Category Archive: Radiators

When it comes to home heating New Zealand is behind as many people still rely on ineffective and inefficient methods. Most kiwi’s still spend the winters cold or wasting money on expensive heating solutions. Here at Central Heating we have several options to help you control your home’s climate effectively. This blog we will focus on the benefits of radiators as a home heating method.

Convection vs Radiant Heating

When it comes to heating a home the two most common methods are convection and radiant heating. Convection is very popular due to the cost. Convection heating works well however it does come with several disadvantages that may impact some people more than others. Firstly, convection heating uses hot air blown through the house to heat the home. Circulating air moves dust through the house, aggravating allergies and asthma. If you are prone to these, convection heating, such as a heat pump may not be suitable. Secondly, convection does not heat evenly and gives up a lot of heat to unused rooms or through walls to the outside.

A better alternative is radiant heating. Radiators are a great way to keep your home warm during the winter months. Unlike convection heating methods, radiant heating is very cost effective, and is ideal for families with dust allergies or asthma.

Central heating system

Radiators are a silent panel on the wall that transfers heat to the surrounding air. This heat comes from a single central heating unit, which heats a liquid. This liquid then flows into the panels where it can transfer its heat to the room evenly. Although this method is slower at heating than convection, it is cheaper to keep the room warm once it is heated.

If you are interested in the various methods for home heating such as radiant heating, give us a call at 0800 443 284 or contact us online so we can discuss the best option for your home.

We recently completed an installation of a big home radiator heating system for a 2 story home in St Heliers, Auckland. The home previously have a low pressure hot water cylinder, which was replaced by a gas boiler connected to the central heating system.

The new radiator central heating systems consists of:

• Bosch 37kW gas boiler
• 10x radiators
• Internet enabled control system

Our team got to work on the installation which involved running Ivar insulated pipe both under the home and through the walls to the radiators both upstairs and downstairs, providing heating to all areas of the home. Ivar insulated pipe is extremely efficient pipe which is used to maximise efficiency by retaining heat while the water is transferred. Uninsulated pipe would let heat escape by the time it reached the radiators, which means not only would you have lower heating performance but it would cost you more to run as well.

Once the pipework was laid out, the radiators were installed in every room of the house, excluding the bathrooms.

The Bosch 37kW boiler, used for both radiators and water heating, was installed externally, behind the first floor bathroom.

This system has been designed to provide efficient heating to all rooms in the home, resulting is very effective heating a low cost for the home owners. The online control system brings a new convenience to controlling heating in the home, allowing the system to be controlled over the internet through the app. This means you can control the heating without even being in the same room!

What are the benefits of radiator central heating?
Radiator central heating systems provide extremely efficient heating solutions for residential homes. By combining water heating with central heating, these systems utilize an already used energy source to heat your home, while costing you much less than traditional electric radiators to run. They also provide a much more even distribution of heat in the home, which is stronger than an electric radiator, and can be adjusted quickly and easily as required.

Are you considering a radiator central heating system for your home? Talk to us today by calling 0800 443 284

There are mainly two types of radiator heating. Floor and wall in a form of a radiator. In a hydronic radiant floor system, it pumps heated water through tubing placed in a pattern underneath the floor. The water can be heated by an oil fired burner, a gas fired burner or kerosene, gas or solar water heater.

They use little electricity. Used with foil it makes the heating even more economical. Placing foil in the joist cavity decrease heat loss, prevents hot spots and decreases boiler loads. The aluminium reflects radiant heat. It is used on conjunction with a water or oil boiler. It continuously moves the liquid through the pipes so the heat is stable throughout the home. It is best operated with a time and temperature controls that keep the home in each room at the desired temperature. There is no need to turn it on and off as it is best when on automatic. This type of heating is gaining popularity especially for those suffering from asthma and allergies as there is no air flow that can move dust and allergens though the home.

A wall heater (radiator) can either be water or oil filled. It works on convection. They use convection to transfer the heat from the radiator to the air around it. They simply draw up heat from the bottom, warm the air over the fins, and the warmed air comes out the top. They are the safest to use. Again it radiates the heat so it does not blow the heat which makes it great for allergy sufferers or asthma sufferers. Just set the temperature you want and it will gently heat the room it is in. They can now come with timers too so you are in complete control of when and where you want the heat.

Now a day there are many types of radiant heating. From wall to floor but also skirting board heating where the radiator is inside the skirting board, baseboard central heating, portable and more. Radiant heating is healthier, safer, more economical, they are controllable and stylish. Central Heating in New Zealand supplies the world-renowned DeLonghi radiator range. Because of their low water content, they have a faster heat up time than most other radiators. DeLonghi radiators are designed to produce the greatest heat output from the most compact surface area. They are completely silent when operating. A wide range of DeLonghi radiators are available and come with a 25 year guarantee.

Radiant heating systems come with many benefits when it comes to heating your home. Is it widely accepted as the most comfortable type of heating system. Delivering consistent warmth while being silent and not forcing air, it provides a very natural feeling heat and a gently ambient heat form for the entire house.

Compared to other single-source heating options that only heat a single room, radiator central heating systems are highly efficient and will heat your whole house consistently. A fully controllable thermostat gives you the flexibility to heat the rooms you want as you wish, with different settings in different rooms at different times of the day.

Another benefit of radiator heating is the efficiency of the systems. Radiator heating is one of the most efficient ways to heat your home. Water transfers heat at a much higher rate than air, which means that radiators can heat up a room in a manner of minutes, unlike air which takes longer. And a big factor is that performance of the radiator is maintained regardless of the temperature outside, unlike with other heaters.

For more information on radiators, visit our radiator heating page here.

Are you having an issue with your radiator? You will be pleased to know that it may be possible to fix the problem without a professional. What can you do to fix a radiator that isn’t working?

Check the lock shield.

If one of your radiators are not working, first thing you need to do is make sure that the lock shield is open. To the left you will see an image of what a lock shield typically looks like, it will be found under a cap next to the radiator. To make sure it is open, turn it all the way you can anti-clockwise.

If this has not solved your problem, you may have air in your radiator. A common symptom of air in the radiator is if you can feel that both flow and return pipes are hot as well as the bottom of the radiator, but the top is cold. This is always a sign of air stuck in the radiator. To solve this, you will need to bleed the radiator. It is highly recommended that you turn the boiler and pump off before trying to bleed the radiator.

Bleeding the radiator.

To bleed the radiator, make sure both pump and boiler are off and both radiator valves are open. Put a small towel under the bleeder valve or screw and open the screw to let the air out. Once water is coming out and no more bubbles, let it run for a few seconds and the close the valve/screw.

If this does not fix your problem, the next place to look is the Thermostatic Radiator Valve (TRV). The valve could be stuck shut . If this is the problem, it may need to be replaced.

Checking the TRV.

The first thing you need to do is make sure that it is fully turned on. Now you need to remove the TRV head. How this is done will depend on the valve, some have a screw on collar, some will have a black plastic lug which you need to pop a screw driver into and turn to remove. There may also be other ways. Once the top is off, you should be able to see the valve. Now you can push down on the pin to see if it is stuck or not. If it moves up and down, it is not stuck. Do not hit it with a hammer, especially if you have an older pin type head. What you need to do is get a set of long nose pliers and wiggle the pin to try to release it. If you are successful, the pin should come back up. If it has returned, try to push down on the head again and see if it returns. If not, you need a new TRV.