Do you know how to properly look after and maintain your radiators? There is no feature of the home more important than the central heating and knowing how to maintain your radiators could help you to keep the home warm and comfortable, lower your energy bill and reduce your environmental impact. Read on to find out what you need to do to keep your radiators in the best possible condition at all times.
Bleeding the Radiators
If your radiator feels cold when the heating is on or there are parts of it that feel cold then this is a clear sign that you need to bleed the radiator – do not worry, it is not as extreme as it sounds! This problem arises when air gets trapped inside the radiator, which blocks the flow of warm air.
To bleed your radiator, you will need to use a flathead screwdriver to open the valve, which will then let out any air – when a stream of liquid starts to flow, you should close the valve and you should notice an improvement.
Balance the Radiators
Another important maintenance task if you have radiators which are cold to touch when the heating is on is balancing. The hot water from the boiler should spread evenly so that radiators heat up at the same time, but sometimes the destruction will be unbalanced. To balance the radiators, you should first turn off the heating and wait for all radiators to go cold.
You should then open all of your radiator valves, turn on the central heating and create an order for when the radiators heat up. Next, turn the heating off and wait for them to cool again. Finally, you will need to adjust the lockshield valve for each radiator so that it reaches the desired temperature and you have balance throughout the house.
What to Do If There is a Leak
It is easy to panic if you find a leak in the home. First, you should find out exactly where the leak is coming from and see if it is the valve that is causing the problem as you could close the valve to stop the leak. You could also try tightening the loose bolts with a spanner. If this does not do the job, then you call out a plumber and consider investing in new radiators for your home.
The information in this post should prove to be useful and hopefully help you to feel more confident in maintaining your radiators. The radiators play a vital role in creating a comfortable home for you and your family, but things can go wrong and you need to know how to keep them in the best possible condition.
