When choosing a radiator or towel rail for your central heating system it is vital you purchase the correct radiator valves to complete the radiator or towel rail. In this guide we will explain what factors determine the valves you need in order to connect your heating product to your central heating system and also what are the benefits of each type of valve.
Radiator Valves
Most radiators offered by Designer Bathroom Store have pipe inlets on the either side of the radiator:
When you have a radiator like the one in the image above which has the inlets at the side, you can use either angled valves regardless of whether your pipe work is coming from the floor or the wall, or you can use corner valves if your pipework is coming from the wall.
If the radiator has pipe inlets from the bottom of the radiator, you would require straight valves if the pipe work is coming from the floor and angled or corner valves if the pipe work is coming from the wall.
| Where Are The Pipe Inlets | Pipe Work From The Wall - Valves Required | Pipe Work From Floor - Valves Required |
| Side Of The Radiator | Angled Valves or Corner Valves | Angled Valves |
| Bottom Of The Radiator/Towel Rail | Angled Valves or Corner Valves | Straight Valves |
The benefit of using corner valves when the pipe work is coming from the wall is that the radiator head will be pointing upwards and will not increase the overall depth of your radiator set up, whereas the angled valve might as the radiator head will point forward when the pipe work is from the wall.
Towel Rail Valves
Towel rails tend to have pipe inlets at the bottom of their vertical tubes. This means that you will require straight valves if your pipe work is coming from the floor and either angled or corner valves when the pipe work is coming from the wall.
Types Of Valves
Once you have worked out which shape of valve you require to go with your, you then have the decision to make as to whether you require manual valves or thermostatic valves.
Thermostatic radiator valves, often shortened to TRVs, regulate the flow of water that runs through the radiator that they are attached to. The valve senses the temperature in the air and the wax motor within the valve expands and contracts based upon the room temperature in order to ensure that the radiator is producing the correct heat for the temperature setting.
The temperature setting is a sliding scale on the thermostatic radiator valve head. This allows you to control the temperature that the radiator is producing, which is great for the Autumn and Spring where you might want the central heating on but only on a low setting. Thermostatic radiator valves can help reduce energy bills by controlling the temperature of the radiator. Thermostatic Radiator Valves from Designer Bathroom Store come complete with a lockshield valve to fit to the opposite inlet to the thermostatic valve in order to complete the water flow return to the central heating system.
Manual valves are a more simple design in comparison with thermostatic radiator valves. Manual valves are a simple on/off radiator valve with no temperature sensor for the valves to regulate the temperature of the radiator or towel rail. Manual valves come in different styles and can often be the most stylish or minimalist designs available.
Radiator Valve Accessories
We recommend completing the look of your radiator with a chrome pipe cover and floor plate set. When you have your beautiful radiator and stylish radiator valves, you do not want exposed copper pipe work tarnishing the overall look of the radiator. Chrome pipe covers go over your pipe work and the floor plates cover where the pipe work comes out of the floor or wall. The image below shows a set of traditional angled manual valves with a pipe cover and floor plate set.
We hope that this guide helps you determine which valves you require when purchasing a towel rail or radiator from Designer Bathroom Store. If you have any questions regarding these products, please do not hesitate to call our customer service team on 0844 504 6677 today!