In the main, of course, radiators supplied by a gas-powered central heating system are a fantastic way of keeping your home heated when the weather turns chillier and when the temperatures topple in the winter months and remain low for weeks on end. They’re reliable and predictable in how they perform, which is why they’re depended on by the vast majority of households up and down the country. That said, like it or not, there’s always a chance something might go wrong at some point with any heating system. Happily enough, though, in most cases the faults are pretty easy to identify and simple to fix. In this blog we will discuss what is involved with radiator maintenance. 

How does a radiator work?

Understanding how a radiator works will likely help you appreciate and learn how to put right relatively simple things that have gone wrong. Moreover, it will help you understand radiator maintenance. In a central heating system, water is heated up by a boiler (usually powered by gas) and then pumped around a home’s pipework that runs between radiator units (whether they be flat panel or column radiators) in various rooms. Each of these radiators is fitted with valves to maintain the rate at which hot water flows into the unit; therefore, how much water the radiator will contain and for how long and, thus, ensuring how hot it will become. Following this, the water’s recycled by being pumped back to the boiler to be heated up again and reused. Most of the time, only a very small proportion of the water in the system is wasted and not reheated and reused.

 

Lux Heat Venice horizontal radiator


How do you bleed a radiator?

If you feel there’s air trapped in one of your radiators (perhaps it feels cold at the top but hot at the bottom?), then it’s very much in your interest to bleed the unit. This is true for every kind of unit – from modern, designer models to cast iron radiators – and it’s actually easier to do than you might think and, so long as you summon up the courage, is a task you can do yourself without calling on a qualified professional heating engineer for the job. If you allow trapped air bubbles to remain in a radiator, over time it may cause it damage; it’ll definitely be wasting energy (it won’t be heating up a room despite all the hot water flowing into it) and, therefore, wasting money. So then, here’s how you go about it:

Switch Off The System

Switch off the central heating system fully, then wait for your radiators to cool (especially the one you’re going to focus on); note: never try to bleed a radiator that’s still warm, let alone hot. If you do, there’s a genuine danger you might badly burn yourself.

Open The Bleed Valve

Opening the bleed valve that’s located at one of the two top corners of a radiator unit enables trapped air to escape; you’ll recognise it as a square shaft inside a round, threaded plug. To open it, your best bet is to insert a square-ended radiator key (or perhaps a flat-head screwdriver) into the plug’s recess and turn anti-clockwise. You shouldn’t need to complete a whole turn to open the valve.

Listen For The Hiss

Now you should hear an unmistakable hiss as the trapped air escapes through the valve and from the unit. Be aware that not just air but also a little water is bound to escape, so catch the latter as it drips out with a cloth you’ve sited underneath. As soon as the first trickle’s escaped, tighten up the valve once again by turning the key clockwise.

Turn The System Back On

You can now turn the entire central heating system back on; in doing so, you may want to re-pressurise the boiler as it is ‘best practice’ (the boiler’s manual ought to outline how it’s done). Bleeding radiators is something that, once you’ve done it and are happy you’ve done a decent job, you can do again. That said, if you find you’re having to do it regularly, there may be a serious fault somewhere in the system causing air to become trapped in the units and, really, you ought to call in a professional to take a look at your system and radiators.

 

What if the middle or bottom of the radiator feels cold?

But what if it’s not the top of the radiator but the bottom or even the middle that feels cold and isn’t warming up? Well, the reason could well be that, inside, sludge has built up (an unholy mixture of air, metal and water), while corrosion too may be contributing to a restriction of the water flow. To cure this, unfortunately, it may require removing the radiator from the wall and flushing it out – or even replacing it, if necessary. A professional heating engineer should put you straight on what ought to be done.

 

What if the whole radiator feels cold?

There are a few potential causes and solutions for this:

  • cause: the manual control valve has been turned off/ solution: turn on – or open – the valve
  • cause: the thermostatic radiator valve (TRV) hasn’t been set correctly/ solution: re-set the TRV
  • cause: the TRV may have developed a fault/ solution: replace the TRV
  • cause: the Lockshield valve hasn’t been set correctly/ solution: open the manual valve as far as possible before removing the Lockshield valve’s plastic cap and, using an adjustable wrench, open the latter valve and leave it open until the radiator warms up properly; as a follow up, you should seek to have the radiator balanced, which may require calling on the services of a qualified heating engineer
  • cause: corrosion has blocked the inlet and outlet/ solution: the radiator may well need to be removed and replaced, or at the very least flushed out.

 

Designer Radiators at Great Prices With DRD

Radiator maintenance isn't always enough, sometimes you're in need of a brand new radiator. Here at DRD, we have a huge range of designer radiators on our sale page. We have hundreds of different radiators in stock for you to choose from. You can be certain we'll have something to suit both your heating needs and décor.

If you have any questions, contact us today!