Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 2: Bleeding the Battery in Your Home
• Method 2 of 2: Bleeding air from the car's radiator
• Tips
• What do you need

Is the heating turned on and the battery in the house is still cold? Does the gauge on the car's dashboard show higher readings than usual? In both cases, there is a possibility that air has accumulated in the battery or radiator, which interferes with their normal operation. Fortunately, this common problem is easy to fix. With a few simple tools, a radiator in your car or a battery in your home will soon do what it is designed to do - effectively dissipate heat.

Steps

Method 1 of 2: Bleeding the Battery in Your Home

1. 1 Diagnose your battery. In the upper part of the battery - it is from there that the air must be deflated - there is cold air. Therefore, when you turn on the heating (or when the heating networks turn it on), either the entire battery or its upper part will be cold, while the lower one will be hot. Unfortunately, a completely cold battery can indicate other problems (these are described below - read them before proceeding). Otherwise, the battery must be vented. Be careful - the batteries can be very hot. Protect your hands when checking the battery temperature.
   • If there are a lot of batteries in your house, and they are all cold (or, conversely, too hot), then most likely you have a larger problem with your heating system - the boiler has broken, or somewhere in the heating system sludge or other sediment has accumulated (read the article How to clean a water heater).
   • If, in addition to this problem, water has accumulated under the battery, then there is a leak in it. Try turning off the heat and then tightening the nut on the battery inlet valve. If this does not solve the problem, the nut may have corroded. Replace it or call a plumber.
   • If the batteries on the upper floors of your house are not hot, and the batteries on the lower floors are hot, then your heating system is not pressurized high enough to allow hot water to reach the upper floors.
2. 2 Find the radiator key. If you decide to bleed air from the battery, you first need to find something to open the "air valve". Look for a small valve at the top on one side of the battery. This valve usually has a small square piece that can be turned to adjust the valve. A radiator wrench is an inexpensive metal tool that is needed to open and close air valves. You can buy them at almost any hardware store. Find a radiator wrench that is the right size for your battery, or look in your tool kit for a small wrench or any other tool that is the right size for turning the valve.
   • In some modern batteries, the valves are designed so that they can be turned with a common flathead screwdriver. Many batteries have Mayevsky taps with a needle-type shut-off valve. To open such a valve, it is necessary to install the key in a special thread, and slowly scroll it counterclockwise.
   • Before proceeding, make sure you have a radiator wrench, screwdriver, or wrench (you may need a few tools) - basically something that will allow you to open the valves on every battery in your home. When it comes to venting, it is best to bleed all the batteries in the house.
3. 3 Turn off heating. Before bleeding off the air, be sure to turn off the heating system (if we are talking about a private house, it is not difficult to do this; if you live in an apartment building, you will have to wait for spring, when the heating systems are turned off), since a working heating system can air the entire the system is even larger. The contents of the battery must be completely drained before you begin to de-air the battery. Wait a while for the heat in the heating system to dissipate, then check the battery for heating. If any part of the battery is still hot, wait until it has completely cooled down before proceeding to the next step.
4. 4 Open the battery valves. Make sure both the inlet and outlet valves are in the "open" position. Then insert the radiator wrench (screwdriver or other tool) into the desired location on the air valve on the top of the battery. Turn it counterclockwise to open the valve. There should be a hissing sound - if so, you are doing everything right, air is coming out of the battery.
   • Opening the air valve will allow cold air to escape, preventing fluid from drawing through the pipes connected to the heating system.
5. 5 Collect water from the valve. Typically, when air comes out of the battery, water drips from the air valve. You will need a tea towel or rag to collect any drops. You can use a small bowl or plate instead.
6. 6 Wait until water stops dripping from the air valve. When a steady stream of water comes out of the air valve (and not a mixture of air and water droplets), then you have released all the air that was in your battery. Tighten the air valve again (turn clockwise) and check for leaks. Use a rag to wipe up any water that spills near the battery.
7. 7 Repeat this process for every battery in the house. To ensure that the entire heating system is vented, it is best to remove air from all radiators, even if only one is having problems. In order for the heating system to work properly, you need to regularly bleed air from the batteries. Most often, it is enough to bleed air once a year, and also after each repair or any modification in the heating system.
8. 8 If you have a boiler heating system, check the boiler pressure level. By releasing excess air from the batteries, you have reduced the overall pressure of your home's heating system. If the pressure drops too low, heat may not reach some of the radiators (especially those located on the upper floors of your home). To restore the pressure of the heating system, it may be necessary to top up the boiler with water.
   • For home heating purposes, a pressure of 0.8–1 bar is quite enough. The higher the pressure, the higher the altitude your system can send heat to. Homes that are too low or too high may require a lower or higher boiler pressure, respectively.
   • If your boiler has an automatic filling system, it should automatically maintain a pressure of 0.8-1 bar without your intervention. If not, add water manually - open the boiler water supply valve until the pressure readings rise to 0.8–1 bar.

