You’ve probably heard about bleeding the air out of your heating system. But do you know why this may be necessary, let alone how you can do this yourself?
Here’s a Step-by-Step guide on bleeding your radiators, why this happens, and how doing this periodically therefore benefits both your comfort and your energy consumption.
Air in the heating system can be, at best, annoying, as it is often accompanied by blubbering and splashing noises in the radiators and pipes.
It can also prevent radiators from heating up properly as they no longer fill completely with water. As a result, it will take much longer than usual to heat up a room, using more energy in the process.
Air can also cause the pressure to drop, so much so that your boiler may be unable to operate safely, at which point it will go into a failsafe mode until the pressure is restored.
Bleeding the radiators is therefore not just about eliminating annoying noises, but ensuring the efficient and reliable operation of your heating system.
It is best to bleed the heating system of air once a year and before the the cold season hits. Therefore this should be part of your annual heating maintenance routine.
Depending on the heating system set-up (for example over several stories vs. a single level home), it may be necessary to bleed the radiators one-by-one, from the bottom to the top floor.
If you find yourself needing to refill or bleed the heating system more often, then there may be a leak that should be addressed by a heating engineer.
Keep in mind that large amounts of air can result in corrosion and permanent damage to parts of the heating system. Fortunately, with tado°, professional help is just an app away.
It is best to bleed the heating system of air once a year and before the the cold season hits. Therefore this should be part of your annual heating maintenance routine.
Depending on the heating system set-up (for example over several stories vs. a single level home), it may be necessary to bleed the radiators one-by-one, from the bottom to the top floor.
If you find yourself needing to refill or bleed the heating system more often, then there may be a leak that should be addressed by a heating engineer.
Large amounts of air can result in corrosion and permanent damage to parts of the heating system. Fortunately, with tado°, professional help is just an app away.
To manually bleed the radiators, all you need is a few basic tools which you may already have, or can easily get:
With the right tools, this job is child’s play.
The first step is to open all radiator valves. You can do this quite easily over the app with the tado° Smart Thermostats. If possible, let the pump run for a bit before turning it off. Either way, you should wait 20-30 minutes. This way any air in the heating system will collect in the radiators, making it easier to bleed the entire system.
Next, hold the bowl underneath the bleed valve. Make sure that the valve is pointing into the bowl, and definitely not at you, as some hot water may come out if the heating system was in operation. Slowly turn the screwdriver or radiator key just until you hear air hissing out of the valve.
As you bleed the radiator, water may sporadically sputter out of the valve. Once it has stopped sputtering and flows out in a steady stream, close the valve. Congratulations! You have successfully bled your first radiator. Now you can move on to the next one.
If your heating pump was turned off during the bleeding, remember to turn it back on. You should also check the pressure as you may need to refill the heating system. It is best to do this when the heating system is cold – check the manufacturers instructions for your boiler.
You might be wondering how air gets into your heating system, especially as most newer systems are sealed. Even older vented systems are being converted to sealed systems as the popularity of combi-boilers and solar systems continues to rise. Here are the three most common causes:
It is impossible to bleed 100% of the air out of a system, but only a little bit will not hinder normal operation.
It’s only when you can hear it in the pipes, feel the radiators not heating to the very top, or the pressure drops, that air is an issue.
With the above steps, therefore, you will be able to ensure reliable and efficient operation of your heating system. Because nobody likes waking up to a cold home.
tado° adds Humidity Triggers to its IFTTT Services 
FAQ & Help Center
