How to Bleed Heating Valve?

CJE · 09-12-2010, 12:41 PM

I live in a condo and we have a hot water heating system. I had a leaky valve a while back and a plumber came and replaced it with a manual valve he called it.

He said however, if I have problems with my heat, I would need to bleed the valve of air.

Well now my heat isn't working at all, so I'm assuming I need to do this, problem is, I'm not sure exactly how.

Here is a picture of the valve we have. It's a bit hard to make out, but it has a turnkey knob below and a knob on the tob I would need to turn with a wrench or needle nose pliers.

How do I bleed this valve?

the_man · 09-12-2010, 01:05 PM

can we get some light to go with the pic? i can't see a thing, so I don't know what kind of bleeder you have. Thanks for the assistance

JohnFRWhipple · 09-12-2010, 01:22 PM

A bleeder valve can look like that new fitting I see.

Get a small screwdriver and adjust it till you hear air coming out. Keep a towel handy as water can spray a little.

This water can be nasty.

Sometimes and inexpeireced crew can create an air lock if the the lines where moved around some. This is much harder to fix and most likely be beyond your skill set.

I'll post a quick video right now on how to bleed a CAst Iron Column Radiator. I just hooked one up last night.

JohnFRWhipple · 09-12-2010, 02:52 PM

Not sure if this will help but watch this video my daughter and upload this morning;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4fHf4KQvKk

Might help somewhat.

Never work on any plumbing system that you don't know how to shut down right away. In an apartment or high rise you might not even be allowed to do this so please ask your Strata or Property management company...

Good luck.

JW

AllanJ · 09-13-2010, 09:10 AM

With a valve in one corner of a baseboard radiator you may need to bleed it once a day for several days to get most of the air out.

The system must be properly pressurized, otherwise opening the valve will cause more air to be sucked in rather than air inside being let out. Then the system performance gets worse and worse.

The system should have a partially air filled pressure tank near the furnace and oriented so air does not come out of the tank and go through the heating pipes.

There is a valve from the domestic cold water that lets more water into the furnace, either automatically or manually. You will need the proper know-how in order to put the right amount of water into the system.

09-12-2010, 12:41 PM	#1
CJE Newbie Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 1	How to Bleed Heating Valve? I live in a condo and we have a hot water heating system. I had a leaky valve a while back and a plumber came and replaced it with a manual valve he called it. He said however, if I have problems with my heat, I would need to bleed the valve of air. Well now my heat isn't working at all, so I'm assuming I need to do this, problem is, I'm not sure exactly how. Here is a picture of the valve we have. It's a bit hard to make out, but it has a turnkey knob below and a knob on the tob I would need to turn with a wrench or needle nose pliers. How do I bleed this valve?

09-12-2010, 01:05 PM	#2
the_man Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 601	How to Bleed Heating Valve? can we get some light to go with the pic? i can't see a thing, so I don't know what kind of bleeder you have. Thanks for the assistance

09-12-2010, 01:22 PM	#3
JohnFRWhipple www.No-Curb.com Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 140	How to Bleed Heating Valve? A bleeder valve can look like that new fitting I see. Get a small screwdriver and adjust it till you hear air coming out. Keep a towel handy as water can spray a little. This water can be nasty. Sometimes and inexpeireced crew can create an air lock if the the lines where moved around some. This is much harder to fix and most likely be beyond your skill set. I'll post a quick video right now on how to bleed a CAst Iron Column Radiator. I just hooked one up last night.

09-12-2010, 02:52 PM	#4
JohnFRWhipple www.No-Curb.com Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 140	How to Bleed Heating Valve? Not sure if this will help but watch this video my daughter and upload this morning; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4fHf4KQvKk Might help somewhat. Never work on any plumbing system that you don't know how to shut down right away. In an apartment or high rise you might not even be allowed to do this so please ask your Strata or Property management company... Good luck. JW

09-13-2010, 09:10 AM	#5
AllanJ Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Nashua, NH, USA Posts: 6,775	How to Bleed Heating Valve? With a valve in one corner of a baseboard radiator you may need to bleed it once a day for several days to get most of the air out. The system must be properly pressurized, otherwise opening the valve will cause more air to be sucked in rather than air inside being let out. Then the system performance gets worse and worse. The system should have a partially air filled pressure tank near the furnace and oriented so air does not come out of the tank and go through the heating pipes. There is a valve from the domestic cold water that lets more water into the furnace, either automatically or manually. You will need the proper know-how in order to put the right amount of water into the system. __________________ The average homeowner who lost his house in the Oklahoma tornadoes should move for good and not rebuild. Too much complexity watchdogging the contractor. Too much a chance to be defrauded. Last edited by AllanJ; 09-13-2010 at 09:12 AM.

How to Bleed Heating Valve?