How to bleed air from a heating radiator correctly - theory and practice

If in the autumn - winter season the batteries remain cold or barely warm, then most likely the heat supply system is airy. In any case, there will be no superfluous information for the property owner on how to bleed air from the radiators in order to prevent situations where the operation of the equipment is inefficient.

Experts advise: before you put the heating system into operation, it must be properly prepared. If in multi-apartment buildings this procedure is performed by public utilities, then the owners of the private sector have to provide themselves with heat on their own.

Danger of airlock in batteries

When air appears in the device, this indicates that there will be problems with the heat supply and the problem must be solved immediately, how to bleed air from the heating radiator. Its excess presence will become an obstacle to the normal operation of the heating system. In addition, a corrosive process will begin on the walls of the batteries.

When a circulation pump is installed in the heating circuit, an air lock is likely to disrupt its operation. If the system is working correctly, the plain bearings located on the shaft of the pumping equipment will constantly be in the working environment.

When airing, the effect of "dry friction" appears, which negatively affects the sliding rings, which will disable the shaft. Therefore, it is so important to have information on how to properly bleed the air from the battery. If the necessary measures are taken in time, then it will be possible to prevent damage to the heat supply structure.

How to determine the presence of an air lock

Before proceeding with the release of air from the heating radiator, first of all, you need to figure out the reason for its appearance in the circuit.

Airing usually occurs:

after incorrect filling of the system with coolant;
when errors were made during installation;
if there is insufficient pressure in the circuit, or a low-quality coolant in which dissolved oxygen is present.

Also, the reasons for the occurrence of an air lock can be:

loose connection of the elements of the system, as a result of which the device sucks in air from the outside;
the absence of an air vent or it is installed, but does not function correctly;
carrying out repair work related to the replacement of radiators, risers, locking elements, as a result of which air entered the system.

The following signs indicate the presence of airing:

the presence of gurgling and hissing sounds in the radiator;
lowering the degree of heating;
uneven heating of sections - in areas where air has collected, they can be cold.

The above situations happen often and all owners of apartments or private households face similar problems. Therefore, it is so important to figure out how to release air from the radiator, because this can be done on your own, without plumbing services. As practice shows, usually an air lock appears in radiators located on the upper floors of the building.

But sometimes the cause of airing is associated with the installation of a low-quality heater, and then after bleeding the air, the problem will appear again and again. The fact is that there are materials for the manufacture of batteries that contribute to the appearance of gases. In this case, the problem is solved only by purchasing a new radiator.

Bleeding air from heaters

Before you bleed air from the radiator and from the system, you need to familiarize yourself with the features of this procedure and prepare tools and materials. You need to have a special key at your disposal that will help open the air valve on the battery. A radiator wrench is best suited for this work - you can buy it at a hardware store.

If you have to work with a modern battery, then a simple screwdriver will do. You should also prepare a container for draining the coolant and a few rags in case an unforeseen situation arises.

Instructions for the correct bleed of air from the battery looks like this:

First, they examine the battery and find a small valve (Mayevsky's tap). It is located in the upper part of the device, sometimes there are several such devices.
Unscrew the faucet until a hiss of air is heard. It is necessary to act carefully and smoothly.
A container is placed under the valve.
You should wait until all the accumulated air comes out. This is evidenced by a thin stream of water that has stopped bubbling. According to some experts, it is necessary to drain about 2 - 3 buckets after the coolant begins to drain without gases. This is necessary for reinsurance, so as not to carry out this procedure again.
The valve is screwed back.

In addition to the Mayevsky crane, it is possible to bleed air from the battery using automated air vents. They are intended for heat supply systems and remove plugs on their own.

These devices are compact and reliable, but care must be taken, because the valves are unattended and even a slight violation of the process can lead to flooding of the basement or attic.

Sometimes there are situations when, during the installation of the heating system, special products designed to eliminate airing were not installed. To release excess air from the device, a gas or adjustable wrench is required to unscrew the plug.

This work must be done slowly. If the plug does not unscrew, and such situations most often occur with cast-iron radiators, a special lubricant should be applied to the threads. After a while, try again. After you managed to unscrew the plug, they act in the same way as with a conventional faucet.

At the end of the work, the cork is returned to its place, not forgetting to wrap flax or FUM tape on the thread, which will prevent leaks and ensure the tightness of the connection.

If air has collected in the heating system of a private house, the coolant is drained using an expansion tank. This tank is located at the highest point of the heat supply structure. After draining the water, you should wait a little, then unscrew the tap on the tank.

As a rule, when the temperature in the battery rises, the cork is removed on its own. If the actions performed were unsuccessful, then the water in the heating circuit must be brought to a boil and then the air will certainly come out.

Knowing how to bleed air from the radiator and the system, you can avoid many problems. In order to prevent such a procedure should be carried out before the start of the heating period. According to experts, two times (for verification and control) will be enough. If defects or breakdowns are found in the design, then the number of descents is greater.

When aluminum radiators are installed in the apartment, before starting the heating system, water should be drained, due to which the life of the devices will increase significantly.

Preventive actions

Of course, it is necessary to know how to properly bleed air from the battery. But it is much better to air the system as little as possible. To prevent this problem, you need to install an air vent.

Air collectors for heating systems are of two types:

manual - Mayevsky crane;
float - automatic.

Each of these devices can be installed anywhere where there is a risk of airlock. The Mayevsky crane has a traditional configuration, and air vents can be in an angular or straight design.

In order not to hastily solve the problem of how to bleed air from the radiator and ventilate the heat supply system, it is imperative to mount an air vent on each radiator.

A manual type device makes it easy to eliminate an air lock, it is usually placed on the end side of the battery. To do this, you need to have a special key at your disposal. The performance of a manual air vent is small and therefore it is used for heating systems operated at home.

Air vents of the second type operate in automatic mode. When using them, nothing needs to be unscrewed or opened, since the device does everything on its own. It should be installed strictly in a vertical or horizontal position.

But the automatic valve, designed to drain excess air from the heating system, has a drawback - it is highly sensitive to various contaminants. Therefore, its high-quality work can be ensured by an additionally installed filter that will protect the device from them.

If air has collected in the heat supply structure, it is imperative to determine the cause of this problem, especially if there have not been such situations before. The main thing at the same time is not only to eliminate the air lock, but also to take all necessary measures so that it does not reappear.

First of all, you need to check the heater for leaks, you may need to tighten the bolts somewhere, change the nuts, and process the joints more efficiently. There are cases when the air vent is not mounted correctly or the automatic air separator is broken.

Summarizing

It should be noted that the problem associated with airing the heat supply system is quite relevant today. It often occurs both in private households and in urban high-rise buildings. There are many reasons for the formation of air pockets.

As already mentioned, it is very important to figure out why they appeared and know how to properly bleed air from the battery so that similar situations do not arise in the future. By installing a special device - an air vent, you can forget about this problem and thereby extend the life of the heating system.