Very informative... I always thought they're there for a different reason.. thanks

Very helpful, Thanks Al. Thing is, I don't need a locksheild valve nor do I need to balance the radiators because the Nagging machine won't let me put the heating on! 🙂

Can you do a video on BTU please? I've used an online calculator from a well known diy store to work out the btu for my bathroom. But the final figure seemed to me to be very high for a medium sized bathroom.

Hi Al I've been watching since your early days and would love if you did a video about gate valves and how horrible they can be cheers

Would you say it should be all the way open (to the plus sign) or all the way to the minus sign? I have this on my hallway radiator but the radiator is the coldest of the house so want to check it hasn't been adjusted incorrectly

I’ve moved into a new house and the heating needs balancing. Problem is no caps on either side of some radiators! So how do I determine which side is the return pipe? Will this be the cooler of the two sides.

Hi Al do you need to balance a cobi system? or just F and E? Do you have any videos on this for a combi Many Thanks Ian also in my house most of my TRVs the valves leak very old radiators but they don't leak would you chnage them or just TRVs they are rusty but don't leak Many Thanks in advance

I open all my lock shields fully and do a quarter turn on them so that they are all the same,also the thermostatic radiator valves are on fully,all the radiators get hot,is this okay or is it not very energy efficient?

Thats interesting but I was always taught to put the lock valve on the return side rather than flow side but in theory the other way around makes more sense ?

Hi. One of my radiator doesn't work the thermostat valve is set on on the pin also moves easily. On the other side where you have the radiator locking shield valve, mine is square and doesn't have a cap on it. It's impossible to twist this. Any idea?

really struggling to find a video on radiators with two lockshield valves and as you say they're the same. You once spoke on this past briefly though didn't discuss for example how to tell which side is the flow and which is return. Temperature test by hand or heat gun might help, but not everyone knows to do that. Also, should you manage to balance a system with the return lockshield valve, what setting should the flow be on? A lot persons say always open however balancing a system doesn't mean you get the heat in the specific rooms you want. My study might be the sixth warmest out of eight, when doing my initial check before a balancing. And I balance them but still want that study to be the most warm of all radiators. Logic would say then you have to have more flow on that e.g. all way open, and then if it's still not hot enough, restrict flow on the other radiators. Lastly, during winter, for any radiators you'd normally have off, how do you set the lockvalve(S) [remember there's two] to be in an anti frost setting? just close the valve then open a quarter turn on both?

I've got problem have I got to empty the cold water tank in the loft before I can fit a new tap on it..I turned it off last night as I fitted a new vanity unit in the bathroom with sink all went well but I turned the water off up in the loft but I think the tap on the tank is not opening back up as now I have a dribble of water coming out of my bathroom taps and cistern hardly filling up..I live in a bungalow..so I think I need to put a new tap on ..so do I drain it first ..all I did was turn it off and now its not working so I think it's gone ..I take full responsibility for any advice..many thanks paul 👍 ☕️

Could you clear up a little confusion I have, I get the lockshield valve requires you to use a tool to turn it to open/close it and you use this when balancing your system. But the "normal" valve on the other end of the radiator, I don't have thermostatic valves, but a valve that has a cap on it that allows it to be turned by hand. What is the point of this valve? As I understand it it doesn't work like a thermostatic valve, it seems to just work in the same way as a lockshield valve, increasing or restring flow. So the only thing I can think off with this valve is to have it fully open and you use the lockshield valve to control the balancing. But if you for whatever reason want to turn off the radiator, you can do this with the "normal" valve, keeping the lockshield valve unchanged. So then say a week later when you turn the radiator back on via the "normal" valve, fully opening the "normal" valve, the system will still be correctly balanced as the lockshield valve was never altered. Is my understanding correct? Am I missing something? i.e. is a "normal" valve just an on/off valve. Thanks!

I had a customer who despite my recommendations failed to supply TRV/ls pairs. Instead, he supplied all thumbturn valves, So, after balancing, I whipped the plastic heads off a thumbturn valve on the left hand side of each rad. "I don't like it! Put those plastic thingymajigs back on". Up down. On/off valve on right. DO NOT touch the valve on the left. Guess what happened? 🤣

You beauty

Anti tamper I suppose you'd call so, to stop kids (big and small) from messing them when you've done the job ,