About Radiator ValvesBuying new radiators for your home, or even for a single room, can make a huge difference. It can help to transform a tired home into one that’s bursting with energy, style, or whatever it is that you love from your internal decoration. Not only this, but it can also help to boost the efficiency of the home and to save money on your heating bills.

When buying new radiators, many people overlook the importance of buying the correct radiator valves. This isn’t surprising, given that they’re rarely talked about. However, they play a massive roll in the efficiency of the unit, so it’s important to get it right.

To look at the huge selection of radiator valves on sale, it’s also unsurprising that many people become confused when thinking about the best type of valve for their needs. If this sounds familiar, then you’ve come to the right place. Here, we are going to explain everything you need to know about valves.

By the time you reach the end of the article, you will have a much better idea of the type of valves that you should be buying.

There are four key types of valve:

1. Manual radiator valves: these are the style you are likely to have grown up with. Here, you control the temperature of the radiator by the flow of water into the unit. The further open the valve, the more water can flow in and the hotter it will become. The further you close the valve, the less water can flow in and the colder it will become.

2. Thermostatic radiator valves: these work in the same way as above, in that they open and close and this regulates the temperature of the radiator. However, the difference is that they do this automatically. You set the thermostat on the valve to the desired temperature (they usually have 5 to 7 settings. The first setting looks like this * and represents freezing; this setting prevents the pipes from freezing, but doesn’t waste any more heat; it’s for rooms that you don’t use often). 6 or 7 is the highest setting.

3. Lock shield valve: these regulate the amount of water that flows out of the radiator. You don’t have to worry about these very often as they are simply used for balancing the system. Most people don’t know how to balance the system and so to do this will use a plumber.

4. Bleed valve: this is for releasing air from the system. Overtime, air accumulates in the central heating system. This is normal and usually comes from the water. However, air will create cold patches and make the radiators less efficient. Every now and again, you will need to bleed the system.

All radiators will have a valve to control the temperature (either 1 & 2), the lock shield valve (3), and the bleed valve (4).

When buying valves, you will also need to choose between angled valves and straight valves. Straight valves allow you to join the radiator to pipework directly, in a straight line. An angled valve is for when you need a 90o bend to attach the radiator pipe to the water pipe.