With most people keeping a keen eye on their smart meters amid the cost of living crisis, Brits are finding alternative ways to carry out household chores without switching on expensive electrical appliances. However, a plumbing expert has warned households not to reach for the radiator when drying their clothes indoors.
With fewer 'good drying days' as the autumn months roll in, we're looking for efficient and inexpensive ways to dry clothes and a common habit sees households drying their laundry on radiators. However, according to an expert, you may not be saving as much money by doing this as you thought. It seems that the simple task does more harm than good as by placing clothes on the radiator to dry you're putting more pressure on your boiler and ultimately hiking up bills, RSVPLive reports.
Jordan Chance at PlumbNation said: "We would recommend that you stop using your radiators to dry your clothes. The clothes that you place over the top of your radiators prevent the heat from escaping and heating your room, meaning that your boiler has to pick up the slack and work at a greater rate - increasing costs."
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And it's not just the financial cost that people should be aware of and Jordan continues: "Similarly, the increase in the air's moisture can create condensation, leading to potential issues with mould and dampness."
The advice continued as the plumbing expert went on to question why items such as radiator covers were being used and whether it was purely for home aesthetics and it so, it could also be wasting your money.
He said: "If you have a radiator cover make sure to check that it is a good conductor of heat. Radiator covers made from materials such as wood are poor conductors and can prevent heat from being dispersed effectively - wasting energy and money. Also, if your radiator cover has a solid top then you may be losing even more heat, as it will be absorbed by the top of the cover."
Maintenance was also a topic to be addressed by the PlumbNation expert and the importance of simply bleeding your radiators. According to them, keeping up to date on the simple task will help encourage air flow, make the equipment more efficient, and ultimately improves its longevity.
"Bleeding your radiator is essential in preventing the efficiency of your radiator from decreasing, as a result of air entering your heating system," they said. "The quickest way to check if air has entered your heating system is to turn your central heating on and feel your radiator. If the radiator is warm at the bottom but cold at the top this is generally a sign that air is present."
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