Part of what makes a Designer Radiator look simply breath-taking is the fact that no part of it looks amiss. All of our radiators make for absolutely stunning features, boasting sleek shapes, dazzling finishes and unique textures, but without the right shape of valve they might not look as wonderful as they should.

To avoid having a distracting valve, and to make sure that you can fit the radiator without a problem, here’s quick and easy to understand guide on the 3 valve shapes!

THE VALVES

So what are the 3 shapes of valves? There are;

• Angled valves
• Corner valves (sometimes called ‘double-angled’ valves)
• Straight valves (sometimes called ‘in-line’ valves)

Each valve has their best use, and both Angled and Corner valves can be used in two ways…

Your pipework will almost always fall under one of two categories; it will approach your radiator from below/from the floor, or it will come outwards from the wall.

Likewise your radiator will either have valve connections on the underside of the radiator, or on the side of the radiator, so depending on the combination of these you can use valves very well or very badly. Here’s a quick guide to help you make the most of your arrangement.

THE DOS

If you have pipes which will be coming up from the floor and the radiator has connections on the side, you will need to use Angled Valves for the best finish;

If on the other hand the radiator actually has connection points underneath, then Straight Valves will be better;

For pipework which comes out from the wall however, no matter where you connect on the radiator corner valves will look the neatest;

THE DON’TS

Here’s why you don’t want to ignore our advice!

If you put the wrong valves with you radiator’s connections, even though they will fit the radiator, you end up with the heads of the valves pointing away from the wall and looking out of place, and potentially costing you space where you might not have it.

This is without mentioning that the angled valves in these examples is the perfect foothold for any young, aspiring climbers you might have in the house!

We hope this helps, but if you have any questions at all please just let us know by getting in touch via email at sales@designerradiatorshowroom.co.uk or reach us on our helpline on 01257 452879

When you are thinking of changing your older, plain radiator to a designer radiators you want to find the most attractive solution possible, at the best price, and with the assurance that they will last the years and decades until you next feel the urge to replace them.

What doesn’t normally come to mind is your system’s health during that time, and why it is important to consider the well-being of your central heating.

SOME LIKE IT HOT

Most manufacturers have a stipulation in their terms and conditions for their guarantee that you should cleanse your system once every 12 months to maintain the guarantee, but it’s not uncommon for people to leave their systems until there is a problem. But provided that your radiators are good quality models from the Designer Radiator Showroom, there shouldn’t be any problems, right? Wrong.

Over time your system can accumulate debris, scale, rust and sludge, all of which traverse your heating and finally settle wherever they can, commonly in the bottom of your radiators, but also in your pipework, and even in the boiler and its pump. Amongst other problems, this means that instead of hot water in your radiators, some of it is replaced with cold sludge, making it more expensive to heat your home and for a poorer result.

Just take a look at the footage we took with our thermal imaging camera of one of our customer’s radiators!

As you can see the temperature at the top of the radiator is pretty normal, but at the bottom the radiator it might as well be turned off!

WHAT’S IN THERE?

Through the miracle of modern technology we can show you just what can collect inside your designer radiators if you don’t take good care of your system. Here is one of our expert heating engineers after removing just some of the sludge from the radiator in the first video with an electro-magnetic rod:

If that doesn’t convince you to take good care of your central heating then we don’t know what will!

When you have a new designer radiator installed onto your heating, your plumber will balance the system to ensure the correct pressure reaches each radiator, and cleanse the water to ensure it is in the best condition for your central heating. Make sure your boiler gets a service once a year, and do ask your heating engineer about whether they think your system needs a power flush to completely cleanse the system of any contaminants which shouldn’t be present.

Keeping a healthy heating system is very important for the well being of your designer radiators, but if you’re just thinking about purchasing a new one take a look at our complete range here!