How to bleed a radiator is common question among Britons attempting DIY in the winter. Bleeding a radiator removes excess gas from the system. It helps to keep your central heating running properly and keep your come cosy. Mark Ronald, Lead Engineer at Hometree, told Express.co.uk how to bleed a radiator like an expert.
How to bleed a radiator
Mark said: “To bleed a radiator, all you’ll need is a selection of household items to start, such as a dry cloth and a large bowl.
“The only specialist piece of kit that is required is a radiator key, a small and cheap appliance that is available at most DIY stores for around £2.”
Steps to bleed a radiator
To bleed your radiator correctly, you need to follow a few simple steps:
Turn off your central heating. This will prevent you from burning yourself and will stop your floor from being soaked with excess water.
Find the release value. It’s generally located on the top or on the side of the radiator and is identifiable by the groove that will match that of the radiator key.
Twist the key anti-clockwise, releasing air in the radiator. It is important that you do this with a cloth or bowl ready to catch the dripping water.
As the valve is turned, there will be a hissing sound as the pressure is reduced, indicating that the process is working.
Once the hissing stops and water begins to trickle out of the valve, tighten the screw clockwise, making sure not to over-tighten and cause damage.
Wipe any excess moisture off the radiator to avoid rust build-up.
There are some follow up tips to ensure your radiators work properly.
Mark said: “After this, it is prudent to check the pressure gauge on your boiler as the process of bleeding radiators can cause pressure to drop.
“If this is the case, you can ‘top up’ the pressure via the filling loop located on your boiler.”
Alternatively, you can use the ‘hot test’ method, Mark explains, by simply turning on your central heating and waiting for the radiator to heat up.
You can then check for cold spots on the radiator. This process may need to be performed once or twice a year, depending on the age of your system; however, if this is a more regular requirement for your boiler, it could be a symptom of an underlying problem.
Hometree, the first online-led boiler installation service, is changing the culture of the boiler market from being engineer first to customer first.