How to bleed a radiator Bleeding your radiator Bleeding your radiators is one of the eight most common home repair jobs according to the independent consumer watchdog Which? Trapped air can build up in radiators, causing them to stay cold even when your heating is running. This inevitably results in wasted energy and higher heating bills. Bleeding a radiator is a relatively simple job; read on to find out how to do it for yourself. 1 Firstly, turn on your central heating so that all radiators are running. Once they are on, check each radiator for cold spots. These are most often found near the top. When you’ve identified which radiators need to be bled, turn off the central heating system. 2 Each radiator should have a valve at the end, which can be opened using a radiator key or flat-headed screwdriver. Hold the key or screwdriver using a cloth and hold another cloth under the valve to catch any drips of liquid. 3 When you release the valve, you may hear a hissing noise. This is the trapped air escaping from the radiator. You will know when the gas has all been released when liquid leaks from the valve instead. As soon as you see the liquid, which may be black or brown in colour, close the valve back up as quickly as you can. 4 After your radiators are closed back up, check the pressure gauge on your boiler. If it has dropped below the recommended pressure level, you may need to use the filling loop to bring it back up to the correct pressure or your boiler may run inefficiently, hampering your attempts to save energy. For more easy energy efficient DIY tips, visit the npower blog.
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