· 3 min read
How to bleed a hot water radiator
A radiator that is warm at the bottom and cold at the top has air in it. Letting the air out takes two minutes and a small key, and it is the first thing to try every autumn.
Boilers and radiators
Hot water and steam heating in Rockland County homes: the routine care that keeps a boiler running, and the noises and cold spots you can deal with yourself.
A large share of houses in Rockland County are heated by a boiler in the basement, sending either hot water or steam to radiators or baseboards. These systems are long-lived and simple at heart, and most of what goes wrong with them at the radiator end is something a homeowner can handle.
Which do you have?
- Hot water: two pipes to each radiator, a small bleed valve at one end, a pressure gauge on the boiler and a circulator pump beside it.
- Steam: usually one pipe to each radiator, a bullet-shaped air vent on the side, and a glass tube on the boiler showing the water level.
The homeowner's part
- Bleed hot water radiators that are cold at the top.
- Check that steam radiator valves are fully open, not part way, and that each radiator slopes slightly toward its valve.
- Replace a steam air vent that is blocked or spitting.
- Keep an eye on the boiler's pressure gauge or water level.
- Book the annual service before the first cold night, when everyone else remembers.
Leave to a professional
Anything involving gas, the burner, the relief valve, the pump, the low-water cut-off, or pressure that keeps rising or falling. A smell of gas means leaving the house and calling from outside.
What this topic covers
- Bleeding a radiator that stays cold
- Banging and gurgling pipes explained
- What an annual boiler service should include
Common questions
Do I need a plumber or a heating contractor for a boiler?
In Rockland County the same county license covers plumbing, heating and cooling, and many plumbers service boilers. Ask specifically whether they work on your kind of system, especially steam, which not everyone handles.
How often should a boiler be serviced?
Once a year, before the heating season. A service should include cleaning, a check of combustion and safety controls, and, on a steam boiler, flushing the low-water cut-off. Keep a carbon monoxide alarm on every floor.
Tips on this topic
· 3 min read
Steam radiator air vents: the small part that makes the whole radiator work
If a steam radiator stays cold, hisses without stopping or spits water, the air vent is usually the reason. Replacing one costs little and takes ten minutes.
· 3 min read
The boiler pressure gauge: what it should read, and what to do when it does not
A hot water boiler runs at a set pressure. Too low and the upstairs goes cold; too high and the relief valve opens. The gauge tells you which, and one of them you can fix.
· 3 min read
Water hammer: why the pipes bang when a tap closes, and how to stop it
A thud in the wall when the washing machine or a faucet shuts off is water hammer. It stresses joints and valves, and it can usually be cured in an afternoon.
Need a professional?
Some jobs are not for a weekend. Here is how to find a plumber near you in Rockland County and check the license before work starts.