Which Is The Best Boiler for a Small House or 1 Bed Flat?

One of the worst things is when you turn on your radiator and notice that it won’t heat up. Even worse, this problem almost always seems to occur at the worst possible time. Luckily, most radiator problems are easy to fix, so if your central heating system isn’t providing your home with enough warmth – you can repair the issue.

Why Does a Central Heating System Fail?

Central heating systems fail for all sorts of reasons, and some might need a professional engineer. However, in most cases, your radiators will be to blame, which means you can look forward to saving some money.

Many households find their radiators won’t warm up or cold spots when they feel the radiator surface. But why does this happen?

Radiators are often out of use during the spring and summer months, so when you use them in winter, you’ll find that air can often become trapped in the system.

To free that air, you’ll need to bleed the radiator.

Bleeding Your Radiators: The Basics

As long as you have a radiator key and a cloth to catch the remaining water, you’ll be able to bleed the system, but we recommend you get a specialist to do it once a year. Most boiler cover policies will include some essential servicing, so it can save you a lot of time and effort.

In general, bleeding a radiator is a simple process, but if it’s both your upstairs and downstairs radiator, it might be worth calling in a professional. When your other radiators fail to heat up, it could cause signify there’s an issue with your boiler pressure.

The Process

If you do decide to bleed your radiator, follow this simple process, and you’ll be able to get the job done quickly.

Step One: Prepare Your Radiator
Before you begin to bleed your radiator, you should always turn your central heating off. A hot radiator is challenging to work with, and if water leaks out of the system, it could burn you.

Step Two: Release the Air Using a Radiator Bleed Valve Key
The valve is located at the top of your radiator, and it has a square groove in the centre. Insert the radiator bleed key into the valve and gently turn it anticlockwise. At this point, you should hear a hissing noise, which is air escaping from the system.

Step Three: Catch the Water
It would be best if you always used a cloth to catch any water escaping the system. It will inevitably happen, but a general cloth will be just fine. If a lot of water escapes, then it might signify a problem.

Step Four: Re-tighten the Valve
Once the hissing sound stops, you should replace the valve immediately. Water escapes when you bleed a radiator, but you can reduce how much leaks out by completing the job quickly.

Step Five: Check to See if the Problem is Fixed
Once you remove the trapped air and replace the radiator valve, you can turn on your central heating system and wait for it to heat up. If the entire radiator won’t heat up or has cold patches, you’ll need to call in an engineer to provide heating advice.

In some cases, escaping water might cause the pressure gauge to drop too low, so the system will need topping up. If this issue happens when you turn your heating on, it might be time to invest in some replacement radiators.

If it happens to more than one radiator, it might mean that the system is old, and you should upgrade to new radiators.

Hometree Can Help You Maintain Your Boiler and Central Heating System

Bleeding radiators isn’t a challenging job, but some people find they’d rather maintain their entire boiler, heating and water system using annual servicing and free emergency call outs.

Our skilled engineers are experts in identifying and fixing problems, and we can bleed your radiators yearly to ensure they provide heat throughout winter.

With three cost-effective plans to choose between, you can keep your home safe and your household happy throughout the year.

Contact us today to discuss our services.

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