ONE of the best ways to cut the cost of heating is to bleed your radiators – and it’s not as hard as you might think.
Over time, tiny leaks or the process of evaporation may mean the water in some radiators is replaced by air, which means they don’t heat properly.
Naomi Hills, a heating engineer with Octopus Energy, says: “When your heating is on, feel from the bottom of your radiator upwards.
“If it is hot at the bottom and cooler at the top, it may need bleeding.”
All you need is a radiator key, which cost around £1 from a hardware store, and an old rag.
The step-by-step guide to bleed your radiators
Naomi has given her simple step-by-step guide on how to do it.
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Most UK homes have a pressurised heating system, so first you need to make sure you have pressure in the system.
The pressure needed is typically around 1-1.2 bar, and you can see if you’ve got enough by looking at the display on your boiler.
If the pressure is too low, check your boiler instructions for details of how to increase it.
To bleed the radiators, turn the heating off and start with the ones that need bleeding downstairs before moving to the ones upstairs.
Find the vent, which is a small square-headed screw on one side of the radiator at the top.
Cup your rag or cloth just underneath, then put the key in and turn it to the left by a quarter of a turn to loosen.
Whatever you do, don’t remove the vent completely. You may hear a hissing sound as the air is released.
As soon as the water gets to the top, it will drip out of the vent.
That’s when you close it off again, gently, just until the water stops.
If water comes out straight away when you open the vent, then you don’t have air in the radiator and it doesn’t need bleeding.
BEAT YOUR BILLS
WE know many were concerned about soaring energy costs BEFORE temperatures plummeted this year.
A new Sun poll of readers found 85 per cent of you are worrying about energy bills this winter.
The Sun has teamed up with Octopus Energy to bring you our ‘Beat Your Bills’ series offering expert tips and advice on the simple measures you can take to keep costs to a minimum.
Our bill-busting series includes simple, cheap DIY tricks and easy swaps to save cash, plus advice if you’re struggling.
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As you go around different radiators, the pressure on your boiler may fall, so keep checking as you go along.
