Do all radiators have a lockshield valve?

Unless your radiators have TRVs fitted, they will usually have a wheelhead and a lockshield valve, one on each end.

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.

What is the difference between a lockshield and radiator valve?

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.

How do you find the lockshield valve?

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.

Do all radiators have a valve?

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 a locksheild valve works

Do all radiators have 2 valves?

Each radiator will have two valves. One will control the amount of hot water that enters the radiator and the other will balance the system by controlling how much heat comes out of your radiator. This is known as the 'lockshield valve'.

What are the 2 valves on a radiator?

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. For a more detailed insight, take a look at our Radiator Valve Guide.

Should 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).

How do you open the lockshield valve on a radiator?

Once the system has cooled down, you will have to open the lockshield valve. To do this, simply turn in an anti-clockwise direction (to the left). You can do so by hand; but if your valves are a bit stiff, use your lockshield valve key, a spanner, or the wheelhead valve cap instead.

Is the lockshield on the flow or return?

Flow and Return with Wheelhead and Lockshield

Conventionally, the wheelhead valve is fitted to the flow pipe and the lockshield valve is fitted to the return.

Should all radiators have thermostatic valves?

However, while TRVs can, technically, be installed on all radiators, it's usually a good idea to leave one radiator without a TRV and permanently switched on. Ideally, this should either be a bathroom, which would usually benefit from permanent heat, or the room with the thermostat in it.

What side does the lockshield go on a radiator?

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.

What does closing the lockshield valve do?

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.

Does balancing radiators save money?

Does balancing radiators save money? Balancing your radiators can save you money on your heating bills. This is because you're giving the correct balance to each radiator to ensure your boiler doesn't keep cycling on and off and giving your system a nice smooth flow.

Should all radiators be turned on?

As long as you close the doors so the cold air doesn't seep into the rest of the house, you will save money by turning off the radiators in unused rooms. By doing so, you'll prevent the water in the system running through that particular radiator.

Why are some of my radiators hotter than others?

Some radiators occationally get quite a bit warmer than others. When this happens it usually means that your central heating system is out of balance. In some instances, radiators can be different temperatures due to the distance that water that heats them has to travel from the boiler or pump.

What position should a lockshield valve be?

The lockshield valve should be set to a degree that will allow the radiator or radiators to maintain their desired temperature.

Should one radiator always be on with central heating?

Generally, one radiator should be left permanently switched on: this is the 'bypass' radiator. This radiator may be a bathroom towel rail (where the heat is always likely to be useful), or in the same room as the room thermostat (see below). TRVs are found on radiators other than the bypass radiator.

Should both valves on radiator 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.

Why are some of my radiators Stone Cold?

Why is my radiator cold at the bottom? When your radiator is cold at the bottom, it's likely that there's a debris blockage that's restricting the flow of hot water to the whole radiator. Usually, the culprit of this particular problem is sludge, debris, rust and other bits of dirt.

Which side of a radiator turns it off?

To turn a radiator off, locate the thermostatic valve on the left side and turn the valve clockwise until the dial reads 0. Next, find the second valve on the right side of the radiator and twist it clockwise until it won't turn anymore. Once both valves are closed, the radiator will be completely turned off.

Which side of radiator is flow?

The flow of a radiator is typically on the left as you look at it stood up or attached to the wall.

How do I know the flow and return on my central heating system?

Hi, turn the heating on and the pipe that gets hot first is the flow. Switch on your heating from cold. The pipes on the heating circuit that heats up first will the flow pipe, the other wil be the return. The Flow pipe gets warm before the return pipe.