Radiators are extremely useful appliances, however, can break down without us realising. There are a couple ways of checking your radiators to make sure they are working. Firstly, when the heating is on you’ll be able to feel the radiators and see if they are completely warm or if they are only warm in certain areas. For example, if the top is warm and the bottom is cold, it is likely to be because there is a layer of sludge at the bottom of the radiator. This is a small problem and will need to be unblocked in order to make it work efficiently again. Removing this sludge can be a messy job, so we recommend putting a thick sheet down and have a bucket for the sludge to go into before you remove the radiator from the wall. Doing this can be stressful if you aren’t familiar with radiators, in which case you can contact a heating engineer in Essex to come and do it for you.
You may notice that your radiator starts to make noises too. Noises can vary from a clicking noise to a banging noise. Similarly to boilers, limescale build up can affect radiators. When the heating is turned on it will result in the radiators making a banging sound. This will reduce the flow of water and in pressure points water will turn to steam. Having limescale in your heating system can be a pain and you will most likely need to call out a heating engineer to solve the problem.
A leaking radiator can be a serious problem. Any leak in your home is an issue but due to the fact that a radiator is close to the floor, it will cause issues in the flooring and if it’s on the second floor those problems in the floor will go down into the ceiling too. A leaking radiator can be due to a faulty valve. Should this be the case you will be in need of a professional.
