205 lines
5.9 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
205 lines
5.9 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
property
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propertyadvice
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jeffhowell
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8278429
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-----
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# Home improvements: What is radiator 'balancing'?
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## Trouble with the boiler? Rogue traders? Or a tricky do-it-yourself job?
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Jeff Howell gives on-the-level advice and answers your home maintenance
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questions
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![Fuel costs depend on a range of factors][1]
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Fuel costs depend on a range of factors
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By [Jeff Howell][2] 11:54AM GMT 24 Jan 2011
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[Comments][3]
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**Q **_We live in a four-bedroom detached house with a condensing boiler. When
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the heating comes on in the mornings, the radiators in the bedrooms and
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bathrooms heat up quickly. _
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_However, the radiator in the kitchen and one of the two in the sitting room
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are barely warm by the time the heating goes off two hours later. The heating
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has to be on for several hours for these radiators to become hot. A friend has
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suggested that the system may need balancing. _
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_Could you explain what this means and is it something we could do ourselves?_
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**AM, by email **
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**A** As I wrote a couple of weeks ago, balancing the radiators in a wet
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central heating system is an operation that plumbers and heating engineers
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used to carry out as a matter of course.
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Since the widespread and mandatory fitting of thermostatic radiator valves
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(TRVs) however, the practice has become sadly neglected.
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## Related Articles
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* [Home improvements: trouble with the boiler?][4]
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18 Jan 2011
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* [Home improvements: What is the point of a TRV?][5]
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10 Jan 2011
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* [How to heat the house this winter][6]
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21 Dec 2010
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* [How to keep warm this winter][7]
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08 Dec 2010
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* [Home improvements: Damp-proofing][8]
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22 Nov 2010
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* [DIY: Are dad skills obsolete?][9]
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10 Nov 2010
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At its simplest, balancing means adjusting the radiator valves so that the
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radiators all heat up at the same rate. If a radiator is too cool, it needs
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more hot water flowing through it, and if another is too hot, then the flow
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through it needs restricting. Balancing is achieved using the balancing or
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"lockshield" valve -- the one at the opposite end of the radiator to the main
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on/off wheel valve or TRV.
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The term "lockshield" means that once adjusted, the valve is shielded with a
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plastic cap that prevents it being accidentally changed. Balancing is a simple
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operation that any competent householder should be able to do.
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Start by fully opening the main wheel valves or TRVs on all the radiators.
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Then unscrew or prise off the plastic caps on the lockshield valves. In most
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cases this will reveal a half-moon-section brass spindle sticking out of the
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top of the valve, which can be turned using a small adjustable spanner. Try to
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avoid using pliers, as the jaws might slip and burr the spindle.
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Then, starting with the radiator nearest the boiler, close the lockshield
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valve completely off (fully clockwise) and then open it a one-quarter turn. Do
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the same with the next radiator, this time opening it three-eights of a turn.
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And so on until the radiator furthest from the boiler, which should have the
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lockshield valve fully open.
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With the boiler and pump running, see how quickly the radiators warm up and
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how comfortable the rooms are. Make further small adjustments until the system
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is balanced to your satisfaction. Then replace the plastic covers on the
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lockshield valves.
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A more precise method is to use a pair of clip-on pipe thermometers on the
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flow and return pipes at either end of the radiator. Starting with the
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radiator nearest the boiler, adjust the lockshield valve until you get a
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temperature drop of 11C across the two pipes. Then move on to the others in
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turn.
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**Q**_The inner rubber core of my shower hose is broken. Can I replace the
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rubber tube or do I have to get a brand new shower hose?_ **RL, by email **
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**A** Buy a whole new shower hose. It will probably cost a lot less than you
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think - from around a fiver. DIY stores and hardware shops usually stock a
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standard 1.5 metre length -- for other lengths take your old hose to a local
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plumbers' merchants. Make sure you are given a new pair of rubber washers to
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go inside the screw fittings.
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**What's the difference between ... **a beam and a joist?
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Estate agents love describing structural timbers as "exposed beams" in the
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mistaken impression that this turns an ordinary house into a "period
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property". Often these timbers are simply ceiling joists or wall studs which
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were never meant to be left exposed. A main beam is a large load-bearing
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member, usually hidden within the wall structure. A secondary beam spans two
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main beams, to lessen the span of upstairs floor joists and might well be left
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on display.
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[X][10] Share & bookmark
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[What are these?][11]
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* Share: [Share][10] [ ][12] [ ][13]
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[Tweet][14]
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/propertyadvice/jeffhowell/8278429/Home-
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improvements-What-is-radiator-balancing.html
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Telegraph
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## [Jeff Howell][15]
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* ### [Lifestyle »][16]
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* ### [Property »][17]
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* ### [Property Advice »][18]
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In property
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[![Silver birch is unlikely to cause damage to a nearby building][19] ][20]
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### [Home improvements: Could my neighbour's trees damage my house?][20]
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[![DIY skills learned from dad, such as carpentry, are in sharp decline partly
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because of advances in technology
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][21] ][9]
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### [DIY: Are dad skills obsolete?][9]
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[![Jeff Howell][22] ][23]
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### [Home improvements: Do I need to replace my locks?][23]
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[X][10] Share & bookmark
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Delicious Facebook Google Messenger Reddit Twitter
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Digg Fark LinkedIn Google Buzz StumbleUpon Y! Buzz
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[What are these?][11]
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Share:
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* [ ][10]
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* [ ][12]
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* [ ][13]
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* [Tweet][14]
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* Advertisement
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![][24]
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telegraphuk
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Please enable JavaScript to view the [comments powered by Disqus.][25] [blog
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comments powered by Disqus][26]
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* [UK Homes][27]
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* [Overseas][28]
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* [RHS Chelsea][29]
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