having to constantly bleed a rad

L

legend99

Guest
Guys,
new house and I notice i am havign to bleed the bathroom rad once a week and there is a serious amount of air coming out when I do.....anyone have any idea what this might indicate...does it indicate a leak in the system?
 
I brief, if you are doing it very frequently, it does indicate a leak in the system, or the fact that the system has not been properly purged or installed.

It is a new house, so I would recommend that you get a plumber to pressure test the system with air.

However, I have seen real plumbers posting here, so they may be kind enough to add.
 
To join in on this one I have a similar problem which affects all upstairs rads - I have been told too that it indicates a leak but the problem has persisted for ages and by now I would have noticed at least dampness or even wetness.

Lots of air in the rads when I do bleed them which is at least every other week.

Online plumbing suggestions would be appreciated.
 
Perhap who ever cna answer this could also answer why in some cases in the upsatirs rads that its the top of the rad heats up & not the bottom....That happens to me particularly if the heating has not been switched on for a while...

ninsaga
 
I think I know that one ninsaga - sediment , gunge, dirt, rust whatever you want to call it does build up in rad systems and settles in the bottom of your rads thus rendering them cool as the water simply flows over the build up and heats the middle to top.

Solution unfortunately is to shut off each rad affected take it off the wall and drain it out - messy, wet, dirty etc

As to what causes the sediment and how to prevent it I'm no plumber hence my own question above.
 
constantly bleeding

Hi ninsaga !
The radiator has two valves,one at the inlet and one at the outlet.If you remove the plastic cap at the outlet then you can use a plier to open the setting at the outlet,just a little bit,try a half turn first.The system needs adjustment,so when you have a plumber servicing your boiler ask him to adjust the radiators as well.
 
Re: constantly bleeding

Quote "new house and I notice i am havign to bleed the bathroom rad once a week and there is a serious amount of air coming out when I do.....anyone have any idea what this might indicate...does it indicate a leak in the system? "

Caused by a leak or air ingress..

Quote "To join in on this one I have a similar problem which affects all upstairs rads - I have been told too that it indicates a leak but the problem has persisted for ages and by now I would have noticed at least dampness or even wetness.

Lots of air in the rads when I do bleed them which is at least every other week."

Caused by a leak or air ingress..

Quote" Perhap who ever cna answer this could also answer why in some cases in the upsatirs rads that its the top of the rad heats up & not the bottom....That happens to me particularly if the heating has not been switched on for a while..."

Build up of sludge in system. Caused by a leak or air ingress.
 
Re: constantly bleeding

kfpg1, heinbloed1 & glenamaddy .. thank you for your replies....

regards ninsaga
 
Air Ingress

Glenamaddy - is there any simple way you can suggest to find the point at which the air ingress is occuring ? this is all I can assume is happening in my case since no damp / wet.
 
Re: Air Ingress

Check to see if its an open or sealed type system. If its open it is probably sucking / or pitching through the expansion pipe
 
Air Ingress

Am i right in thinking that is a pipe in the attic with a small overflow tank underneath it - what changes can i make to stop it sucking / pitching ?
 
Re: Radiator problems - Air Ingress

My rad in my ensuite is hot at the bottom and cold from the middle up. Has only been like this for a few weeks. Have bled all the air out of it - only water comes out now - should I let it out? Anyone got any idea whats causing this & what I can do about it?


Thanks.
 
Right. Up the creek now. Bleed all our rads Fri night. All of them released huge quantity of air. Again. But the heating has not fired since.

Its a sealed system. But I can't see where you top up the system. Where would this valve usually be? In the hot press or attic? Plumber is due 'tomorrow' but house is freezing obviously. All the gate valves in the hot press are open and always have been actually so assume its not one of them. And in the medium term when he does arrive I assume I'm in serious trouble with my system if its constantly filling with air...especially if its supposed to be a sealed system..
 
Is there a pressure gauge on the boiler?
On some systems there is a top up valve near the boiler. Without water in the system the boiler won't start. The pressure should be between .5 and 1 bar. This will rise to 3 bar when the system heats up.
Where is the boiler located.
 
beldin said:
Is there a pressure gauge on the boiler?
On some systems there is a top up valve near the boiler. Without water in the system the boiler won't start. The pressure should be between .5 and 1 bar. This will rise to 3 bar when the system heats up.
Where is the boiler located.
Click to expand...

Yea, pressure guage on the boiler. Off the top of my head is down at zero. Boiler is located on wall in kitchen. There are no gate valves near the boiler, certainly in the kitchen area anyways. I'm guessing we have a (very) cold night ahead of us. It certainly sounds like the system is having emptying issues...
 
With my combi boiler (Worcester Bosch) the top up is integrated within the boiler. There is a small plastic key which slots in and beside it a bit that you turn to let water in.

If you Google on the name of your boiler, find the manufacturers website and you should be able to download the info on how to top up water, or, failing that, get the makers to send you the necessary info.

Good luck anyway.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top