Roger Bisby plays it cool with the Jaga Guardian Low Surface Temperature radiator
Low surface temperature radiators are usually associated with health care rather than domestic use but Jaga’s low surface temperature product is being picked up by many discerning householders, not just for the cool touch but also the cool looks. For those looking for clean lines and a minimalist (did someone say clinical?) approach, the Guardian Low Surface Temperature radiator has a lot to offer. Jaga promotes this radiator as being quick and easy to fit. It weighs next to nothing so you won’t need help lugging them upstairs and, even full of water, you can get away with plasterboard fixings.
They also give you loads of different fixing positions on the brackets, so you are far more likely to find a good fixing, even in a plasterboard wall. Having said that it took me slightly longer to fit than a conventional panel radiator because it was my first one, and I had to suss it out. Like most things in life you get faster with practice. The fact that you don’t need anyone to help you carry the rads into the house and upstairs (in my case to the loft conversion) is a blessing. So yes, I would have to agree with their claim about being faster to fit.
The radiator valves screw in with O ring seals, so you don’t have to wrap PTFE tape around threads. The pipe seals have split ring olives that simply grab the pipe but have nothing to do with the sealing. The seal is made by a big squashy tapered rubber seal.
The working component of the Guardian LST is a fined pipe that sits low down in the case and convects warm air up through the casing. The design is very similar to skirting convectors but with a few more loops. The key to getting enough heat out of fined pipes like this is to keep them free of dust. I would suggest that the covers are removed and the fins given a good vacuum out every year. Just before the heating system. That probably won’t happen but we live in hope.
For further information on Jaga visit www.jaga.co.uk
