How to correctly bleed air from a heating radiator?

Before starting the heating system, it is important to properly prepare it. If a person lives in a city high-rise building, this problem is unlikely to affect him. After all, the employees of the housing office are responsible for carrying out such a procedure. But the owners of the private sector start the heat on their own. But even during the heating season, batteries can heat poorly, and in some places even be cold. Probably the system is vented.

In any case, you need to know how to bleed air from a heating radiator in order to avoid situations associated with inefficient operation of the equipment. Why an airlock occurs, its consequences for the operation of the heating device, what are the methods for removing it - you can find out about all this by reading the article.

If there is air in the battery, nothing good will come of it. Excess air is an obstacle to the normal functioning of the system. And it can also cause corrosion on the walls of the radiator.

If it is installed in the circuit, an air lock can also disrupt its operation. When the system is functioning correctly, the plain bearings on the shaft of the pump unit are constantly in the water. And in the presence of air, the effect of "dry friction" occurs, which negatively affects the sliding rings, and can damage the shaft. Therefore, it is important to know how to expel air from the heating system at home. Measures taken in time will help prevent damage to the heating network.

How to understand that there is an airlock in the battery?

Before you release air from the heating system, you need to figure out why it is formed in the circuit and how to understand that there is an air lock in the radiator. Most often, excess air accumulates as a result of improper filling of the system with water. The reason may also be the result of errors made during installation. Low pressure in the circuit, low-quality coolant with the presence of dissolved oxygen can also lead to airing.

Air lock can also occur under such circumstances:

The following signs may indicate that excess air has accumulated in the system: hissing and gurgling sounds in the battery, the quality of heating decreases, heating becomes uneven, and the radiator may be cold in areas where air is present.

Such situations are not uncommon. Surely every owner of an apartment or a private house faced a similar problem. Therefore, it is important to figure out how to remove air from the heating system at home, especially since it is not at all difficult to do it yourself. It should be noted that most often an air lock is formed in batteries that are installed on the upper floors of the house.

Important! Sometimes the cause of plug formation is a low quality radiator.

In this case, no matter how much you bleed excess air, it will form again. And the reason lies in the fact that the material from which the battery is made contributes to the formation of gases. There is only one way out of the situation - to buy a new radiator. Therefore, it is better to immediately purchase heaters from conscientious manufacturers.

How to remove excess air from the battery?

Before you bleed air from the heating system, you need to understand the features of this procedure well and prepare all the necessary tools and materials. Consider how to remove air from the heating system in more detail. For such work, you will need a special key with which you can open the air valve on the radiator.

A radiator wrench is best. It is sold at any hardware store. If a modern battery is installed, you can take a simple screwdriver. It is also necessary to prepare a container into which the coolant will merge. And also have a couple of rags nearby in case of unforeseen situations.

The algorithm of actions on how to properly bleed air from the heating system is given below:

In addition to Mayevsky taps, automated air vents for heating systems are often used, which bleed excess air on their own. Such automatic units are compact and reliable. But at the same time, you have to be extremely careful. After all, the valve works without supervision. And the slightest violation in the process can cause flooding of the attic or riser.

Some nuances

There are situations when the masters, when installing the heating system, do not install special valves to release excess air. Let's consider how to release air from the radiator in this case. To work, you will need an adjustable or gas wrench. Use it to open the cap. This must be done very slowly. Sometimes the plug won't open. Most often this happens if . In this case, it is necessary to apply a special lubricant to the thread and after a while try again.

When the plug is unscrewed, the same algorithm of actions is performed as with a conventional tap. When the cork is screwed into place, one must not forget to wrap either FUM tape or linen on the thread. This will avoid leaks and give the connection a tight seal.

If air has accumulated in the heating system of a private house, the water will have to be drained using an expansion tank.

This container is always located at the highest point of the heating system. When the water is drained, you need to wait a bit, and then unscrew the tap on the expansion tank. Usually, when the temperature of the battery rises, the cork comes out on its own. If such actions turned out to be ineffective, then the water in the circuit should be brought to a boil. In this case, the cork will definitely come out.

How often do you need to bleed air?

Knowing how to bleed air from the heating system can prevent and solve many problems. But how often should such a procedure be carried out for prevention purposes? As a rule, this should be done at the beginning of the heating season. Twice is enough (the first time for verification, the second for control). Of course, if there are defects in the system or it is faulty, then the number of descents can be large.

If the apartment is installed, then before starting the system, it is necessary to drain the water. This will help increase battery life significantly.

Preventive measures

Of course, knowing how to blow out a heating battery is important and necessary. But it is better to air the system as little as possible. It is better to prevent this situation and install an air vent.

At the moment, the air collectors of heating systems can be of two types: manual (represented by the Mayevsky crane) and float (or automatic). Each of the above types can be installed in various places where there is a risk of air entrapment. The Mayevsky crane configuration is traditional. Auto air vents can be angled or straight.

In order not to puzzle over how to ventilate the heating system, it is imperative to install an air vent on each battery.

Manual air vent type

Manual type air vents are usually mounted on the front side of the radiator. With their help, you can easily bleed excess air. It is enough to have only a special key. The performance of such devices is small. Therefore, such an air collector for the heating system is installed only for use at home.

Automatic air vent type

As for automatic air vents, they operate offline. You don't need to unscrew or open anything. The device does everything on its own. Mount them strictly in a horizontal or vertical position. But I must say that such a valve for bleeding air from the heating system has one drawback - high sensitivity to pollution of a different nature. Therefore, it will also be necessary to additionally install a filter that will clean the device from mechanical impurities.

Important! If air has formed in the heating system, you should find out the reason for this situation. Especially if there were no such problems before. It is important not only to remove the airlock, but to take all measures so that it does not reappear. Therefore, it is necessary to check the device for tightness. Perhaps somewhere you should change the nuts or tighten the bolts, better seal the joints. Or perhaps the air vent is installed incorrectly or the automatic air separator for heating is out of order.

Outcome

Summing up, we can say that the problem of airing the system is quite relevant. It can occur both in urban high-rise buildings and in private homes. There can be many factors for the formation of excess air. It is very important to establish the true cause and know how to bleed air from the heating radiator correctly so that similar situations do not occur in the future.

An important role in the proper and efficient operation of radiators is played by the installation of special air vents. By installing such a device, the owner of a house or apartment will be able to forget about the problem of air jams, save time and money, and also extend the life of the entire heating system.