[neilep (OP)]

Dearest Radiatorologists,

Radiators are my all time favourite metal things that peeps have in their homes that are connected to a plumbing system and receives hot water to generate heat.

As a sheepy, I am already hot stuff !! I have a tog rating of 20 and a sheepy purr factor of 45...my nose always remains cold though !


Please to be checking this radiator valve thing in my bathroom !

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Nice eh ?...


Why do I need to release the air in there ?..how does the air get in there ?..is there a way to fix it ?...When I remove the air...a week or two later it has come back!!..how come ?


Whilst my neighbour was away today I tried to find the answer by breaking into his house and letting all the water out of his radiators....I am sure he will be full of glee when he sees the river flowing down his stairs.It's a lovely water feature !! I didn't want to get my feet wet so I found 4 snow-shoes.....At least ..I think they were snow-shoes..they have "Stradivarius"  written on them....anyway, they were eventually comfortable after I cut the wires to get my feet in.

To dry them orf I put them in the oven..they are still there stuffed with sage and onion !..The smell will send my neighbour deliriously happy I am sure!

Suffice it to say, I didn't get an answer so would welcome your choice answers of warmth and comfort.

Hugs & Shmishes




mwah mwah mwah mwah

neil
Sheepy, warm but with a cold nose !
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[Make it Lady]

Sheepy, I am sad to say that you may have a leak in your system (or is it a leek?) I can never remember. If the water comes out, the air will go in. With your massive radiators I'm sure they take a lot of bleeding.
I have no central heating in my downstairs areas at the moment. I am waiting for the plumber to come with a big part. It might take him a week to get one big enough. I am still hot upstairs, but that is not the best place to be hot especially if you want to work downstairs.

[neilep (OP)]

Sheepy, I am sad to say that you may have a leak in your system (or is it a leek?) I can never remember. If the water comes out, the air will go in. With your massive radiators I'm sure they take a lot of bleeding.
I have no central heating in my downstairs areas at the moment. I am waiting for the plumber to come with a big part. It might take him a week to get one big enough. I am still hot upstairs, but that is not the best place to be hot especially if you want to work downstairs.

LOL....Is it just me ?..cos I see double entendres' all over your paragraph !!..LOL....nope !..I believe ewe are filled with intent !!

Oh cripes !!...how on earth do I find the leek..or leak ?

[Karen W.]

 Its building up to much pressure.. sounds like..It may need water too..  I would say pressurize the radiator but That might blow it up...LOL Just kidding! it sounds like its acting like my well pump! Sometimes you can add pressure to stop the problem and get it pumping water back up through the pipes???

Here do this it may still need pressurized after adding water..check it this way!

http://www.wisegeek.com/how-do-i-bleed-a-radiator.htm

To encourage your heating system to work at optimum efficiency, it is important to bleed your radiators on a regular basis. Though it may sound difficult to bleed a radiator, it is actually quite easy to do. There is no special training required. All you need is a radiator key and a small bowl.

If the heat in your home isn’t circulating well or the bottom portion of your radiator is warm, while the top portion is cold, there may be air trapped inside your radiator. When air gets trapped inside a radiator, it reduces the radiator’s ability to heat effectively. This trapped air may even lead other parts of your heating system to function poorly. Sometimes, most of a radiator will fill with air. In such a case, there will be no noticeable temperature difference. The whole radiator will be cool to the touch.

As you prepare to bleed a radiator, you will most likely be starting with a system that has been turned on. As such, there should be warm water in the radiator. Before you begin to bleed a radiator, you will need to turn the central heating system off.

To bleed a radiator, you’ll need to have a bleed key handy. With this in hand, locate the bleed valve. It is typically positioned at the top of a radiator, near the end. Insert the bleed key into the bleed valve and turn it counterclockwise. Don’t turn it too much; a half a turn is usually enough to successfully bleed a radiator.

As you turn the radiator key, the valve will open and you will hear a hissing sound. This is completely normal and is simply caused by the air escaping. Once water begins to leak out of the radiator, it is time to close the valve. To do so, turn the bleed key clockwise for half a turn. You can then move on to bleed a radiator in another part of your home, as necessary, before turning your central heating system back on.

When you bleed a radiator, keep a small bowl or rag handy to catch the water that drips down. If you have a sealed heating system, be sure to do a pressure check and add water if needed. Once you’ve done so, you are finished and may turn your heating system back on. Store your bleed key until the next time you need to bleed a radiator.


