FAQ

How does the RadiatorBooster® actually work and save energy?

RadiatorBooster® draws heat from your radiator, heating a room quicker, allowing the boiler to shut down sooner.

RadiatorBooster® sucks wasted heat away from the wall and directs it into your room, reducing losses, potentially saving you energy. It really is that simple!

Can I leave it switched on 24/7 during the winter months?

Yes. RadiatorBooster® model is thermostatically controlled, meaning it will only operate when your radiator gets hot, and it will shut down as the radiator cools. 

Surely the materials used to manufacture this device themselves impact on the world’s resources?

Yes, this is true. But we have designed the product to use the absolute minimum of materials and substances, (99% of which can be recycled) & in return achieve huge energy savings over many years. The ‘trade-off’ is well worth it.

How should I dispose of the product when I’m finished using it or at the end of its life?

Please dispose of it through your local authority recycling program for ‘recovery and recycling for electrical products’. Remember, 99% of RadiatorBooster® can be recycled, that has to be good for the environment.

My radiator is very long. Do I need to use two of these?

You can do, but it should not be necessary unless you radiator is more than 1.5metres (5feet) long. Generally the simple movement of air created by RadiatorBooster® will normally lead to good convection in your room.

My radiator is very short. Will the device fit okay?

The RadiatorBooster® can be used on small radiators, down to 400mm (16inches) wide. The housing will ‘overhang’ each end, but this is not a concern, and the device will still work perfectly well.

Where should I place it on my radiator?

As close to the wall and centralised along the length of your radiator should optimise the performance. However, if you place it to one end, it should still work adequately. On some radiator designs you will find that the device will drop down slightly behind the top of the radiator. This further enhances the performance.

Can it be used with radiator covers?

YES. Provided you can physically fit the device in place under your cover. Covers prevent a radiator from ‘radiating’ its heat, relying solely on ‘convection’. RadiatorBooster® can enhance that convection, distributing trapped heat.

Can I use it on oil filled radiators, electric storage radiators, or electric convection radiators?

No. These types of radiator reach far higher surface temperatures than water filled radiators. These higher temperatures will distort and damage the product and will invalidate any guarantee.

Can I use it in my bathroom, shower room, sauna room, outbuilding, etc?

No. RadiatorBooster® must not be used in a damp or humid environment under any circumstances.

How much electricity does it use, and is it safety approved?

RadiatorBooster® has been tested & approved by an independent laboratory, & is CE Certified. The fan is rated at < 1.5 watt, 12v DC, and each unit is supplied complete with a full set of instructions. Should you operate the device through winter months, is should use < 2.0kW/hr. of electricity.

Will I need to put one of these in every room?

We would recommend you place one in each room that you regularly use, but it is not essential for other rooms. After all, you could unplug and move one very easily if necessary. However, if you wish to keep your whole house warm for the least energy use, then one RadiatorBooster® in each room would optimise your energy savings.

My nearest power socket is a long way from my radiator?

Each unit comes fitted with a 1.8metre power cord, which should suit most situations. However, we also offer the EL-RB3 extension lead. This is 3 metres in length and is available from most stockists. It simply fits between the power supply and the lead from the RadiatorBooster®. For safety reasons, NEVER extend the lead yourself and NEVER use more than two EL-RB3 leads joined together.

There is a RED ‘stand-by’ light on my RadiatorBooster®. We are told that ‘stand-by’ conditions can use lots of energy. How much does this light use?

The red light on Turbo-Logic™ uses less than 0.15w/hr. This equates to less than 2 pence/cents per month.

Could I plug my RadiatorBooster® into a timer unit to avoid me remembering to turn it on/off?

Yes. Although this should not be necessary during the winter months, a standard ‘event timer’ can be used, the power supply plugged straight into it.

Do I need to clean the device?

Yes. As with any domestic product, dust will build up on various surfaces, which will seriously impair the performance and reliability of the device. You will need to clean it periodically using a lint free cloth. Take care with the fan blades as they are very delicate and can break easily. Never use any chemicals, they are unnecessary and may damage the product.

Can you hear it working?

YES. The small fans we use, like any fans, make an audible humming noise. The fans used in RadiatorBooster® are similar to those used in home computers and operate at around the same audible level. During the summer most of us use large noisy desktop/ pedestal fans to help keep us cool, and in the winter noisy electric fan-heaters to help keep us warm. RadiatorBooster® costs very little to run and is considerably quieter than either of these.

Sometimes it is quieter than other times. Why is this?

The fans can take some time to settle down and perform at their optimum, and they are also very sensitive to temperature. The sounds will vary from time to time, but this is normal and should cause no concern.

I’m allergic to house dust. Will this make things worse?

For the first few times RadiatorBooster® is used it may stir up a little loose house dust from around your radiators, but within a couple of days this should settle down, and the situation return to normal.

