Radiator covers affecting thermostat

R

Red30

Registered User
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Hi,

We installed radiator covers on most of the GFCH heaters in our house at the start of this year. We've recently noticed that the rooms are not as hot as they should be even though the boiler is on 3 and all the thermostic valves on level 5. Apparantly the radiator valves are turning the heaters off at a certain point as they are reading the temp. within the radiator box and not the temperature of the room. All the valves are within the boxes. I've been told there used to be some device that you install outside the radiator cover and this can tell the correct temperature of the room and heats the radiator accordingly. Anyone know where I can get this device?

The new plumbing and heaters were installed in 2006. We also have the foil backing on all radiators. Many thanks for your advice.

Red30
 
I have issue with radiator covers in general! Why do it!!!

Radiators, unlike there name emit 80% or more of their heat through convection (not radiation) so when you box it in the air currents passing around and behind the rad (where the fins are) are reduced or completely
stopped in their tracks.......

Proper installation, rad under the window, this sets up a current that the air is travelling down as it hits the cold window (cooling the air, hot air rises, cold air falls) as the cooler air passes around and behind the rad it warms and rises as it travel across the room, giving a comfortable zone where people are (floor to mid room hieght) then as it reaches the full height of the room and travels as its cooling across the ceiling and hits the window again to restart the cycle.......

At the very least the box cover reduce this and the rads do not work as intended (not to mention your thermostats)
 
Why cover you radiators??

Naturally you will have less heat while the heat more than likely localises it self in the radiator covers.

This will take away from the calculation that were made to keep your room(s) warm as now you reduce your efficiency of your system. There is no point in putting the temperature up of your boiler. You have no natural flow any more due to the covers as DGOBS says it will not circulate effeciently any more.

Thermostats will cut off if they reach the required temperature, if you localize the temperature it will only heat that area as the heat is no longer circulated, the thermostat does exactly do what it is supposed to do it will cut of at the required temperature, it is not faulty.

Radiator covers I really do not like them, nowadays radiators do not have to be a eye sore anymore as 50 years ago there is in my opinion no need for them and cause more proplems then the solve.
 
Many thanks Davidoco for answering my query and sending on the link to that website, looks like that's what I'm looking for. Thanks for the other responses but at the end of the day we have the covers so I needed a solution to the problem. The covers do work and we've never had an issue with the amount of heat they emit. We only really noticed the issue over the recent cold snap. However the fact that the pressure gauge was down at 0.25 but is now fixed and back at level 1 it's already making a difference to the heat in the house.
 
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