Striking a balance – How to properly balance a heating system
A common problem an installer might face in their dealings with homeowners is inconsistent heating throughout a property. The customer might complain that some radiators are super-hot, whilst others struggle to get warm or are completely cold.
This problem is often mis-diagnosed as the system needing to be flushed with the appropriate chemicals. Whilst this can be the case, especially if black water is evident when bleeding the radiators, a more common reason is the system would need balancing or rebalancing. One of the more common reasons for a system to require rebalancing is when the customer has removed radiators for redecorating.
Balancing a heating system can be a straightforward process and one that offers real benefit in terms of maximising a system’s operating efficiency and ensuring every radiator in a home is performing optimally.
Identifying an unbalanced heating system
An unbalanced system will tend to heat the radiators near the system pump first, meaning that the radiators closest to the boiler can be extremely hot to touch, whilst others that are further away are cooler. The effect this has is that when the water returns to the boiler or heat pump it will still be hot, this will switch off the appliance due to high temperature being reached.
This is despite some rooms not reaching the desired temperature.
System balancing is crucial when installing a new heating system. And, with the number of heat pump installations on the rise as the nation moves towards renewable energy solutions, balancing becomes even more important to get the best out of a lower temperature heating system.
In terms of retrofit, some heating systems may have never been properly balanced, whilst others can become disrupted if radiators have been removed during a bathroom refit or decorating job, with the issue occurring when the radiators are refitted.
How to balance a heating system
To balance a system, installers need to calculate the correct flow setting for each radiator and adjust the lockshield valves, or if you’re working with Thermostatic Radiator Valves (TRVs), the flow setting ring accordingly. This ensures that all the radiators in a property will reach the same temperature, at roughly the same time.
As a result, the boiler or heat pump will maintain a consistent, comfortable temperature throughout the property.
This can be a meticulous and time-consuming task, requiring both precision and patience. However, there are some handy tools that can help installers along the way and achieve best results for their customers. This could be the use of a differential thermometer or assistance from our balancing app.
The Honeywell Home TRV Balancing app is free to download and helps installers find the correct valve setting quickly and easily, with minimal mathematics required!
To start the balancing process, firstly, remove the air from the system by bleeding the radiators. Then make sure the heating is turned off to allow radiators to cool.
After downloading the Honeywell Home TRV Balancing app from your app store, simply follow the on-screen instructions to:
- Select the type of valve for your customer’s radiator
- Select the radiator model (steel panel, aluminium, towel radiator etc.)
- Enter the inlet temperature, outlet temperature and pressure differential
- Select the type of radiator (number of panels and number of fins) and the height and width of each radiator
- Set the valves – the app will tell you the presetting and KV (flow rate) for the valve. You can then use a balancing key to adjust the setting on the lockshield valve or the flow setting ring on the TRV.
As a general rule, the radiators nearest to the boiler or heat pump should be on a lower setting, to restrict the flow of water and prevent them from heating up too quickly. In contrast, increasing the setting for the radiators that are further away, will allow for more flow to ensure even distribution throughout.
Once these settings have been adjusted, you can now turn the heating system back on and check that the radiators heat up at the same time.
So, next time a customer is unhappy with their current heating set-up, consider if balancing is the problem!
Look out for signs of a recent decorating job or try to find out if it’s a recurring problem that hasn’t been fixed by flushing or removing blockages. With the help of the Honeywell Home TRV Balancing app, you can unlock the door to consistent home heating and customer satisfaction every time.
Further information about TRVs can be found at:
https://www.resideo.com/gb/en/solutions/home-comfort/radiator-controls/
To download the Honeywell Home TRV balancing app visit