I’ve noticed a funny smell coming from the device. Is this normal?

When used for the first few days, you may notice a slight smell. This can be caused by a tiny amount of excess lubricant on the fan bearing, evaporating off, or even the electric elements within the fan ‘running-in’. All smells should fade away within a few days of use.

Are there any hazards to be aware of when using RadiatorBooster®?

Never allow children or animals near the device, they could damage or jam the fan, resulting in product failure. Never place the product anywhere near water (electricity and water are best kept well apart), or indeed anywhere water may get (from leaking roofs, etc). TRIP hazards are one of the most common in the home. Ensure the power lead to the product, especially any extension lead (EL-RB3) used, is always tucked away or tied up.

The fan has become noisy, rubbing and/or clicking. What can I do?

A build-up of dust deposits on the fan blades is likely to be the cause. Simple cleaning as described above should help. 

Where can I get spare parts?

For safety reasons, nothing on RadiatorBooster® is replaceable or repairable. Please return it to your retailer for advice.

 

Trouble Shooting

My RadiatorBooster® will not work. What could be wrong?

1. The radiator MUST get HOT in order for the device to work. If you can keep your hand on top of the radiator for 60 seconds, this indicates the radiator is not heating up properly. Consult a heating engineer.
2. Check the Red light on the end of the device is illuminated. If not, check your electricity supply by plugging in another product (e.g. table lamp) to be sure there is power.
3. Check the cord plug on the RadiatorBooster® is fully inserted into the socket on the bottom of the power supply. Remove it and then re-insert to ensure a good connection, pressing it home firmly.
4. The device has stopped working due to excessive dust build-up or some foreign body fouling the fan blades. Un-plug immediately, and clean the device as described above.
5. The device, its connection wire, or power supply could be faulty. Discuss this with your retailer; they may have another you could try.
6. Maybe the product has simply worn out. It is designed for long life (up to 1000 hours per year in maximum 1 hours stints), but should it be forced to run continuously (e.g. your radiator is ‘always hot’), the fan will break down quickly. The fan must experience frequent ‘off’ periods where it cools down, otherwise its life will be limited.

 

More information 

A typical central-heating boiler will use around 15 kilowatts of energy every hour (some as much as 30 kilowatts).

The UNIQUE fan arrangement within RadiatorBooster® enables your room to heat-up much faster, and your boiler to shut-off much sooner. Every hour your boiler is not having to cropped to work will save you 15 kilowatts of energy. You could find the savings more than this, maybe as much as 7 hours/week (100 kilowatts) during the colder months!

As your radiator gets hot, the 'rear' surface normally radiates heat onto the wall behind. This heat is then often lost through the wall structure due to conduction. The RadiatorBooster® will suck much of the heat from the rear of your radiator and direct it sideways into your room, saving you even more energy.

Centrally heated rooms can often be very warm around head-height, yet cold at floor level. This is caused by stratification where warm air rising from a radiator creates warm bands of air, especially above waist height; the warm air being lighter never reaches the floor. The second and most startling feature of RadiatorBooster® is that it directs the heated air sideways rather than upwards, creating a stirring effect in the room, mixing the air more effectively and reducing those cold spots.

The RadiatorBooster® can either sit along the top/back edge of your radiator as shown above, as close to the wall as possible, or in some cases it will drop down a little behind the radiator, resting on convection fins or the radiator mounting brackets. In either case it will work well, and save you energy.

According to the leading UK energy providers, if you were able to turn down your room thermostat by just 1 degree Celsius, it would save the average home £49/year, or 10% off your heating bills/year. You’ll be surprised how far down you can go using RadiatorBooster® in each main room.

The beauty of RadiatorBooster® is that when the colder weather arrives, you simply plug it in and forget it. The device is thermostatically controlled, switching on the Fan Assembly as your radiator starts to warm, and then off again as it cools. Because it is only working when your radiator is hot, the energy consumption should be no more than 1p (1-Cent) per week, yes, one Penny (Cent)!

The materials, processes and packaging used to produce RadiatorBooster® have been kept to an absolute minimum and 99% can be recycled, all minimising the impact on Earth's Eco-System and resources! The main plastic mouldings are made from ‘Single Polymer’ Polypropylene, one of the easiest plastics to recycle.

It is anticipated that RadiatorBooster® will probably become the greatest energy saving product to date! No mean feat for such a simple idea and principle. And now you could be one of the first to benefit from using this innovative device.

Savings will vary considerably from home to home due to differing heating requirements, outside temperatures, building insulation, room temperatures preferred, heating boiler age and efficiencies, room sizes, and so on. Any figures and suggested savings quoted are for guidance purposes only, however we are confident that in most standard cases, all these savings are achievable when using RadiatorBooster ® throughout your home/building.