# Radiator Covers



## dec1892 (13 Nov 2011)

I'm looking for 3 covers for the down stairs and living room.

I heard before that these block the heat getting out, but then I also heard that they can be energy efficient?!!? Which one is fact and which is fiction?

Can you still dry clothes on them?

B&Q, Woodies good or am I better going with a smaller company?.....two which come up on google search and look decent are:

Radcovers.ie (based in Lucan)
Radco.ie (based in Navan)

I'm based in Dublin by the way

All help welcome, cheers


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## Shane007 (14 Nov 2011)

dec1892 said:


> I'm looking for 3 covers for the down stairs and living room.
> 
> I heard before that these block the heat getting out, but then I also heard that they can be energy efficient?!!? Which one is fact and which is fiction?


 
Radiator covers depending on their design block approx 60% of the heat being radiated from the radiator. Whoever told you that they are energy efficient is way off the mark.



dec1892 said:


> Can you still dry clothes on them?


 
Most of them are made from painted MDF. MDF is not a suitable material for moisture. If moisture gets into between joints, it will soak into the MDF causing expansion and splitting of the MDF.


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## Sandals (14 Nov 2011)

Just took down two rad covers in the hall (MDF from B&Q) as sold them on. Both of us noticed when passin through the hall (long hall as bungalow) the heat. We had bought new (well second hand ones from donedeal.ie) and took them out of spare bedroom as couldnt stand the sight of the radiators and def they do block some heat.

From a design point of view a must plus they make a lovely shelf for photos, etc. 

No way would you dry clothes etc on them.


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## fraggle (14 Nov 2011)

I put one cover in my living room. I have not noticed any difference in getting the room up to temp. All the rad does is heat the air... and with all the gaps the air just flows out. I'm sure a % of heat goes into the MDF but I have never noticed it overheating etc so it can't be taking too much.


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## huskerdu (14 Nov 2011)

Despite their name, Radiators do not heat the space by radiation, they primarily heat using convection currents.
The air closest to the radiator is heated up, and this rises. Colder air is drawn in from the rest of the room which is then heated.  A constant movement of air occurs, which raises the temperature of the whole room. 

Blocking the free movement of air around the radiator and especially just above the radiator will reduce the efficiency.

If the warm air close to the radio cannot freely circulate, then you are paying to heat the space inside the cover. If you block the top of the cover with pictures, you are making this worse. 

If you have radiator covers and your room is warm, then you are still paying a lot of more for your heating that you need to.


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## fraggle (14 Nov 2011)

I know about convection. Still doesn't make sense to me. There are gaps all along the bottom of the covers, sucking up cold air, and gaps along the top, blowing out hot, and gaps in the mesh in front too. There has to be circulation of air due to the temp difference, and I can feel the warm air coming out. 

I have made sure my TRVs are outside of the cover.

I'm not saying they don't take some heat, I just think it's a small amount. I'm open minded and could be convinced by some study.


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## Shane007 (14 Nov 2011)

huskerdu said:


> Despite their name, Radiators do not heat the space by radiation, they primarily heat using convection currents.
> The air closest to the radiator is heated up, and this rises. Colder air is drawn in from the rest of the room which is then heated. A constant movement of air occurs, which raises the temperature of the whole room.
> 
> Blocking the free movement of air around the radiator and especially just above the radiator will reduce the efficiency.
> ...


 
Absolutely correct.


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## huskerdu (14 Nov 2011)

fraggle said:


> I know about convection. Still doesn't make sense to me. There are gaps all along the bottom of the covers, sucking up cold air, and gaps along the top, blowing out hot, and gaps in the mesh in front too. There has to be circulation of air due to the temp difference, and I can feel the warm air coming out.
> 
> I have made sure my TRVs are outside of the cover.
> 
> I'm not saying they don't take some heat, I just think it's a small amount. I'm open minded and could be convinced by some study.



If you have ensured that there is good air flow into and out of the cover, you are minimizing the inefficiency, but there is an inefficiency.  

Impossible to say exactly what the inefficiency is for your house, without 
removing the cover and seeing  how much your gas bill reduces by. 

Anyone who gets a cover should be aware that their bills will go up or their
house will get colder and if they want to minimize this, they need to ensure good air flow into and out of the cover, and avoid putting things on the
top of the cover.


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## wbbs (14 Nov 2011)

I have radiator covers on just two radiators, hall and sitting room, there are open at the bottom and slots at the top plus very open grill on front.   I made them myself from MDF and I can take off top shelf if I want to hang clothes on heater, has not affected MDF yet and they are maybe 15yrs old.   The old cover comes off very simply if I want, fixed on with those magnetic press catches, the biggest size, probably not very carpenter like but works very well.   

I am sure there is a slight decrease in heat output but hell they look pretty!   There is a trade off between appearance and cost I presume, I still have an open fire because I like it, I know stove would be more economic but I like the fire.


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## DavyJones (16 Nov 2011)

I wouldn't advise rad covers. If you have thermostatic rad valves fitted they will shut down as soon as the box warms up.


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## roker (21 Nov 2011)

If the heat is not getting out of the radiator and surounding panels the boiler is not working as hard, no increase in bills. If you have inefficiency, where is the heat going that you are losing ?


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## huskerdu (22 Nov 2011)

roker said:


> If the heat is not getting out of the radiator the boiler is not working as hard, no increase in bills. If you have inefficiency, where is the heat going that you are losing ?




You are heating the air inside the radiator cover and it is staying there and not heating your living space.


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## wbbs (22 Nov 2011)

But most of the radiator covers are very open, cutouts top and bottom and grill, surely the warm air is not going to stay inside.  Is it not part of the theory, (I'm no expert here now), that the cold air in the room falls, goes in the gap in the bottom of the cabinet, gets warmed, rises and exits the top gap?


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## huskerdu (22 Nov 2011)

wbbs said:


> But most of the radiator covers are very open, cutouts top and bottom and grill, surely the warm air is not going to stay inside.  Is it not part of the theory, (I'm no expert here now), that the cold air in the room falls, goes in the gap in the bottom of the cabinet, gets warmed, rises and exits the top gap?




Yes, but the more airflow there is, the more efficiently this will happen. 


No radiator cover is the best situation as air can freely pass over the whole rad . If you have one, the more gaps the better. 

Not all radiator covers have enough gaps to allow lots of air flow. 
I have seen some that are pretty boxed in. 

Someone here recommended rad covers, as a lovely shelf.


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## Shane007 (22 Nov 2011)

huskerdu said:


> Yes, but the more airflow there is, the more efficiently this will happen.
> 
> 
> No radiator cover is the best situation as air can freely pass over the whole rad . If you have one, the more gaps the better.
> ...


 
Absolutely correct. 

Radiators require air flow to convect heat to whole of the room. As the warm air rises, cooler air must be available to replace at low level. This is also why radiators work best underneath windows. The warm air rises and the cooler air pushes it across the top of the room to be reflected at mid level from the opposite side. 

If you block this air flow, all of the room will not have heat or at least it will have uneven heat.


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## roker (23 Nov 2011)

Radiators are under windows to stop cold down draughts from the window


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## Shane007 (23 Nov 2011)

roker said:


> Radiators are under windows to stop cold down draughts from the window


 
So what replaces the warm air after it rises?? Is it not cooler cold air?

[broken link removed]

This link will show you the principles of how a radiator works through convection and how ufh works through radiation. Placing a radiator underneath an external window assists in pushing the heat across the top of the ceiling as it a) increases its velocity and b) replaces the warm air after it rises with cooler air.


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