How to Balance Radiators

Do some of your radiators take longer to heat up than the others? It’s possible that they need balancing. This ‘How to Balance Radiators’ guide walks you through balancing radiators, so you can restore balance in your home.

How to Balance Radiators

You will need:

• Lockshield valve key or an adjustable spanner
• Radiator bleed key
• Screwdriver
• Thermometer

Follow these steps to balance your radiators:

1. Bleed the radiators

Bleed radiators with cold spots and check that they’re heating up evenly over their surfaces.

2. Turn off the central heating

Switch the heating off completely and let all your radiators cool down.

3. Make a list of the radiators in your home

Make a list on a piece of paper: You’ll need this later.

4. Open your radiator valves

Completely open BOTH valves on each radiator, by turning them anti-clockwise.

5. Identify the fastest heating radiator

Turn the heating on and walk around the house with the radiator list you made. This helps you find the radiator that gets hot first. The most likely one is whichever is closest to the boiler. You may want to recruit some help for this bit! Give each radiator on the list a number, in the order of how fast they heated up.

6. Turn the heating off and on again

Once you’ve turned your heating off, check all the radiators have cooled completely and then switch the central heating back on.

7. Turn the valve on the fastest heating radiator

Go to the quickest heating radiator and turn the Lockshield valve clockwise so it’s completely closed. Now open it a quarter of a turn.

8. Take temperature readings

Once the radiator is heated, take its temperature where the pipe connects to the Lockshield valve. Repeat the valve opening process until all radiators are the same temperature.

9. Balance has been restored

Repeat for the rest of your radiators till balance is restored!

L&W Heating and Plumbing

If you need to call on a Gas Safe registered plumber call L&W Heating and Plumbing experts on one of our numbers below:-

Boiler Servicing Wigan 01942 417220
Boiler Servicing St Helens 01744 776140
Boiler Servicing Newton Le Willows 01925 394260
Boiler Servicing Warrington 01925 394260
Boiler Servicing Runcorn 01925 394260
Boiler Servicing Widnes 01925 394260