Want to know how to clean radiators? Read on and find out.
Dust and dirt can easily get trapped in the radiators of your home’s HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) units. Accumulated sludge can prevent your boiler and air conditioner from working efficiently. In fact, in many cases, when your central heating stops working, all it probably needs is a little radiator cleaning. A central heating system that is running inefficiently will only require more energy to operate, and as a result, will cost you more money.
Hence, it is important to know how to clean radiators yourself. This not only helps you maximize the use of your HVAC units, but regular cleaning may also prolong the life of your appliances.
How To Clean Radiators
Here are some easy steps to follow on how to clean radiators.
To manually clean your radiators:
- Turn off your central heating system and let it cool completely. The radiators can be full of very hot water that can cause serious burns.
- Start by vacuuming around and underneath the radiators.
- Place towels or pans on the floor and around the radiator to catch any dirty water.
- Turn off the valves on both ends of the radiator. You will need a wrench to remove the lockshield valve. Be sure to take note how many turns it takes for you to remove the valve – you should turn the valves the same number of times when you put them back.
- Loosen the nuts connecting the Thermostatic Radiator Valve to the radiator. The open the bleed valve using a radiator key. Water will immediately start coming out of the radiator.
- Carefully take the radiator outside, or into your bathtub. It will continue to spat dirty water while you transport it, so you may want to wrap it in plastic or a towel. Ask someone to help you carry it if it is too heavy.
- Using a horsepipe or shower outlet, flush clean water through the radiator.
This method will remove the accumulated sludge from one radiator. However, if you want your radiators to be cleaned thoroughly, you can opt to do a power flush. Learn more about power flushing here, or its benefits here.
Get professional help on how to clean radiators and with installation, repair or service for your central heating system from RJ Gas.