Method 2 of 2: Bleeding air from the car's radiator

1. 1 Look for signs that indicate a car's radiator has failed. The air from the car's radiator must be removed for the same reason as from the home battery - an air lock has formed in the car's cooling system. As a result, antifreeze stops circulating effectively, which leads to overheating of the car. If you observe one or more of the following signs, then most likely, air needs to be removed from the radiator of your car.
   • Abnormally high temperature on the dashboard temperature sensor.
   • Fluid leaking from the radiator.
   • Strange engine odors, especially sweet odors (due to antifreeze leaking and / or burning).
   • Also, it may be a good idea to bleed air from the radiator after replacing parts in the cooling system or after performing maintenance. Air may enter the system during maintenance - monitor the temperature after any changes to the cooling system.
2. 2 Locate and loosen the vehicle air valve. Some cars have air valves built into the cooling system and work by releasing air, just like air valves on a home battery. Check your vehicle manual to find out where to find the air valve. It is usually located at the highest point in the cooling system to most efficiently release air that normally rises upward.
   • To bleed air from the car radiator using the air valve, simply loosen it until you hear a hissing sound of air coming out.Use a rag to catch any overflowing coolant, then retighten the valve when a steady stream of coolant comes out of it.
   • In some cars No special air valves. Do not worry, it is still possible to release air from the radiator of such a machine, but in other ways (see below).
3. 3 Remove the radiator cap and start the car. Another easy way to bleed air from the radiator is to simply let it settle with the cap removed (this is also a good option if your car does not have a dedicated air valve). Remove the radiator cap, start the engine, and go about your business for 15–20 minutes. Air locks will be driven through the cooling system and exited through the car's radiator.
4. 4 Raise your car. The air rises up, so raise the front of the car so the radiator is higher than the rest of the cooling system, which will speed up the air out of it. Carefully jack up the vehicle - if you don't have one, you can purchase one at your nearest auto parts store. Front remember to loosen or remove the radiator cap by lifting the vehicle.
   • On some car models, the radiator may not be located at the front - if you are unsure, refer to your car manual.
5. 5 Execute cleaning and filling procedure. After you've vented the air from your car's radiator, it's a good idea to add new coolant. Perhaps the air that was inside artificially increased the amount of coolant displayed by the instruments - there may be a lack of coolant in the system, which you did not even know about. Remove the old coolant from the system and add new one according to any instructions in your vehicle manual. The following are general instructions for changing the coolant in vehicles:
   • Let the engine cool completely.
   • Place a drain container under the radiator drain valve to collect the old coolant.
   • Fill the car radiator with water, then drain it from the drain cock.
   • Close the drain valve and add new coolant - usually a 50/50 mixture of antifreeze and distilled water (not tap water as it may contain solutes).
   • Bleed the air from the radiator again to remove any air created during cleaning and filling.

Tips

• Wear old clothing while performing this procedure - the liquid from the battery or radiator can be very dirty.

What do you need

• Radiator wrench
• 1 tea towel or small bowl
• Your car's manual
• Small wrenches or screwdrivers