How to Maintain a Home Radiator

Home » Remodeling » How to Maintain a Home Radiator

Maintaining a Home Radiator
Home radiators are a good investment for heating your home and you will want to keep your investment working properly. There are a few things that you can do to keep your radiator working properly and keep your home warm during the cold months. If you have ever lived in a home with a radiator in it you may have noticed it making hissing, moaning or banging sounds this can be fixed easily enough and should be done every fall by bleeding the air from the radiator lines. Read more below to learn how to bleed the lines of your radiator and some other useful tips to keep your home radiator working at its best.

How to Bleed Radiator Lines

During the summer months when your homes radiator is not being used air can build up in the lines. The pressure of the air built up in the radiator lines will cause it to make a howling or moaning sound. This problem can be fixed fast and easy by bleeding the air from the lines. When bleeding the lines of a hot water radiator always be safe and wear protective glasses and a pair of gloves. Locate the release valve on your radiator it should be near the top on the side. Use a screw driver or a socket and slowly loosen the release valve by turning it counter-clockwise be careful as water and steam will start to release from the valve as the water releases tighten the valve back up. This should have fixed the hissing,moaning and banging in your homes radiator. Watch the following video to see just how easy this process is to bleed your radiator lines.

httpv://youtu.be/D4fHf4KQvKk

How to Fix a Leaking Supply Valve

Home radiators need to be inspected every season to make sure they stay in perfect working order one thing to look for is a leaking supply valve. Over time the supply valve may become loose or the packing may need to be replace. Inspect the area where the supply line connects into the radiator if there is moisture present then tighten the nut on the supply line this should stop most leaks. Check the supply line a couple days after tightening the supply valve if there are still signs of moisture then you may need to replace the packing. Close the supply valve before replacing the packing as we dont want hot water or steam to escape and burn you. Once the supply valve is turned off you can remove the old packing and replace with new packing then re-tighten the valve nut. You may notice a little moisture when you reopen the supply valve but this should stop shortly. Watch the following video to see how to fix a home radiator valve.

httpv://youtu.be/5k0OUcFxQiU