Common signs that your radiator needs bleeding
Bleeding your radiators every so often keeps them working efficiently. That not only means a warmer home, but cheaper energy bills too.
But if you don’t do it regularly, your radiators could start taking longer to warm up. Or they may not give out as much heat as they should.
So, you could end up using more energy to heat your home, which is worse for the environment – and for your wallet
What's the process?
How to bleed a radiator in 7 simple steps
Start by switching on your heating and wait for all of the radiators in your home to warm up – how long this takes may depend on how many radiators you have and the size of your home, so be sure to give yourself plenty of time.
2. Identify which radiators need bleeding
Carefully check each radiator to ensure it has an even temperature across the whole surface area. If you do find any radiators that are cold at the top, or hear any gurgling noises, it’s a good indicator that there’s trapped air inside and that you’ll need to bleed it.
Tip: We recommend wearing a thin pair of gloves when checking each radiator as they may be very hot.
3. Turn off your heating and wait for the radiators to cool
Before you start bleeding any radiators, turn off your heating so the radiators aren’t too hot to touch.
4. Place a cloth below the radiator bleed valve
Locate the radiator bleed valve and ensure that a cloth or an old towel is placed below it to catch any water that may be released.
Tip: Every radiator has a bleed valve. They’re typically located at the top corner of a radiator and look like a round hole with a square inside.
5. Open the valve and release the air
If no water or air comes out when you bleed the radiator, then the valve could be blocked with paint. Close the inlet and outlet valve at each end of the radiator, then remove the screw from the centre of the bleed valve. Insert the radiator key into the bleed valve and slowly turn it anti-clockwise (a quarter of a turn should be enough). You should hear a hissing sound as the air escapes.
Tip: We recommend having a bucket handy to catch any spurting water, just in case you open the valve too far.
6. Close the valve
Once the hissing sound stops and water starts to leak out, turn the key clockwise to close the valve.
7. Check the boiler pressure
Repeat this process for each radiator that needs bleeding in your home. Once you’ve finished doing this, you’ll need to check the pressure of your boiler’s water pressure gauge.
If the boiler pressure is too low (below 1 bar), you’ll need to repressurise the system. If the pressure is normal (between 1 and 2 bars), you can switch your heating on and check that your radiators are now heating up as they should.
