as it's started cooling, it won't be long till we need to fire the
heating up ...

Is it advisable to bleed the radiators before the system gets fired up ?
Or let it run a couple of times and then bleed. Or both ?

On 05/09/2011 13:18, Jethro wrote:
as it's started cooling, it won't be long till we need to fire the
heating up ...

Is it advisable to bleed the radiators before the system gets fired up ?
Or let it run a couple of times and then bleed. Or both ?

I would probably do both but ours don't seem to collect air in use
although the system is a nightmare after it has been drained down.

When it first runs any gases will probably get shifted to the usual
places they collect. After it has been off again for a while they should
be settled enough to bleed off to greatest effect.

On 05/09/2011 13:26, Hugh - Was Invisible wrote:
On 05/09/2011 13:18, Jethro wrote:
as it's started cooling, it won't be long till we need to fire the
heating up ...

Is it advisable to bleed the radiators before the system gets fired up ?
Or let it run a couple of times and then bleed. Or both ?

I would probably do both but ours don't seem to collect air in use
although the system is a nightmare after it has been drained down.

When it first runs any gases will probably get shifted to the usual
places they collect. After it has been off again for a while they should
be settled enough to bleed off to greatest effect.
I hope you have better luck than me, when I came to bleed mine I found
that the bleed valves were corroded shut. Had to take one of the rads to
a metal engineering shop to get the valve replaced.

--
Residing on low ground in North Staffordshire

On 05/09/2011 13:26, Hugh - Was Invisible wrote:
On 05/09/2011 13:18, Jethro wrote:
as it's started cooling, it won't be long till we need to fire the
heating up ...

Is it advisable to bleed the radiators before the system gets fired up ?
Or let it run a couple of times and then bleed. Or both ?

I would probably do both but ours don't seem to collect air in use
although the system is a nightmare after it has been drained down.

Ours was like that, I re-arranged things a little and put an
air-separator (one of those copper swirl-pot types, with inlet and
outlet on opposite sides at different levels, a vent-pipe connection on
the top and the feed from the header tank tee'd into the outlet) before
the pump - it's worked brilliantly (due to the existing arrangements,
the pump is the highest point besides the header tank and used to
collect a lot of air after a drain-down).

SteveW

On Sep 5, 1:18*pm, Jethro wrote:
as it's started cooling, it won't be long till we need to fire the
heating up ...

Is it advisable to bleed the radiators before the system gets fired up ?
Or let it run a couple of times and then bleed. Or both ?

You system should not need to be constantly bled.
If it does you have a corrosion problem, you need to put (more/fresh)
inhibitor in the system.
It is not air, it is hydrgen gas left over from the corrosion process.
It is your radiators corroding away in due course holes will appear.
The "rust" will lodge in various places and make your system
inefficient.

harry wrote:

You system should not need to be constantly bled.
If it does you have a corrosion problem, you need to put (more/fresh)
inhibitor in the system.
It is not air, it is hydrgen gas left over from the corrosion process.
It is your radiators corroding away in due course holes will appear.
The "rust" will lodge in various places and make your system
inefficient.

Ideally you should drain the system. Add a system cleaner, fill it up,
circulate for a couple days (longer the better), drain down again. Flush
through with tank feeding or filled
from fill loop and drain open. Then fill up again, adding inhibitor. Again,
ideally this should be done every year just before it get really cold and
you 'need' those rads working!

G'luck,
D.

--
What else are opposable thumbs for? Get to me at
masterfix{at}btinternet{dot}com

On 05/09/2011 23:59, Steve Walker wrote:
On 05/09/2011 13:26, Hugh - Was Invisible wrote:
On 05/09/2011 13:18, Jethro wrote:
as it's started cooling, it won't be long till we need to fire the
heating up ...

Is it advisable to bleed the radiators before the system gets fired up ?
Or let it run a couple of times and then bleed. Or both ?

I would probably do both but ours don't seem to collect air in use
although the system is a nightmare after it has been drained down.

Ours was like that, I re-arranged things a little and put an
air-separator (one of those copper swirl-pot types, with inlet and
outlet on opposite sides at different levels, a vent-pipe connection on
the top and the feed from the header tank tee'd into the outlet) before
the pump - it's worked brilliantly (due to the existing arrangements,
the pump is the highest point besides the header tank and used to
collect a lot of air after a drain-down).

SteveW

We have an air separator of some sort. Fitted in a very difficult to
access position behind the hot water cylinder. I spent a lot of time
siphoning out sludge and now the whole system works a lot better.

On 06/09/2011 10:00, Hugh - Was Invisible wrote:
On 05/09/2011 23:59, Steve Walker wrote:
On 05/09/2011 13:26, Hugh - Was Invisible wrote:
On 05/09/2011 13:18, Jethro wrote:
as it's started cooling, it won't be long till we need to fire the
heating up ...

Is it advisable to bleed the radiators before the system gets fired
up ?
Or let it run a couple of times and then bleed. Or both ?

I would probably do both but ours don't seem to collect air in use
although the system is a nightmare after it has been drained down.

Ours was like that, I re-arranged things a little and put an
air-separator (one of those copper swirl-pot types, with inlet and
outlet on opposite sides at different levels, a vent-pipe connection on
the top and the feed from the header tank tee'd into the outlet) before
the pump - it's worked brilliantly (due to the existing arrangements,
the pump is the highest point besides the header tank and used to
collect a lot of air after a drain-down).

SteveW

We have an air separator of some sort. Fitted in a very difficult to
access position behind the hot water cylinder. I spent a lot of time
siphoning out sludge and now the whole system works a lot better.

Is that an air separator or a bleed point? It's just that your mention
of being hard to access suggests a bleed point, the air separator type
are plumbed in and vent through the normal vent pipe over the header
tank of a vented system - no access required.

SteveW

On 06/09/2011 22:16, Steve Walker wrote:
On 06/09/2011 10:00, Hugh - Was Invisible wrote:
On 05/09/2011 23:59, Steve Walker wrote:
On 05/09/2011 13:26, Hugh - Was Invisible wrote:
On 05/09/2011 13:18, Jethro wrote:
as it's started cooling, it won't be long till we need to fire the
heating up ...

Is it advisable to bleed the radiators before the system gets fired
up ?
Or let it run a couple of times and then bleed. Or both ?

I would probably do both but ours don't seem to collect air in use
although the system is a nightmare after it has been drained down.

Ours was like that, I re-arranged things a little and put an
air-separator (one of those copper swirl-pot types, with inlet and
outlet on opposite sides at different levels, a vent-pipe connection on
the top and the feed from the header tank tee'd into the outlet) before
the pump - it's worked brilliantly (due to the existing arrangements,
the pump is the highest point besides the header tank and used to
collect a lot of air after a drain-down).

SteveW

We have an air separator of some sort. Fitted in a very difficult to
access position behind the hot water cylinder. I spent a lot of time
siphoning out sludge and now the whole system works a lot better.

Is that an air separator or a bleed point? It's just that your mention
of being hard to access suggests a bleed point, the air separator type
are plumbed in and vent through the normal vent pipe over the header
tank of a vented system - no access required.

SteveW

Cannot remember the make and cannot see the name with it all in situ.
Pretty blue colour. Looks like a Myson Aerjec 2. Has flow in, flow out,
water supply and vent pipe so not just a bleed point. It was full of
sludge. In view of the difficulty in accessing it I had to siphon it out
after disconnecting the water supply pipe at the isolating valve a few
inches above the separator.