Radiator installation and repair in Folkestone

Radiators are the part of a heating system people actually look at, and the part most often got wrong, because the easy option is to replace like for like and assume whoever fitted the last one did the sums.

Frequently they did not. We install, move, replace and repair radiators across Folkestone, Hythe and the surrounding villages, and we size them to the room rather than to the gap on the wall.

Approved Ethiant installers

We are an approved installer for Ethiant designer radiators, which means we are trained on the range and fit it to the standard the manufacturer expects.

That matters more with designer and column radiators than with a standard panel. They are heavier, so the wall fixings and bracket specification are not optional details. They frequently need specific valve types depending on whether the connection is bottom, corner or angled. And the finish is the whole point of buying one, so it wants handling and fitting without damage.

Being an approved installer also means supply and fitting can come from one place rather than you ordering a radiator online, taking delivery of something heavy, and then trying to find someone willing to fit a unit they did not supply.

The Ethiant range

Designer radiators in horizontal and vertical formats. Column radiators in two, three, four and six column, including cast iron. Aluminium radiators, which heat up and cool down far faster than steel and suit rooms you want warm quickly. Flat panel designs. Electric and dual fuel options. And made to order sizes where a standard unit will not fit the space.

Finishes run well beyond white: anthracite, black, greys, brass and a full coloured range. We fit Ethiant thermostatic valves and lockshields in matching chrome and white finishes, which is worth doing, because a well chosen designer radiator undermined by mismatched builders' merchant valves is a common and avoidable disappointment.

Designer radiators still have to heat the room

This is where we will be straight with you, and it is the most useful thing on this page.

Designer and column radiators generally give lower heat output per physical size than a double panel convector. They look considerably better and they cost more, and if you order on appearance alone you can very easily end up with a beautiful radiator that never warms the room.

So we calculate the requirement first, then find something in the range that both suits the space and meets it. Sometimes that means going taller, sometimes wider, sometimes vertical to fit the wall you have. Occasionally it means aluminium, which gives more output for its size than steel.

Doing the calculation before you order is the difference between a room you enjoy and an expensive object on a wall.

Sizing, and why the old radiator is not a reliable guide

Radiator output is measured in BTUs or watts, and what a room needs depends on its dimensions, external wall and window area, glazing type, insulation and exposure.

An undersized radiator never warms the room whatever you do with the valve. An oversized one heats it quickly and the thermostatic valve then shuts it down, which is mildly inefficient but perfectly liveable. Where there is doubt, upwards is the safer error.

This matters more in some housing than others. Solid walled period cottages in the Elham and Lyminge valleys need considerably more output than a rule of thumb suggests. The tall Victorian rooms along the Folkestone Leas and up the hill in Sandgate have high ceilings and large sash windows that change the numbers again.

Adding a radiator to an existing system

Two things need checking before anyone drills a wall: whether the boiler has spare output, and whether the pipework can feed the new position with enough flow.

On a system already at its limit, adding one radiator makes every other radiator slightly worse. The extension is lukewarm, and so is the room at the far end of the house that used to be fine. People blame the builder, and the actual cause was arithmetic. See central heating installation.

Moving a radiator

Straightforward where the floor can be lifted, more involved with solid floors where pipework has to be chased or rerouted. The time to do it is while a room is stripped out for a refit, not afterwards. See should you move plumbing during a renovation.

Standard radiators

Not every room needs a designer radiator, and we will say so. Panel radiators in single, double and convector give the most output per pound and remain the sensible default for bedrooms, hallways and anywhere the radiator is not part of the design.

Towel rails deserve one honest warning: a towel rail alone frequently will not heat a bathroom adequately, particularly with towels hanging on it doing what towels do. A separate radiator or underfloor heating is often needed alongside.

Low surface temperature radiators are available where there are young children or vulnerable adults in the property.

Thermostatic radiator valves

TRVs control each radiator individually and are required by Building Regulations on new installations. They pay for themselves simply by not heating rooms nobody is in.

One radiator, normally the one in the room with the main thermostat, should keep a lockshield rather than a TRV, so there is always a circulation path when everything else has closed.

Seized TRVs are the most common valve fault we attend. The pin under the head sticks after a summer of not moving and the radiator ends up permanently hot or permanently cold. They can usually be freed rather than replaced, and there is a habit that prevents it: turn every TRV fully open and closed a couple of times each summer. Five minutes across a whole house, and it saves a callout.

"Daimen came to fix a new shower for us. He previously fitted a new radiator. I've found him reliable and friendly, and he did a great job on both occasions."

David Rosenthal, Google review

Cold radiators, and what the pattern tells you

Cold at the top, warm at the bottom. Trapped air. Bleed it, and you can do that yourself.

Cold at the bottom, hot at the top. Sludge settled in the base of the panel. Bleeding does nothing. This needs a power flush. See why radiators develop cold spots.

Cold all over while others are hot. Usually a seized valve, or the system needs balancing.

Cold only at the far end of the house. Balancing, or a pump beginning to fail. See central heating.

Balancing, the free fix nobody does

If your radiators heat unevenly, with the ones nearest the boiler roasting while the far ones stay lukewarm, the system needs balancing.

It is an adjustment to the lockshield on each radiator, made with the system running, to even out how much flow each one takes. It costs nothing in parts, it makes a real difference, and the large majority of systems we see have never had it done. It is also the first thing worth trying before anyone talks to you about a bigger boiler. See how to balance comfort across your radiators.

Leaks

Leaks at the valve are usually the gland or the olive, both repairable without replacing anything major. See how to deal with a leaking radiator valve.

Leaks from the radiator body are different. Internal corrosion has eaten through the panel from the inside, and pinholes only get bigger. That radiator needs replacing, and it also tells you something about the condition of the system water generally.

Radiator leaks are a common cause of pressure loss, and every top-up brings in fresh oxygenated water that accelerates the corrosion further. See why your boiler keeps losing pressure.

"Great experience. They completed a bathroom refurbishment in the apartment, have put in and swapped radiators and attended for leaks in the past. Value for money, reliable and tidy job."

Sarah Lodge, Google review

Decorating

We remove radiators for decorating and refit them afterwards. A small job that saves painting around one, or discovering the valve will not reseat after someone has had a go themselves.

Where we work

Folkestone, Hythe, Sandgate, Seabrook, Saltwood, Hawkinge, Capel-le-Ferne, Lympne, Lyminge, Elham, Sellindge, Dymchurch, New Romney, Dover and Ashford.

Common questions

Can you supply the radiator as well as fit it? Yes. As approved Ethiant installers we can handle supply and fitting together, which avoids taking delivery of something heavy and then hunting for a fitter.

Will a designer radiator heat my room as well as a normal one? Only if it is sized correctly. Designer and column styles give less output per size, so they need to be larger. We calculate before you order.

Are aluminium radiators worth it? They heat and cool much faster than steel and give good output for their size. Well suited to rooms used in short bursts.

Do I need to drain the system to change one radiator? Not normally. Individual radiators can usually be isolated at their valves.

Why is one radiator always cold? Most often a seized TRV, and frequently freed rather than replaced.

Should every radiator have a TRV? All except one, which keeps a lockshield so there is always a circulation path.

Call +44 7915 255984 for radiator installation or repair in Folkestone.