If you happen to have read our recent article on where your radiator should be placed, you will know that having your radiator installed in the right place impacts the efficiency of your heating.

Traditionally, advice on radiator positioning was to place the radiator under a window to make sure that cold air that seeped through inefficient single panes of glass would be heated.

However, with the introduction of vertical radiators and double glazing, there is a lot more versatility in terms of where you can install radiators. Read also electric underfloor heating pros and cons for more information on this subject.

However, some things should still not be put in front of a radiator if possible.

Curtains

Curtains need to be long enough so your window is covered, but not so long that they hang over the radiator.

Although it is quite unlikely that curtains with catch on fire due to being heated to a high temperature. However, is that really a risk you want to take? If you own old electric radiators, this is particularly important since a faulty radiator can create a spark.

Also, when thick curtains hang over a radiator it can hinder heat from being able to evenly circulate around the room and can cause you to turn up your heat to compensate. Using more energy will also result in increased heating bills.

Keep your decorative hanging drapes well away from radiators.

Lamps

Lamps should be kept at a distance from your radiator so they don’t get too hot.

Lamps are powered by electricity and have wires that dangle in the back of them. It is extremely important to prevent the wiring from coming into contact with a radiator since the high temperatures can melt the wire’s outer casing eventually.

Some lampshades are made out of paper so they could definitely be kept at a safe distance away from a radiator’s heat.

Sofas

Limited space means that you will invariably encounter the problem of needing to put a big piece of furniture in front of your radiator. If it is necessary to do that, then make sure that a few inches are left between the furniture and radiator.

Items such as a chest of drawers or sofa pushed up against your radiator may block the heating from being able to enter the room, it means you are spending lots of money just to heat the back of these pieces. If you can pull them a couple of inches away from your radiator a channel can be created where heat can rise and enter the room.

Bookshelves

If you are thinking about putting a bookshelf in front of your radiator, spare this thought to save the condition of your books.

Paper and high heat are not only a potential fire hazard, but if they are exposed to heat repeatedly it can dry out the spines of the books and cause pages to fall out.

Beds

There should be a small gap left between a radiator and a bed.

There is the potential that you could roll over and burn yourself on a hot radiator at night. Or if you sleep next to a radiator, you can get a headache or insomnia due to over-heating.

Moving a Radiator

At times you may need to move your radiator to use space better, you need to decorate the back of it, or accommodate furniture.

It can be done fairly easily sometimes, while in other situations it could involve having to reroute some pipework or taking up the floorboards.

We recommend that, ideally, you have a professional do the job. However, if you are an experienced DIYer you can watch videos to learn how a radiator can be moved across a room.

Tim