Radiators 101: Understanding Valves

Radiator valves are the most important feature of a radiator. They control the amount of water that comes in and out of the radiator, therefore having complete control over the heat output. Given that the whole point of a radiator is to produce heat, the valves are the most important feature. However, despite this fact, people still have a hard time understanding the role that valves have in heat output. This is unsurprising given the various types of valve; there are several different types, and they each work differently and this can confuse people. Here, we’re going to try to make it a bit simpler.

There are two main types of valve:

1. The lock shield valve
2. The temperature control valve

These are found at separate ends of the radiator. Usually, the temperature control valve is found to the right and the lock shieldvalve is found to the left as you stand facing the unit. Within each type of valve are further subdivisions, so we will not consider each of these in turn.

The Lock shield Valve
The lock shield valve is used to balance the system. It is called a lock shield valve because once you have adjusted the radiator, you place the cap over the top and it locks it in place so that you can accidentally change the settings.

This valve is used to balance the system. Balancing the system is a relatively simple task. In layman terms, it simply means adjusting the entire central heating system so that all of the radiators heat up at the same speed. Balancing means adjusting the amount of water that is able to flow through the system (don’t get confused with the thermostatic radiator valve, which does control water flow too, but does not set the allowable volume). A lock shield valve ensures that the radiator has a certain amount of water that can be adjusted by the thermostatic valves (also known as the temperature control valve).

The Temperature Control Valve
Next, you have the temperature control valves. These adjust the amount of water coming in and out of the radiator at any given time. The lock shield has determined how much it is possible to let in to the unit, the temperature control valve then allows all of this water in (if opened fully) or only part of the water (if opened partially). The more of the water it allows into the unit, the hotter that unit will be able to get. The less water allowed in, the cooler it will be. In other words, it controls the temperature.

There are two main types of temperature control valve:

1. Manual control valves: these are turned by hand. You have to manually adjust the system while it’s in use. If you feel it’s too hot, you turn it down, too cold, you turn it up.
2. Thermostatic radiator valves: these are automatic. You set them to the desired setting and then they open and close depending on the temperature of the room. Thermostatic radiator valves are also known as TRVs.

If you would like to buy radiator valves, including thermostatic radiator valves, then please visit www.designerradiatorsdirect.co.uk

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