The Summer is now a distant memory and winter is firmly here and the time where Gas Safe plumbers are generally quieter has come to an end, so if you want to go for a full on boiler upgrade, now is the time to do it. It’s also a prime opportunity to get your system serviced and sort out any niggling problems.
One problem that can occur during this time is your rads not heating up like they should. Air can get trapped in your heating system. This trapped air causes the radiators to have cold spots which reduces their efficiency.
You can bleed your radiators yourself with a relatively cheap radiator bleed key which should free the trapped air and allow the hot water to fill up the radiator.
- turn off all your heating to let the radiators cool down. Bleeding involves putting a radiator key onto a valve at the top of the radiator, you don’t want to do this when the heating’s on.
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Grab an old towel or cloth and hold it at the bottom of the valve. Gently use the radiator key to open the valve until you hear the air will come hissing out. When you see water coming out turn the key back the other way to shut the valve off.
- *IMPORTANT Once you have finished bleeding all the radiators you require, you will need to check the pressure on your boiler. Top the pressure up using the tap under the system. The gauge should indicate a pressure level between 1–2bar. When you turn the valves you will hear water rushing into the system and see the pressure gauge raise. If the pressure does not increase then you may need to call out an engineer.
Are your radiators back to normal?
- Check for SLUDGE! If when you check your radiators you find they are still cold at the bottom rather than the top this means there might be sludge, which is debris that builds up in the radiators over time and settle at the bottom. This could mean you will need to have your system power flushed to unblock the pipes. If left untreated this can cause holes and leaks in the radiators themselves and possibly greater more expensive repairs.
For more information on this or to call out an engineer for a poorly heating system get in touch with Limegreen on 029 2066 6622 to arrange a call out.