Radiator covers - yes or no?

Emmeline Westin

7 years ago

Some say they are stylish, others think the opposite - which side are you on?

Do you have radiator covers at home and love them? Give us a sneak peek!

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Hot!

Not!

Other - tell us!

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Joanna Biddolph

7 years ago

I like the way they look but worry about heat reduction in the room. Surely they block warmth from circulating? I'd love the facts - from people who have lived with the heat before and after installing them.

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Comments (13)

Isidora Markovic
7 years ago
Yay!

I'd never say they were not hot - but nay if they're at odds with the space, or if you have a particularly beautiful radiator to show off.

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Goldman and Rankin
7 years ago
I think it depends on the radiator.
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moorlikeit
7 years ago
Ideally I would choose fab radiators that didn't need to be covered up so that I could gain the full benefit from the heat output and enjoy the design element. But if the rads are the usual ugly, dust-collecting items then covering up/disguising them in some way (e.g. painting the same colour as the wall - this works better with dark colours) could be the better solution.

I too would be interested to know if they reduce the heat in the room as I have never had covers fitted.
soozmacrae
7 years ago
They don't reduce the heat, in fact they stop it from rising too high.
Joanna Biddolph
7 years ago
Thanks, soozmacrae. Surely the heat will rise high anyway - it travels up regardless, doesn't it? I'm trying to get my head round how they manage not to reduce heat; doesn't the heat build up inside it under the top shelf section?
Jayk
7 years ago
We installed radiator covers in a Georgian house decorated in a traditional style. They covered modern, flat radiators and without doubt were a vast visual improvement.

The space within the cover will get considerably hotter than the room so conventional thermostatic valves are no good. We used valves that had a heat sensor in the room not within the cover. I recall the covers were made from a fairly heavy duty MDF and whilst they did get quite hot they never warped.

Using radiator covers probably means it takes longer to heat a room to a comfortable temperature but we didn’t notice an increase in fuel bills possibly because we often used open fires in the winter.

Finally, the covers provided very useful shelf space (for appropriate objects!). Georgian houses don’t have window sills.
Joanna Biddolph
7 years ago
Jayk - The reason I'm tempted is for the extra shelf space! That's why I'm trying to get definitive information about heat loss. I accept your point - that it might take longer to heat the room but that it does reach the temperature. My radiator valves are set at full-on in the sitting room which is where I'm most desperate for a radiator cover. In the bedrooms, I've painted them the same colour as the room which is a big improvement.
Brid Farnan
7 years ago
Our hallway was too narrow for radiator covers to be practical. So I got a pack of radiator pipe covers (cut to fit) that also had a nice base circle for where the pipe meets the floor. Vast improvement.
Sonia
7 years ago
My mum had a cover on the bathroom radiator. It was awful - became grubby inside with dust and spiders webs which I couldn't reach to clean. So glad when my brother removed it and the radiator and installed a towel rail instead!
PRO
Feature Radiators
7 years ago
No question that radiator covers hinder the "radiation" of heat. They were great in the old days when there wasn't the choice of radiators, but now no contest!

The option to go for vertical radiators is often also a more practical for many rooms, freeing up wall space for kitchen cabinets, sofas, etc.

If you want a shelf, you can just add one above a fab radiator!

Some examples below:

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Brid Farnan
7 years ago
@ Feature Radiators I love the pic you posted of the rad that looks like a block of wood. I've not seen one like that before!
PRO
Feature Radiators
7 years ago
It's called....Woody! lol And is available in a range of sizes and wood veneers.

http://www.featureradiators.co.uk/Prices/Contemporary/2017%2001%2002%20-%20Woody%20and%20Bamboo.pdf

Radiator covers - yes or no?

Joanna Biddolph

Comments (13)

Isidora Markovic

Goldman and Rankin

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