Is your heater not working as well as it once did? People often forget the importance of maintenance with regards to their radiator and heater.

There are simple and easy ways to improve your homes’ efficiency. For example, by simply "bleeding" the radiator twice a year, you can improve your homes heat efficiency and start saving money. It’s a healthy and easy form of maintenance for your home to help protect your family.

By purging the air, Radiator bleeding cleans dirty and unsafe air that has entered your radiator’s coils. A large amount of air bubbles can be created as a direct result of heating and cooling water with your radiator. When you start to notice a diminishment in your radiator’s performance, this may be an indication that these bubbles are creating trouble.

I Don’t Understand Why I Need to "Bleed" My Radiator

Radiators work by warming water in a series of coils that warms the air that comes in contact with the metal surface in the radiator. By displacing some of the water, air in the radiator rises to the top. Compared with water, air is not an effective heat conductor, as it can become costly and wasteful to run your radiator with air trapped inside.

There are several ways to evaluate whether or not your radiator needs to be bled. Here are some suggestions to assist with your evaluation:

• Turn your heater power on
• Use your hand to carefully sense the temperature at the bottom half of the radiator
• Compare this temperature with the very top of the heater
• The radiator will need bleeding if there is a wide temperature divergence

Get Ready to Start "Bleeding" Your Radiator. It’s Simple, Safe, and Easy

Bleeding your radiator is not as difficult as you may think – Contrary to its colourful adjective, bleeding is straightforward and simple to finish. To help guide you through the process of bleeding your radiator, follow these easy-to-follow instructions:

• Find the location of the radiator key or "bleed" key
• Disengage your central heating system.
• Locate the protrusion near the top of the radiator called the "bleed" valve
• In the event of excess water spilling over onto the floor, have a bowl or old mop ready.
• Turn the key, very carefully, counter clockwise until you start to hear a hissing sound
• All the excess air can be considered purged when the water begins to drip out of the radiator
• Return the radiator key to the closed position

There may be another problem – if the radiator still does not seem to be improving. A radiator inspector has the professional skills necessary to detect other sources of problems for you and your heating system.

Bleeding your radiator – more often than not – will help assist with improvements in the quality of air in your house and the lasting life of your heater. By managing the health of your radiator, you are taking the right steps towards keeping your home as energy efficient as possible.

Not only will you save money on heating and energy expenses, you will also ensure that your home remains comfortable in all temperatures throughout the year.