk is on the other side of the room from the radiator. It definitely will heat up the room quicker. After about a couple of hours I switch it off. If it is particularly cold weather I will keep it on.