Should there be a thermostatic valve on every radiator?

We recommend you fit a thermostatic valve on every radiator. But there’s no need to fit one in a room with a fixed room thermostat.

Why is only one radiator not working?





If just one (or a few) of your radiators aren’t heating up, the most common reason for this is trapped air. If you’ve just turned the heating back on after the summer, air can become trapped in your radiators, causing them to be warm at the bottom but cold at the top.

Should one radiator not have a TRV?

Standard practice is to leave one radiator without a thermostatic radiator valve installed, and to leave that appliance permanently switched on. If your boiler is fitted with a flow meter – that detects when all of your radiator valves are closed, you can install a TRV on every radiator if you want to.

Should both radiator valves be open?

You should open both of the valves on all of your system’s radiator when you are starting the radiator balancing process. You will most likely need to use pliers to open the lockshield valve.

What number should radiator valve be on?

Radiator valves have numbers or symbols to represent how much heat the radiator is putting out. Normally, these numbers range from 1 – 6. Turning the valve to 3 should give you a room temperature around 20°C.

What number should TRV be on?





A fully functional TRV will detect the temperature of the room and automatically adjust the amount of hot water in the radiator accordingly. During the winter, you should really set your TRV to 2 or 3 and leave it.

Why is 1 radiator in my house cold?

Why is one radiator cold when the heating is on? One cold radiator usually indicates that either there is air in the system or there is a stuck valve within that radiator. The thermostatic radiator valve (TRV), like the one pictured below, controls the flow of hot water to the radiator.

What happens if you bleed a radiator with the heating on?

You must not bleed a radiator when the heating is turned on as it may be too hot to touch and hot water could spray out of it. Ensure the heating is turned off before you begin bleeding a radiator. Letting out air when the pump is running will only draw more air into the system from elsewhere.

Does it matter which side of radiator flow and return?

Most modern thermostatic radiator valves are bi-directional – so can be fitted on either the flow or return pipe of your radiator. However, it’s always best practice to fit the TRV on the flow pipe that enters your radiator.

Does it matter which end of a radiator the TRV goes?



The vast majority of new TRV’s are bidirectional and can be fitted to either the flow or return, but it is always good practice to fit them to the flow side. If a non bidirectional TRV is fitted on the return side it will create a vibrating sound as the water tries to flow though it.

Why are there 2 valves on a radiator?

The reason you need two valves generally on all rads is because the system dictates a flow and return. The flow pipework carries the newly heated water from the boiler. The return taking it back at a lower temperature to be reheated by the boiler.

What is the second valve on a radiator for?

One valve accounts for the amount of hot water that enters the radiator. The other valve, referred to as the lockshield valve, balances the system by regulating how much heat the radiator gives off.

Do all radiators have two valves?



Every radiator in your home has a pair of radiator valves to control the heat output. Even if you have a thermostat to control the central heating, the valves control each radiator.

How do you adjust a TRV valve?

Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: And say the TR v is set on two or three and the radiator is cold rather than just waking it up to five just open that TR v one or two clicks or a few millimeters.

What does a lockshield valve do?

The Lockshield valve restricts hot water flow to radiators to help balance the entire system as a whole. Other radiator valves can be used to help adjust the temperature of a radiator to help heat or cool a room.

Should radiator lockshield be fully open?

Most lockshield valves have a plastic or metal cover. You should remove these and open all of the lockshield valves completely. This requires that you turn them anticlockwise. You should also fully open the TRVs (thermostatic radiator valves).

What happens if lockshield valve is closed?



On most radiators, this is the valve you can’t turn by hand. By closing a fully-open lockshield valve by a few turns (with a pair of grips or screwdriver), you can slow down the rate at which water enters the radiator and reduce the speed with which it gets hot.

Which radiator valve is the lockshield?

The lockshield valve, on the side of the radiator opposite the on/off valve, may be adjusted to balance the output of your heating system. The lockshield itself is the plastic cap that covers the valve to ensure that you don’t accidentally change the setting once you’ve adjusted it.

Does the lockshield valve go on the flow or return?

Systems are normally balanced by adjusting the lockshield valves usually fitted on the return side of each radiator. This ensures that each radiator circuit in the system has an equal pressure drop and receives the correct flow of hot water to heat the space in which it is fitted.

Do you need a lockshield valve?

A lockshield valve helps to balance out that radiator and ensure the whole system is in sync, with all radiators heating at the same rate. It is therefore every bit as important a valve as without the system being balanced, there is often little point adjusting an individual temperature valve.