What do radiator valves do?
Radiator valves help to control the output of heat through your radiators. Each radiator fitted in your home should ideally have a radiator valve to allow you to control the temperature in each individual room.
A lockshield valve is usually covered with a plastic cap for protection. This valve will control the water flow that enters and exits the pipework. Your Gas Safe engineer will often ‘balance your radiators’, to ensure an even distribution of water around your home.
Radiator valves
A manual radiator valve is the most common type of valve, which, as the name suggests, you manually operate. You turn them either left or right which turns the heating up or down. Turning the valve adjusts the hot water flow through the radiator and therefore, how much heat is emitted.
Although manual valves are the easiest to operate and are smaller than the typical thermostatic valve, they can become a pain when you have to remember to manually turn them off, especially when you have to get out of bed to turn them off.
A Thermostatic Radiator Valve, also known as a TRV, is a self-regulating valve, meaning it pretty much takes care of itself.
Once you choose the temperature you would like your radiator to reach, the valve uses wax or liquid to sense the room’s temperature and adjusts the water flow accordingly. This means that once your radiator has reached optimum temperature, the TRV valve will shut off to stop the radiator from getting hotter. This option is much more cost-effective for your home.
If you are planning on getting a new boiler then you have probably heard of smart thermostats that control your central heating. If so, then you could have also heard of a smart radiator valve. A smart thermostat is connected to WiFi which enables you to control your heating via an app from a smart device. If the smart thermostat is compatible with smart TRVs, you can control each TRV in your home from your app from wherever you are in the world.