Help & Advice

How to bleed your radiator

With the majority of homeowners using gas heating systems, at some point you will need to bleed your radiators to ensure your central heating is operating the way it is expected to. The reason for this is that over time and with regular use, bubbles of air will be created within your pipes and radiators which get trapped, preventing hot water from circulating around your home.

This leads to radiators taking longer to heat up than they should do, making your central heating system running much less efficiently than expected, so it is important that you know when your radiators may need to be bled and that you know how to get this done, because luckily for you, it doesn’t require an expert to do so, therefore whenever you have this issue, you do not need to worry about arranging a engineer to come over to get it fixed.

Signs that your radiator might need bleeding

There are a few signs that could indicate that the problem to your heating may just be a simple bleeding process. Firstly, if your radiator is not getting hot while the central heating is on, or that some radiators are working while others are not, this is a sign that your radiator might need the air taken out.

Other signs are ones such as when the top half of the radiator is not heating up. This is because bubbles tend to rise in the central heating system and building up there, making the bottom half much hotter than the top. Another sign may be condensation build up around or above the radiator, which is less common but can still be an indicator that the radiator is not heating up as expected.

Cracking radiators are another cause of radiators needing to be bled. This is because the of the irregularity in air pressure that causes vibrations and the subsequent creaking sounds.

Signs that your radiator might need bleeding

Turn off your central heating. You do not want hot water spilling out and burning you and stop the floor from being soaked with excess water
Locate the release valve. Its typically located on the top and on the side of the radiator and is identifiable by the groove that will match that of the radiator key
Locate the release valve. Its typically located on the top and on the side of the radiator and is identifiable by the groove that will match that of the radiator key
Apply the key and twist it anti-clockwise, releasing air in the radiator. Prepare a cloth to catch any dripping water
Maintain this until the hissing stops and water starts to drip out of the valve, then tighten the screw clockwise.
Clean down any excess water around the radiator to avoid rust build up.

If you continue to have the same issue, it may be a case that you have sludge build up in your central heating pipes and require a powerflush to rectify this.