If your radiator is failing to warm up properly, or feels cold in certain areas, it may signal trapped air within your radiator. While you may not be keeping them on much over the summer, it’s certainly worthwhile to fix them before you need them most. It also means increased efficiency of your whole central heating system which leads to cheaper energy bills in the long run!
How did air get trapped?
Air tends to get trapped in your radiators over time through small leaks, especially if you find yourself re-pressurising your boiler often. Or for older systems, you may find air came in through the pump above the supply pipe during installation or through the tank in your loft.
Why remove the air?
Trapped air means that your radiators won’t be heating up as effectively as they typically do. It could be isolated to one radiator or your whole home’s radiators but it will mean your home takes much longer to heat up to optimum temperature, wasting both energy and money.
How to bleed your radiator
To allow the trapped air to escape, you’ll need to bleed the radiators. Before you do this, make sure you have identified the radiator or radiators that need bleeding and then ensure your central heating is turned off and allowed time to cool down. You don’t want to burn yourself on the water inside them and this will help you remove as much air as possible.
You’ll need to buy a radiator valve key which can be purchased from most DIY stores and will be a one-time purchase if you buy a high quality one. Hold the valve key to the radiator valve, with a cloth and turn anti-clockwise. This will provide a means for the air to escape and you should hear a hissing. You’ll know when all the trapped air has been released when water starts to drip from the valve. Make sure you tighten up the valve again, just as it was before and your radiator should be cleared. Turn your heating back on to double check.
For regular boiler servicing in Bristol, get in touch with DHS. We’ve over 40 years of experience and can ensure your radiators and boiler system are always working efficiently.
Call DHS today on 0117 924 7200, email us, or request a callback.
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