To have never bled my radiators?

[RagzReturnedUnwrapped]

Having issues with some of them not getting hot, or the thermostatic knobs don't work. Was Googling how to fix them and radiator bleeding came up. I'm aware it's a thing that you can do to fix the system, but I didn't realise it was a normal maintenance job that you're supposed to do every year.
According to this article www.shellenergy.co.uk/blog/post/how-to-bleed-your-radiators
you should do it regularly to keep them efficient. No wonder ours are useless!

So, is it just me? Are you all regularly bleeding radiators?

If they need bled, yeah. I wouldn’t say I do it routinely, only if I notice it.

I’ve never done it

We do it at least once a year makes the heating so much more efficient and cheap.

Didn’t do it at all at my old house as they always just worked.

Got the plumber to do them at my new house as they’re all so stiff/over tightened that I can’t do them. They did need bleeding but the ones in my living room have sludge in them so still won’t heat up and it’s cold. Need to get them de sludged but the plumber tells me this is a big job and there will be a wait. I didn’t even know radiator sludge was a thing.

I have never done this either but do remember watching my dad do it when I was a child and feeling a bit alarmed at the process.

I am a fairly recent radiator owner though so I'm interested to know whether I should be doing this.

Yep.
Depending on your system, you might need to check the pressure in the system too.
I also get the boiler serviced every year.

However, I still haven't put my greenhouse to bed for the winter, and I need to pull my cooker out from the wall because infinite kitchen belongings have fallen behind it.

Also I need to defrost my freezers.

So knowing you have to do things doesn't necessarily translate to me doing them, sadly.
I just love plumbing related tasks for some reason.

I don't do it routinely, but I do if I notice one nitvheatibg up properly & they have all been taken off so I can't paint behind them and I've re pressured the system each time.

@SuperLoudPoppingAction

Yep. Depending on your system, you might need to check the pressure in the system too. I also get the boiler serviced every year.

However, I still haven't put my greenhouse to bed for the winter, and I need to pull my cooker out from the wall because infinite kitchen belongings have fallen behind it.

Also I need to defrost my freezers.

So knowing you have to do things doesn't necessarily translate to me doing them, sadly.
I just love plumbing related tasks for some reason.

I'm actually looking forward to giving it a go. Sounds much more fun than the other stuff (I won't tell you how long it's been since I moved the cooker). DH has been saying he will do it for years, but I'm fed up with waiting, so I'm going to do it myself (or at least start so he has to join in!) and probably replace the TRVs at the same time as so many are broken.

I will admit that until very recently I thought bleeding the radiators meant draining water out of them to even the pressure or something. I didn't grow up with central heating though, so that's my excuse!

Only when they need it

Bleeding and re-pressurising are well worth knowing how to do and checking for regularly.

Ye do it every so often when I think radiator isn't getting as hot as it should

I always do mine during October half term before the heating starts being used, that way I remember every year.

If you've never done it before watch a couple of videos, always do it when it's cold and have a mop bucket and a couple of towels to hand incase of an accident. It really is very easy to do. You'll need to repressurise the boiler after so make sure you know how to do that too.

Yes. I'm a happy little bleeder

As long as you only turn a quarter to half a turn you will be ok, have an old towel to catch the water. After the first couple you will be able to time it so you don't lose too much water.

Yes I do it but rarely does water come out just a p*issing sound.

If I touch the top of a radiator and it doesn't feel toasty I yell at DH to bleed it and then check whether the boiler needs repressurising afterwards. Takes all of five minutes. I could do it myself but it's his appointed job.

I actually bled mine yday as I noticed the one is DS room was only warm at the top and boiling at the bottom.
Took all of 30 secs to get the air out. I checked all of them afterwards but most were fine.

DH didn’t grow up with radiators and though he’s normally very good with that kind of thing, when one didn’t get very hot anymore he was baffled and I told him he just needs to bleed it.. he didn’t know what it was but was amazed when it worked!

I haven’t bled the others as I didn’t think they needed it. Maybe I should do in case.

Bleeding radiators is immensely satisfying, not unlike popping a nice boil.

I do mine when I notice that the feeder radiator is cool at the top and hot at the bottom. I only need to bleed this one normally.
I just have a bit of kitchen roll to hand.
Give the key a turn and keep it in the valve until the air has stopped coming out then tighten back up.
Most people remove the key from the valve then panic trying to get it back on when water starts squirting out. No idea why they do that

I bled the one which always gathers the air only yesterday - half of it wasn’t getting warm. It’s the one in my office, so I am always aware of whether it needs doing! It’s a good thing to know how (and why) to do.

Yes I bullshit my husband regularly bleed my radiators.

Have never done it ever, and have never even considered it.

Yes, though a couple of them are worn so it's near impossible to do it. I do the others though. I also regularly get the kids to photograph check the pressure (the boiler is at the top of the house where the kids rooms are)

they rarely need doing in my experience. sludge ( cold at the bottom, warm at the top) is a more common problem.