At a time where the cost of living is rising, the last thing any of us need is a repair bill whether it's for a door or a washing machine.
But particularly if the broken item affects our home and it keeping us warm.
Because of this, experts have listed what you should listen out for and when action should be taken to prevent the situation from getting worse.
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One issue that you may notice at first is a noise that sounds like hissing from one or more of your radiators, warns experts at Toolstation. This happens when there is water or air moving through your heating system and into the radiators around your home, with too much air sometimes becoming trapped. Unfortunately, this trapped air can stop your home from heating in parts or all together, meaning your radiator(s) need bled.
With keeping our home as warm as possible, as quickly as possible, so important as we reach the coldest months of the year, it is vital to make sure your radiators are working as efficiently as possible.
Fortunately, bleeding your radiators is often a simple fix and you can do it yourself at home for cheap. You may already have a radiator bleed key in your house. But if not, you can purchase them for £1-£3 online or in stores such as B&Q.
So what should you do and how do you bleed a radiator? Here's what the experts say you should know.
How to bleed your radiator
- Turn off your heating
- Use your radiator key to turn the valve at the top of the radiator
- Retighten the valve once the hissing stops and only liquid comes out
- Turn your central heating system back on
- Check the pressure by looking at the gauge on your boiler
To help determine what these noises are, Toolstation has gathered sound clips of noises around the home and worked with an expert to reveal what the noise actually is, how much it would cost to fix and what could happen if the problem is left ignored.
The experts say that any unusual noise you notice coming from the boiler is always a cause for concern and should never be ignored, especially now we're starting to switch the heating on. But if you hear a bubbling, popping noise, Toolstation and their expert have revealed that, best case scenario, this could either be low pressure. Worst case scenario, it could be something called Kettling.
Bubbling or Popping from the boiler – Low pressure or kettling in boiler
Cost Estimation: £75-£300 for kettling repair
This sound could either be low water pressure or, more seriously, kettling. This is when the heat exchanged overheats and produces steam bubbles. When the bubbles move to a colder area, they make this bubbling sound. If it is the latter, this would require calling in a heating professional.
They add: “If you do hear a peculiar sound coming from your boiler, it’s always good to call a professional either way just to double-check. Low pressure in your boiler usually just requires topping up.”
Hissing from the radiator – Radiator needs bleeding
Cost estimation: £1-£3 for a radiator key
As mentioned, this can be a cheap fix however, if the hissing is accompanied by banging and thumping or other louder noises, then a heating engineer will be needed to investigate further.
The experts conclude: "Leaving your radiator to hiss and not bleeding it can lead to other problems that are worse than your original one. Firstly, trapped air means your heating will reduce despite you having it on, wasting your money. Leaving it for long enough will cause knock-on problems to the whole of your system and you’ll eventually have to call in a plumber. This will substantially increase the cost to fix.”
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