A Comprehensive Guide to Taking Care of Your Radiators

When it comes to taking care of your home and ensuring every component and piece of equipment throughout your property, one element that is often accidentally neglected is that of your radiators.

With that being said, continue reading for a comprehensive guide to taking care of your radiators and how to spot the warning signs of a malfunctioning radiator.

Radiators: The Basics

One of the most important parts of learning correct and timely radiator maintenance is to understand the basics of how radiators actually work.

Your home is most likely connected to a central heating system, which involves a gas boiler that heats up water in your water tank and then pumps the hot water around your radiator system.

Every radiator contains an individual and specially designed valve which carefully controls the rate and speed at which the hot water is released. This valve not only controls how much hot water gets into the radiator but also the amount of time it stays in the radiator pipes, simply controlling how hot the room in which it is located gets.

Once the radiators throughout your home have reached the desired temperature, you have set with your thermostat. The water is then pumped back into the gas boiler, ready to be used again next time.

Bleeding Your Radiator

You may well have heard about the process of bleeding one or more of your radiators inside your home.

It would also be worth noting that if you are looking for simple maintenance and an efficient heating service from your radiators, your best proverbial bet would be to invest in a brand-new aluminium radiator.

How to Bleed Your Radiator

1. Fully switch off your entire central heating system and wait for the radiator to completely cool
2. Use a square-ended radiator key to open the bleed valve
3. Place a cloth underneath the radiator to catch the first few drops after the air has all escaped, and close the bleed valve
4. Switch the central heating system back on, and do not use it for a full sixty minutes to allow the system to come to temp.

Always be sure to learn and understand exactly what you are doing when attempting to release trapped air within your radiator system, and never rush the job, as this could lead to costly and frustrating mistakes.

The Main Causes for Cold & Malfunctioning Radiators

Usually, any specific problems you may be having with one or more of your radiators are solved by the simple process of bleeding them, as described above.

However, there could be several other possible causes for a malfunctioning and/or cold radiator unit, the most common being that the manual switch has accidentally been turned off.

Additionally, the thermostat could be set to an unachievable temperature, your TRV may be faulty or need replacing or there is excessive corrosion in and around the pipes. If in doubt, always contact a professional and experienced plumber to take a closer look.