Heating expert at GreenMatch, Joshua Houston, shared his simple 7-step guide to ensuring all of your radiators are working at ‘maximum’ efficiency and giving you every ounce of heat your energy bills are charging you for. He advised: “If you notice that your home is taking longer to heat up, or your radiator is cooler than usual then bleeding might be the correct solution. Having an efficient radiator will improve the heating in your home, and make the bill at the end of the month cheaper.”
Joshua’s guide starts by narrowing down which of your radiators could be the cause of your winter chills. To do this, put your heating on and after giving some time for the radiators to warm up, check each one individually.
Specifically, you’re looking for “cold spots at the top”, as this is a sign of trapped air in your radiators that need to get out, both for efficiency and safety purposes. Additionally, if you notice cold spots at the bottom of your radiator, the expert warned: “This is likely caused by a blockage or build-up of ‘sludge’ within the radiator.
“This can often be corrected by cleaning out your radiator or having a whole system ‘power flush’ undertaken. This is something an engineer can help with.”
For the cold spots at the top, you’ll simply need to bleed these radiators to maximise the amount of heat they put out. Joshua explained this process can only start when your heating is off and the radiators have cooled down.
This will prevent you from being burned by any potential hot water leakage when you open the bleed valve. Joshua advised: “The bleed valve is usually located at the top, on one of the sides. It’s a small, square peg or a round knob, and it may be concealed under a plastic cap.”
Before you do anything else, it’s best to protect your floors and yourself by preparing for any water that may spill out while you bleed the radiator, so grab the towels and maybe a small bowel to place on the floor below. You can also hold a cloth or towel directly below the valve as you open it.
To open the valve you’ll need your radiator key, which can be purchased at hardware stores if you’ve lost yours, or a screwdriver according to the expert. He explained: “Insert the radiator key or screwdriver into the bleed valve and slowly turn it anticlockwise. You should hear a hissing sound as the air escapes. Keep the valve open until the hissing stops and water drops start to flow out.”
When water starts appearing, close the valve by turning it clockwise but be careful not to overtighten it. Then repeat this process across any other radiators with cold spots.