Radiator Balance question

[miasoldman]

Looking for some guidance on how to improve the Central heating in my house.I have just realised all my radiators have not been balanced for a while ( after reading some good articles on this Site ). As we have been doing some significant renovation to the house over the last 4 years, some of which meant replacing radiators, taking them off the walls to decorate and adding new ones to the system ( this was done by a plumbing firm ).

Now I want to balance all my rads but I dont have the thermometers required. I read the FAQ and a few other articles on this. Therefore I have the following questions :

1. Can I do this manually, I read somewhere there is a touch test you can do OR do I need to bite the bullet and get someone in.
2. I am not sure the flow/order of the rads from the boiler as some have been added over the years , does that matter ? I can work on the distance obviously.
3. When I am balancing the system, what should the TRVs be set to ? Currently they are all at 5 as the house is big and cold, not helped by the lack of balance in the radiators.
4. I have since discovered the TRVs I fitted to some of the new rads might not be bi directional. This is the type ( cheap and cheerful ). Now the rads are still warming up however I am now thinking I might need to switch them to the flow side.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/angled-thermostatic-radiator-valve-white-chrome-15mm/32130

5. Once I get the rads balanced, should I expect an increase in the heat in the house ? As I said we have the TRVs all at 5.

FYI The boiler is a Vokera Linea 24.

thanks in advance

 

[Armo74]

Are you having any problems with the rads that would suggest they need balancing?
If all your TRV's are set to 5 are your rads sized correctly?
Do you have a TRV in the same room as your room stat?

 

[miasoldman]

Yes, i had a cold radiator in my loft. After some research on here, i got it warm by closing some of the Lockshield valves ( not really balancing ) on radiators closer to the boiler. Previously most of the lockshield valves were fully open. Now i want balance them correctly.

Yes, i have rads in all the rooms which are big enough to cope with the room size.

Sorry what do you mean by room stat ? The only controls i have for the central heating are on the boiler, i dont have any control elsewhere. I set the timer and tmp on the boiler which is in the kitchen.