One simple tool can make your home feel warmer – and it’s not a radiator key.
Should you have a radiator positioned on an exterior wall, much of that warmth is being wasted heating up the bricks outside your property. With the UK experiencing a cold snap during late winter, the last thing you’d want is to feel chilly inside your own home.
Plus, energy isn’t cheap, so if you’re paying for heat to escape straight out of your place, then this straightforward hack is a no-brainer.According to heating specialists at Checkatrade, you can make your radiator feel “hotter” and “more efficient” by using a reflector.
The specialists explained: “A radiator reflector is a sheet of reflective material that’s placed between your radiator and the wall to bounce any heat that would otherwise be lost back into the room.”
Radiator reflectors can be purchased at the likes of B&Q, Amazon, and Dunelm, with prices starting from £9. But that’s not the only measure you can take to help warm up your radiators – keeping them clean is equally important.
In fact, the specialists pointed out: “Dust can create a layer of insulation around your radiator, lowering its performance. Meanwhile, dirt and debris can obstruct your radiator’s vanes.”
How to clean radiators
Ensure the radiators are switched off and cool, then use a vacuum – holding the nozzle to the grate or slats for a few seconds – to remove all the dirt.
If necessary, you can use a hair dryer to blow excess dust out of the radiator, which you can then quickly vacuum up. Then, with a radiator cleaning brush (available at most DIY shops), you can ensure all the debris and dust has been cleared away.
Following this, simply clean the exterior of the radiator with some soapy water and a cloth, then dry it with another microfibre cloth.
Does my radiator need bleeding?
Once the radiator is spotless, and you’ve installed a radiator reflector, your home should feel noticeably warmer. However, if the radiator feels warm at the bottom but cold at the top, this indicates there’s trapped air inside preventing the flow of hot water.
This is a clear sign that you need to bleed your radiator to release the trapped air, allowing the radiator to heat up efficiently again.
To do this, you’ll require a radiator key and a towel; firstly, find the release valve on the side of the radiator (it resembles a square pin).
This is where you slowly turn the release valve with the radiator key until you hear a hissing noise – this is the trapped air being released.
When the hissing stops, water will begin to circulate through the radiator; this is your signal to close the release valve. The towel should be placed underneath the release valve just in case any water leaks out during this procedure.
