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?

@RagzReturnedUnwrapped
l admit that until very recently I thought bleeding the radiators meant draining water out of them to even the pressure or something.

There was a thread on here a year or so ago, and she had done just that very thing!
Poor sod.

I’ve never done it, thought you only needed to if your radiators had cold patches. I get the boiler serviced every year though.

I do mine once a year around October when the heating is in every day. Actually quite like doing it, it’s one of those really satisfying jobs.
Annoyingly my towel rail has a different screw thing that the key doesn’t fit. So that one doesn’t really get warm at the top anymore.

I did this last night, annoyingly the one needing doing has a weirdly located screw behind the radiator instead of at the side which was a proper pain to get to! On the plus side my office is now toasty to work from!

There's only one that needs to be bled regularly and I do it or that room is like an icebox in the winter. I quite like doing it though, it's satisfying when you put the heating on afterwards to check it and the radiator gets warm like it's supposed to.

Bleeding the radiators is actually the only DIY/household chore I enjoy

I also feel strangely proud of myself when I re pressurise the boiler. Like I should be wearing overalls and charging myself £200.

@HPandTheNeverEndingBedtime

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.

Thank you! I needed these tips, I would not have done it cold or realised about pressure.

Oh you are unreasonable!! I love bleeding radiators for some bizarre reason hearing the hiss makes me very satisfied. I know, clearly I'm weird...

My upstairs hall one needs bleeding most often. I have a folded up hanky to hold under the valve. My boiler doesn't need repressurised as it's not a combi boiler

I've known how to do it since I was about 12 because the one in my room always seems to end up full of air. Needs doing 3 or 4 times throughout the winter months.

Oh yes, as PP have said, it is very satisfying! I do it way too often and am gutted when no air comes out.

Not just radiator bleeding but you should have your system flushed at the same time as your boiler service. It clears out all the crap and you'd be amazed at the sludge in your radiators 🤢

I have never required a system flush and I'm sure it costs quite a bit. Maybe I just don't have sludge in the system

Well, funny you should ask - I did mine today! First time in years! And only because I noticed 2 don’t warm up very well. So I went round them all with my ‘radiator thingy’ (no idea what it is called) and a towel … and the 2 dodgy ones had loads of air! A job worth doing. V easy too. Just make sure you close it up as soon as the water starts to come out!!

A couple of my radiators make a trickling water sound but ohtherwise are hot to the touch like all the others. Is that a sign to bleed?

Yes every autumn before the heating goes on.

If that doesn't work take the thermostat off the radiator and bang the pin until it pops out.

What is the point of this thread. How in gods' name do the radiator habits of other people affect your heating?

While in process of moving into new home a few years back, first night spent sleeping on floor in sleeping bags. Was freezing so put heating on. The radiators only got slightly warm at the bottom and didn't heat up at all after being on for hours and hours. Next day went out and got a key to bleed radiators which fixed the problem so easily. The previous owner lived in the house for 20 years. I'm assuming she didn't know about bleeding radiators either. Crazy she went however long with no heat!

I love bleeding mine. I get very excited when it is time.

@HPandTheNeverEndingBedtime

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.

I made those errors first time around. In my defence I was a 20yo student and youtube hadn't been invented yet.

My landlord took it well!

I find it really satisfying! We’ve only been in this house a few months and when we first started putting the heating on I found about half of the radiators weren’t heating up properly. Bled them all and immediately better! Worth doing in my experience.

Just doing it now. Only one really had any air. A few weren't working at all and we've taken the TRVs off and unstuck them, so now heating up but not much at the bottom. I'm guessing sludge and may need flushing, we rent and the system is really old and badly fitted, we're struggling to work out the order as they don't seem to be on a single track...

@AuntyBumBum

What is the point of this thread. How in gods' name do the radiator habits of other people affect your heating?

I wanted to know if this was something other people do regularly. Seems plenty do and also others, like me, don't. I found it helpful. What's the point of half of Mumsnet threads, really? At least this thread contains useful tips, rather than bitching about Royal celebrities or neighbours' parking...

@Wingedharpy

Yes. I'm a happy little bleeder

That joke was bleeding awful

Yep, we have to do it quite regularly, one or two of them seem to attract all the air in the system.