Radiator valve adjustment in Exeter
Professional radiator valve adjustment services in Exeter and surrounding areas. Local, reliable handyman - no job too small.
Price Guide
£60
Typical Duration
15-30 mins
Location
Exeter, Devon
Radiators heating unevenly? Some rooms boiling, others freezing? I'll adjust the valves to balance your system properly so every room heats at the right time and temperature.
The Problem Nobody Talks About
You turn the heating on. Ten minutes later the bathroom's roasting but the living room's still cold. An hour later everywhere's finally warm, but your boiler's been working flat out the whole time.
That's unbalanced radiators. The hot water's rushing to the easiest radiators and ignoring the others.
💡 Pro tip: A properly balanced system uses less gas because your boiler isn't constantly cycling trying to heat rooms that can't get warm.
What Balancing Actually Means
🔧 It's Not What You Think
| ❌ What People Do | ✅ What Actually Works |
|---|---|
| Turn TRVs down on hot radiators | Adjust lockshield valves to control flow |
| Close bedroom doors to save heat | Balance the system so bedrooms heat properly |
| Just live with uneven heating | Fix it once, sorted forever |
The lockshield valve (the one without a numbered dial) controls how fast water flows through that radiator. I restrict flow to radiators that heat too fast, so the slow ones catch up.
Signs You Need Balancing
Does this sound familiar?
- ✅ Bathroom hot, living room cold - classic unbalanced system
- ✅ Upstairs fine, downstairs freezing - or vice versa
- ✅ Boiler firing constantly but house never feels evenly warm
- ✅ Some radiators scalding while others barely warm
- ✅ New radiator added and now nothing works right
What You Get
📦 The Full Service
| Stage | What Happens |
|---|---|
| Check current state | See which radiators heat first and fastest |
| Adjust lockshields | Restrict flow to fast radiators, open up slow ones |
| Test the balance | Run the system and fine-tune until it's right |
Result: All rooms reach temperature at the same time, boiler runs efficiently, no more hot and cold spots.
Pricing Guide
| Radiators | Time Needed | You'll Pay |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 6 radiators | 15-20 mins | £60 |
| 7-10 radiators | 25-30 mins | £60 |
| Large house (10+) | Quote first | From £60 |
Based on £60 minimum (first hour). Straightforward job - rarely takes longer.
Why Choose Us for Radiator valve adjustment in Exeter?
All rooms heat evenly at the same time
Stop boiler cycling on and off constantly
Lower energy bills from efficient heating
Rooms stay at the temperature you set
What to Expect
Step 1: Test Current Balance
I run your heating and see which radiators get hot first. Feel the temperature difference between them. That tells me what needs restricting.
Step 2: Adjust Lockshields
I partially close the lockshield valves on the radiators that heat too fast. This forces more water to the slower radiators. It's all about flow balance.
Step 3: Run & Fine-Tune
Let the system run for 10-15 minutes and check all radiators are heating evenly. Make final tweaks if needed. Job done.
🔧 DIY Tips
Want to have a go yourself? It's fiddly but doable:
🔧 Tools you'll need
- Adjustable spanner or lockshield valve key
- Thermometer (or just your hand)
- Patience - this takes time to get right
📐 The process
- Turn all radiators on full (both valves open)
- Start at the radiator closest to the boiler
- Close the lockshield valve completely
- Open it quarter turn at a time
- Move to the next radiator, open it half a turn more than the previous
- Continue through the house - furthest radiators fully open
- Run heating for 30 mins and adjust if needed
⚠️ Common DIY mistakes
- Adjusting the TRV instead of the lockshield
- Not waiting long enough between adjustments to see the effect
- Opening lockshields too far on radiators near the boiler
- Giving up after first attempt (it takes trial and error)
💡 Pro trick: Use a thermometer on each radiator. You want them all reaching target temperature within 5 minutes of each other, not all at once - that's the sign of good balancing.
Rather leave it to a pro? No problem - that's what I'm here for. Give me a call.
Good to Know
🎨 Just had a new radiator fitted? That's thrown your whole system out of balance. Worth getting it redone properly so everything works together.
Old house with mix-and-match radiators? Common in Exeter. Different sizes and ages all need different flow rates - that's what balancing is for. Works on any system.
Combination boiler? These particularly benefit from balancing because they're sensitive to flow rates. A balanced system means better performance and longer boiler life.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do my upstairs radiators get hot but downstairs stays cold?
Classic balancing problem. Hot water takes the easiest path, which is usually straight up. I adjust the valves so downstairs radiators get their fair share first, then upstairs gets what's left. Whole house heats evenly.
Will adjusting the valves cost me anything if it doesn't work?
If I can't balance your system (rare but happens with genuinely undersized radiators or pump issues), you still pay for my time, but I'll explain exactly what's wrong and what would actually fix it. No point pretending when something won't work.
Can I just turn the radiators down myself in the hot rooms?
You can, but you're treating the symptom not the cause. Proper balancing uses the lockshield valves (the ones you can't normally turn) to control flow rates. Much more effective than just turning TRVs down.
How long does balancing last?
Once it's balanced, it stays balanced unless you change the radiators or have work done on the system. It's a one-time fix, not something that needs redoing every year.
I've got a smart thermostat - do I still need balancing?
Yes. A smart thermostat tells your boiler when to heat, but it can't fix water flowing unevenly to different radiators. Balancing makes your smart thermostat work even better because the whole house responds evenly.
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