With the cold and wet weather slowly creeping it, it won't be long until people will be cranking up the radiators in their homes.

But a plumbing expert has told that if your radiator doesn't seem to be giving off much heat, there may be a simple reason why…it probably needs bleeding.

From signs to look out for to how often your radiators should be bled, Director at The Manufacturer’s Association of Radiators and Convectors (MARC), has shared the answers to some of the most popular radiator-related questions…

It is national radiator day after all!

Signs to look out for

Lynn Beattie, aka @mrsmummypenny on Instagram, worked with MARC on how to bleed radiators. 

“If your radiators feel cold on the top half and warm on the bottom half when the heating goes on, then you may need to bleed your radiators," she explained in an Instagram post.

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“This is a quick and simple thing to do, you can do it yourself with a radiator key and cloth. 

“Before carrying out any of the steps, you need to identify which heating system you have.” 

The radiator expert pointed out there are two types of heating systems: sealed and opened. 

Sealed systems can be identified as they have a pressure gauge on the boiler. 

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Open systems have a feed and expansion water tank in the loft. There are normally two water tanks: one large and one small. 

How to bleed a radiator

Firstly, Lynne says ensure the heating is turned off and open all the radiator valves including thermostatic radiator valves.

For a sealed heating system, she notes to check the boiler pressure is above one bar.

"If it isn’t use the filling loop to fill up the system until it is over one bar," she explains. An open heating system – you won’t need to do this step."

Next, using your radiator key, she recommends putting it into the valve and twisting it until you feel any air or water coming out. 

"If air comes out, keep it open until water starts coming out," she says. "Then shut it by tightening it. All air should be removed from the radiator now. "

You can then repeat this process on all radiators in your house, before turning on the heating and allowing the system to heat up.

"Feel the radiators to make sure they are completely hot," she says.

"If the top half of the radiator is still cold, air might still be in the system  – if so, turn the heating off, wait for it to cool, and repeat the bleeding process.

"If your radiators are cold at the bottom, but hot at the top when the heating is on, it could be a sign there is a sludge build-up in the system."

She adds: "If you think this is the case, get in touch with a heating engineer who will be able to flush the system to make it work efficiently."

How long does it take to bleed a radiator?

According to plumbing expert Stewart, it depends on how much air in the system needs to be bled.

"In some cases, it can take a few seconds before the air is bled out and water escapes the bleed valve," he explains.

"In other cases, you may need to top up the system through your filling loop to increase the pressure to one bar in order to get all of the air out of the system."

However, he says this shouldn’t take more that a few minutes to do.

"You may not need to bleed all your radiators, sometimes just the ones upstairs or far away from the boiler," he explains.

"Overall, it shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes to half an hour if you need to bleed all radiators.”

How often should your radiators be bled?

The plumbing expert notes how you should only need to bleed your radiators once a year as winter sets in, and you turn your heating on around October time – just as a maintenance precaution.

"Though you generally need your heating on to identify whether it needs to be bled, you must only bleed radiators when the heating is turned off and radiators are cool or you may risk scalding yourself," he continues.

“If you're needing to bleed your radiators several times per winter, it may be a sign that there is a leak in your system or something wrong with your boiler."

He goes on to advise always contacting your heating engineer if you're concerned and they can check.

"Any issues with your system can be also identified during your annual service, which we recommend you carry out in the summer before heating season starts," he adds.

How much money can it save on energy bills?

Stewart explains that while bleeding in isolation will not save a homeowner money, it forms an important part of ensuring the system is balanced and running efficiently and will save money.

"A correctly installed and bled heating system that is balanced correctly, well maintained, and flushed so it is free of sludge could save a home £50 per year," he points out.

"If a home installs thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs), they could save up to a further 15% per year on their energy bills.”

Useful tips when it comes to heating in winter

The plumbing expert notes that beyond the correct installation and maintenance of a system, there are a couple more things you can do to make your heating work as effectively as possible.

First up, he advises never putting large furniture in front of radiators so it can transmit heat around the room without being blocked.

Next, he recommends cleaning away any dust build-up as part of your maintenance and bleeding process.

“TRVs can not only save you up to 15% on energy bills per year but can also help you with zoning your home," he says.

"For instance, you can turn radiators down or completely off in the rooms that you don’t use so much, or don’t need to be as warm.

"As part of this, ensure that you are closing doors to rooms and using draught excluders so your radiators are only heating the room they are in, not heating the entire house at once."

Adding heat reflectors or tin foil behind a radiator

Stewart explains that 80% of the heat from radiators comes from convection into the air and only 20% comes from radiant heat that could be reflected back.

"Using reflectors is therefore not likely to be very effective at helping heat the room more effectively," he continues.

"We wouldn’t recommend that people use tin foil behind their radiators either as it's likely to quickly oxidise and go dull, therefore not being very effective.

“Instead, correctly insulating walls, windows, and your roof will be a more effective way at keeping all of the heat from your radiators in the house.”

Should you only have central heating/radiators on in the rooms you use?

“Turning the radiators off or down in rooms you don’t use or use less frequently is a good way to reduce your energy consumption," says Stewart.

He goes on to say that to feel the benefit of your heating, if you have a boiler-based heating system, it's best to have the heating on for as long as you require it to have the room to your comfort level.

"Elements such as installing insulation, using draught excluders and keeping doors closed in rooms will ensure the heat in the room is kept in, so you'll not need to have your heating on for as long," he adds.

How many hours a day should you have the heating on to avoid damp/mould?

The plumbing pro explains that every house is different to heat up and it all depends on the building fabric as to how effective this process is.

"If you're experiencing damp or mould issues, it could be due to a variety of factors," he says.

"Damp could be down to having no damp course, leaks from guttering or cracks in walls.

"Mould can form in an unheated home when there are higher levels of moisture or humidity caused by things such as drying clothes indoors, poor ventilation, or just moisture from people in the home."

He goes on to say that the best thing to do is to consult a professional to see where the damp may be coming from or why mould is forming in the house.

“If you have your heating on every day, you should be able to avoid mould forming in your house," he adds."Try to have your heating on as regularly as you can and keep your home well-ventilated to avoid mould build up.”

Is it best to have the heating on all day on low, or a short burst of high temperature?

According to Stewart, this depends on a variety of factors – including how insulated your home is, what heating system you have in place, how long you spend in the house and, fundamentally, what your heating and comfort needs are.

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“At MARC, we recommend that you have your home’s energy performance assessed and speak to your heating engineer about what upgrades you can make to make to improve efficiency," he says.

"Measures such as insulation and smart controls could help to reduce your bills and energy consumption, perhaps more so than changing the temperature setting."

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