Still feeling cold after turning the heating on?
Chances are, your radiators aren't working as well as they should be. But thankfully, a plumber has shared some handy hacks to change this.
Plumber Zhelyazko Yanchev, who works for UK house maintenance company Fantastic Services, revealed that dusting and removing clutter can work wonders. You should also consider balancing your rads and checking the fans are working correctly.
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According to Express, he said: "Water heating systems circulate hot water through pipes and radiators throughout your home. There are plenty of ways to make radiators hotter, and heat up faster, without buying a new boiler and using expensive or specialist tools.
"Hot water radiator systems are very simple and the problems are likely as simple, too." So here's what you need to do…
De-clutter
Remove any objects that are resting on or near to the radiators – as these can prevent hot air from circulating properly.
Yanchev advised: "Radiators work on the principle that hot air rises by natural convection. Any objects placed on or under them will almost certainly interfere with this process, so be sure to keep your radiators clutter-free."
Dust
If you've got clumps of dust clogging up vanes in the radiator, this can prevent the appliance from working properly. But a quick sweep with a long duster may be all it takes to solve this problem.
Balance radiators
To complete this task, turn the heating off and open up the radiator valves. Turn the heating back on and make a note of how quickly it takes for each rad to heat up.
Turn the heating back off and let it cool, before cranking it up and adjusting the first radiator to heat up. Take the appliance's temperature, as well as that of the pipework.
Check off each radiator on the list to see if the job has been done. Or call in a professional if you're still struggling.
Yanchev said: "If one room is always colder or its radiator takes a long time to heat up, you may need to balance the radiators. Doing this ensures that they heat up evenly, regardless of how close they are to the boiler."
Check the radiator fans
Make sure there are no debris blocking the fan. And if anything's cracked, broken or loose, it's probably not working properly either.
While it may be possible to mend the fan by patching or welding damaged areas, or clearing blockages out, this probably won't be a long-term solution. We'd advise calling in an expert to help out with the problem.
Yanchev explained: "By drawing air through the radiator's vanes, they help it emit as much heat as possible."
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