   

[neilep (OP)]

Woo !!  Thank Ewe Karen. That's a wonderful load of info !

So really, it's a simple affair. I have to sit back, pick up the phone and get someone to do this for me :-)

I do know my radiators have bleed valves so I gather this is a good indication that my system is not sealed eh ?..That's good !..because I would not know how to do a pressure check...unless it involves banging my neighbours front door at 4am with my pressure cooker...would this help ?

[graham.d]

Having to bleed radiators often can also be a sign of corrosion. This results in hygrogen production and, as I learnt from a plumber friend, you can check this by bleeding the radiator and seeing if you can ignite the gas coming out.

Another problem, less usual, can result from the level setting in the expansion tank (if it not a pressurised system). The heating and cooling can continually expunge water and then take in fresh water along with dissolved gases. Normally the gases gradually come out of solution but if the system is continually losing water and then topping itself up, this never settles out. A leak can have the same effect. In fact this is a more likely cause than drawing air into the system via a leaky joint (the water pressure should be positive).

[Karen W.]

Woo !!  Thank Ewe Karen. That's a wonderful load of info !

So really, it's a simple affair. I have to sit back, pick up the phone and get someone to do this for me :-)

I do know my radiators have bleed valves so I gather this is a good indication that my system is not sealed eh ?..That's good !..because I would not know how to do a pressure check...unless it involves banging my neighbours front door at 4am with my pressure cooker...would this help ?

Your welcome.. you can do it.. its like bleeding the breaks on a car, basically!
You best call a professional Neily! LOL...

[lyner]

I had an ancient central heating system in house, once and the pump was very high up in the system. It used to pull air into its bearing and I was constantly having to bleed the system. Once the pump was put near the lowest point the problem went away. Leaks are not likely to pull air in because there is positive pressure anywhere but right at the top.

If there is corrosion, you can help matters with an inhibitor - I've used Fernox in the past but there are several propriatary brands available. If you live in a hard water area it is less likely and if you live on Granite / peat (low pH) it is more likely. See what colour the water is which comes out of the drain tap at the bottom of the system. Let a lot of it out with a hose. If it's very black and cloudy this could indicate corosion.  I read somewhere that cool spots near the bottom of a radiator can indicate that sludge, resulting from corrosion may be there, stopping circulation.

[Make it Lady]

The plumber said my boiler was broken by magnatite fragments. Where did they come from and how can I prevent them from cocking up my boiler again. Are they anything to do with Kryponite?

[lyner]

Fernox should sort you out.
If you make sure that you have no leaks then no new water will be admitted to the system and it should not corrode. Problem is always that there is a selection of different metals in all systems. You can get copper radiators  but not many people bother. I've never heard of anyone using distilled water in a domestic system, either.

[graham.d]

You can check for sludge by checking the low points of system (where copper or plastic) by seeing if a magnet gets attracted. The sludge from corrosion always has iron in it from the rads or the boiler. Of course you can't check for sludge in an iron rad this way.

[pip]

Air can enter a radiator by many means eg. compression joint not tight enough  on the negative side of the pump also air being drawn in through leaking joints, water pumping over into the expansion tank , to check for this go up into the loft and get someone to operate the room stat downstairs First try turning your pump speed down,see if this stops the air, providing all the rads still get hot it will be OK. Good luck....
plumber...

[techmind]

Having to bleed radiators often can also be a sign of corrosion. This results in hygrogen production and, as I learnt from a plumber friend, you can check this by bleeding the radiator and seeing if you can ignite the gas coming out.

Another problem, less usual, can result from the level setting in the expansion tank (if it not a pressurised system). The heating and cooling can continually expunge water and then take in fresh water along with dissolved gases. Normally the gases gradually come out of solution but if the system is continually losing water and then topping itself up, this never settles out. A leak can have the same effect. In fact this is a more likely cause than drawing air into the system via a leaky joint (the water pressure should be positive).

I second this.

One other thing to be wary of (so I've heard) is adding lots of anti-corrosion solution to a system which has been neglected (with regard to anti-corrosion treatments) for a long time, as you might cause new leaks to surface. If you haven't put any anti-corrosion treatment in for a long time and/or know you know you have a leaky radiator somewhere (so the water will have become lost/replenished/diluted) then it might be worth speaking to a good plumber before changing anything.