Good Radiators Make Effective Central Heating Systems

Take a modern car as an example. The engine creates the power by burning fuel. The power is then transferred by the wheels and tyres to pull the car forward. In the central heating world, the engine is your boiler and the wheels and tyres are your wall hung radiators. Just like in cars, a well designed and sized radiator is crucial for effective heat transfer from the boiler into the room and as such guarantee an effective and economic performance of your central heating system.

You may find this as a surprise in our modern day that those stainless steel racks and sleek radiators now offered by leading UK suppliers actually date back to the 19th century. Patented by a German engineer in 1855, the radiator has largely remained unchanged in its basic concept. If you ignore the external fashionable designs, all radiators are basically a flat metal hollow case, shaped as a box (sometimes with fins to improve the heat emissions) and attached to the wall in order to radiate heat into the room.

UK made radiators are typically made of sheet steel with fins to emit more heat. The heating liquid, normally water, is pumped into the radiator. The hot liquid loses its heat into the room and as it cools off it drops to the bottom of the radiator and eventually is pumped out via the return valve. The air around the radiator heats up and consequently rises to the top of the room, drawing in cooler air. This convection effect keeps a circulation of heating within the room and constant heat within the home.

Like many closed loop systems with a heat transfer liquid within them, the radiators and the pipes develop air pockets. Over time air bubbles are seeping through tiny cracks in the system causing air pockets. By using a professional plumber you would reduce the risk of such air pockets as they are likely to use good quality compression fittings that minimize the risk of such cracks.

An alternative explanation for the bubbles within the circulation loop is that they are the result of a chemical reaction that occurs when copper piping and other metals are in continuous contact with very hot water. Such reactions lead to tiny bubbles of hydrogen that float within the system and find their way to the upper most point of the closed loop heating system. This explains why it is often the top of the radiator that remains cold (as it is filled with gas rather than hot water). Is such cases it is recommended to bleed the radiator from the bleeding valve at the top of the radiator, using a special bleeding key. Such keys can be found in all major DIY stores in the UK.

Radiators may suffer from another problem due to their chemical make. As hot water comes in contact with iron and other metals the reaction releases not only gases but also other chemical deposits which clog the system and reduce its performance. This problem is more acute with older systems and in extreme cases can make the central heating system completely in-effective.

Modern plumbers reduce the risk of such corrosion by adding a corrosion inhibitor to the mix of liquids within the central heating loop. In addition most plumbers these days power flush the system before filling it up to remove any such deposits and sludge. It is important to notice that power flush can remove debris even from brand new systems. Such debris can be a result of the metal workings and the manufacturing process of the radiator units or the copper piping.

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