Now that winter is behind us, we can all enjoy the summer sun, take advantage of the reduced heating bills, and have these radiators checked out while they are not in use. One of the best ways to make sure your cooler always works flawlessly is to buy good quality radiators. Click here to view Radiators That Will Never Let You Down.
However, with a little know-how and a few handyman tips, you can have your radiators checked without a plumber to get them ready and functional for the winter. From bleeding radiators to equalizing, we cover everything you need to know about radiator maintenance.
Maintenance of the cooler
Radiators have been around in homes for a long time, and while most of us usually forget about them during the summer months, it is the best time to start maintenance. Why? First, it's easy and requires basic knowledge, second, because you won't be using them in the summer, and third, because plumbers are more available for bigger problems.
Balance a cooler
The first thing you should do for this process is to make sure the radiators are cold and your heating system is off.
- Next, you need to remove the radiator valve cap and open all of the radiator valves in your house counterclockwise.
- Turn on the heater and write down how long it takes each radiator to heat (the one closest to the boiler is the fastest).
- Once they're hot, turn off the heating and wait for the radiators to get cold.
- Now switch the heating back on and turn the locking valve of the fastest radiator clockwise and leave it open a quarter turn.
- When the radiator is warm, measure the temperature on the piping near the valve, as well as on the side of the thermostatic valve.
- Open the locking valve fully until the temperature difference between the two points is 12 ° C.
- After the first radiator has been balanced, you can continue this process on any radiator in your home from the fastest warm-up time to the slowest.
Bleed a cooler
If your radiator doesn't heat up properly, bleeding may occur. This method is also relatively simple, but it can be quite messy. You will need a couple of old rags, a bucket, and a radiator wrench or flat-bladed screwdriver.
- Turn off the heater and open the radiator inlet valves.
- Put your dirty rag on the floor and the bucket under the cooler.
- Make sure the radiator is completely cold and turn the air vent screw halfway counterclockwise. The vent screw is located at the top of the radiator. It's the little square hole inside.
- It should start hissing, which means the air is coming out. Then the water flows into your bucket.
- As soon as water flows, tighten the valve clockwise again.
- Turn the heater back on and see if it heats up properly.
A couple of other things to check
A tip to keep your valves functional is to put them in the highest position and turn off the heating during the summer months. This will prevent them from heating up properly when you turn them back on. Turning on the heating system once a month for half an hour to see if the radiators are warming up will also help you verify that they are working properly. This will not avoid nasty surprises in the colder months.
When to call a professional
If using any of the methods shown above doesn't solve a cold radiator problem, you should call your local plumber for a quick inspection and let the professionals handle it. It could be a problem with the boiler that requires a gas tight engineer.
