Heating Accessories

Valves are sold separately from almost every radiator, and they are the single most forgotten item in a heating order. You need a pair — one to control flow, one to balance the return.

Angled, straight or corner?

Decided entirely by where your pipes emerge:

• Angled — pipes rise from the floor, radiator inlets face down or sideways. The most common domestic arrangement.
• Straight — pipes and inlets in line, usually where pipework comes horizontally from the wall.
• Corner — pipes out of the wall, turning to meet inlets underneath. Often the neatest on a towel rail.

Check before ordering. This is the usual cause of a second trip to the merchant.

Manual or thermostatic?

Manual valves are on and off. Thermostatic (TRV) valves sense room temperature and throttle the flow, saving energy in most rooms — though fitting one in the same room as your main thermostat can make the two fight each other.

Electric elements

A heating element converts a central heating towel rail to dual fuel, so it works in summer with the boiler off. Look for a thermostatic element with a timer — an element left running continuously is where the cost runs away.

Match the finish

Chrome with chrome, anthracite or black with darker rails. Mismatched valves are surprisingly obvious on an otherwise tidy job.

See our radiators and towel radiators.