Is your radiator not getting hot?

When your house or apartment is cold, the first thing you want to do is get it warm again. And with your radiator not heating up, that isn’t going to happen.

But before you panic, it could be a simple fix. There are a few things you might want to check and we outline them all below.

How to Handle Your Radiator Not Heating up

We’ll look at a few actions you’ll want to can take in this situation. Some are more basic than others. And a few may require professional assistance.

1. Check All the Radiators

When your radiator is not working, you might assume that there’s something wrong with the single radiator itself.

But if all the radiators are cold in your house or apartment, then the issue could be with your boiler or central heating. So first, be sure that everything is switched on.

If everything is on, then the problem is likely with your boiler, plumbing, or pipework. Don’t attempt to fix this on your own. A repair of this magnitude will require a professional.

2. Check for Trapped Air

If the top half of the radiator is warm but the bottom half is cold, you’re likely dealing with trapped air.

This is especially common when turning the heating back on after the summer. The air gets trapped in the radiator, leaving it cold at the top, but warm at the bottom.

You’ll need to bleed your radiators.

Use your radiator key to unscrew the bleed screw a little. Stop as soon as you hear a hissing sound. Listen for the hissing to stop. When water starts coming from your radiator, you’ll need to close the bleed screw.

3. Check the Radiator Valves

If there is no warmth at all on the radiator, you’ll need to be sure that the thermostatic radiator valve and the lockshield valve on the other side are both open.

You’ll also need to remove the top of the valve head to see that the pin within the thermostatic valve is moving up and down freely. If it appears stuck, give the valve a careful tap to free it up.

When Do You Need the Professionals?

If the radiator is warm at the top, but cold at the bottom, there may be sludge in the bottom of the radiator that keeps it from heating properly.

In this case, you might need to drain or flush the radiator. Flushing is the process of removing that sludge that gets stuck in your central heating system over time.

And if none of the above actions resolves the issue, then it’s time to call in the professionals. You don’t want to mess with any part of your boiler or central heating system unless you’re trained and competent. Otherwise, it could be dangerous.

Bring on the Heat

With your radiator not heating up, you’re eager to get the heat back on. We hope that the above tips are enough to get it running again.

But if you end up needing a replacement, be sure to check out our line of radiators. Rest assured, we’ll get you warm again in no time.