How to Bleed Heating Systems

When talking about how to bleed a regular heating system there are two topics that need to be discussed. You can bleed a radiator or the entire system from the boiler. Let us take a look at how to undergo these two easy tasks.

A radiator needs to be filled with water in order to generate the maximum heat possible. If there is air inside the system it will stop normal water flow. To realize weather or not you have this problem all you need to do is touch the radiator. If you find different temperatures at the bottom and top or you notice warm inlet sides and cool outlets there is a big chance there is air in your radiator. By bleeding you can keep it free of air and add water if needed. In most cases there is an instruction manual that will let you know exactly how this is done. If you do not have one just open the bleed valve (usually located on the upper side of a radiator) and let air run out until water begins to flow out. After that, quickly close the bleed valve. Start off with the radiator located at the highest level in your home and repeat the operation on all elements until you get to the lowest one. Bleeding the system will then require you to add water to it in order to function properly.

Another way to bleed a heating system stands in clearing the entire network, directly from the boiler. This is usually done when you wish to get the system ready for colder periods of time. Any boiler has a door, usually with 2 knobs. Slowly remove it and clean all the dirt present there. Vacuum it if needed and be sure to blow all of it away. Turn on the system and set your thermostat to high for around half an hour so that water gets warm. You will have somewhere on your network a special valve that when loosened lets air and water escape from the system. Do this but be sure to not remove the valve, just loosen it. Be prepared with a container to “catch” all the water that will come out. When this operation is performed you will normally hear a hiss sound and water will come out together with air. When the noise disappears and only water comes out you know you need to tighten the valve back. Do not overdue it because you could end up with a broken fitting. This procedure needs to be done on all heating tanks by starting with the one that is the farthest away from the boiler.

Bleeding a heating system is easy. The only thing that needs to be kept in mind is that all your operations need to be performed slowly because you are dealing with high pressures that could break an element or get you burnt.