Should i bleed radiators when heating is on

The process will be detailed in the boiler instruction manual. You can read more about this in the energy saving advice section of our website. A bleed valve on an older radiator looks like a hole with a square bit in the middle. On some newer radiators, the bleed valve has a straight groove for a flathead screwdriver. When you open the bleed valve, the pressure inside the central heating system will force out the trapped air. When all the air has escaped, water will start to come out.

The heating must not be on when you actually bleed radiators, but it needs to be on for a while before you start. The system needs to have warm water in it for bleeding radiators, so switch the heating fully off and wait for the radiators to cool a little.

About 20 minutes should be perfect — the time it takes to sit down with a cuppa and a biscuit. Put the radiator key in the bleed valve and hold a rag around the valve with your other hand. Turn the key anticlockwise about half a turn until air hisses from the valve. When water starts to trickle out of the valve, all the air is out. The lower section usually gets warm but the top section stays cool or lukewarm. This problem could also be due to a separate heating element, while everything else is working perfectly well.

Radiators can end up with air in the pipes in any season. Bleeding the radiators is a very simple process. Put all radiators on their highest setting.

Wait a short while and then switch the central heating system off. Work through the radiators, one by one, starting with the radiator that is closest to the boiler. How and when to bleed your radiators. Bleeding your radiators is an easy task that will improve your heating efficiency and home warmth.

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Bleeding your radiators will keep your home warmer this winter. What you need: Radiator key or flat-head screwdriver for screw-type valves. Small container or rag to catch water Step 1: Check the pressure gauge on your boiler. Home Improvement Financing. Share this: Print Facebook Twitter Pinterest. It usually needs doing when air gets trapped in your central heating system, which can happen from time to time.

The best way to test out if you have air in your system is by switching on your central heating to maximum and allowing your radiators to get to their full temperature. Go round each radiator and carefully feel if there are any temperature differences across the surface of the radiator. If a radiator feels cool at the top and warm at the bottom, it probably has air trapped in the top of it and needs the air bleeding out of it. If it's just one radiator that has these symptoms then you might be able to get away with just bleeding that radiator.

However, it's best to bleed all the radiators in your home to ensure you release all the air and don't have to repeat the job again for a while. Making sure your central heating is switched off, you should start with a downstairs radiator that is the furthest away from your boiler. Work your way through the radiators getting closer to the boiler, then go upstairs and repeat the process.