If your home’s HVAC system radiators take longer to heat than others, you need to balance your heating system.
When the radiators don’t heat at the same rate, some of your home’s rooms will heat, and others remain cold.
Essentially, the hot water circulating in your system isn’t distributed evenly across your home. If your heating system has cold patches in certain areas, you should begin bleeding them first before your balance. Balancing a radiator means allowing more hot water to flow in the system by restricting the flow of hot water in hotter areas and redirecting it to the radiator’s colder areas. You don’t need an HVAC professional to balance your radiators. However, you should know how to bleed a radiator. When balancing your heating system, begin by bleeding the radiator with patches of cold spots. Check the system to ensure it is heating up evenly after bleeding the cold patches. Then switch off your home’s central heating and let your radiators cool. List your home’s radiators as you wait for your HVAC system to cool down. When it has cooled enough, open your system’s radiator valves. Turn both radiator valves by rotating them anti-clockwise. If you have lockshield valves, you’ll have to remove the valve’s plastic cap to turn the system’s metal valve using an adjustable spanner. Look for the quickest heating radiator by turning your HVAC system back on and walking all-around your home, checking the system against your radiator list. Turn off the radiators and check how it cools down and turn it back on. Once you identify the fastest heating radiator, turn on its lockshield valve to close it completely, then turn it slightly to open. Finally, take the radiator’s temperature reading and ensure it matches the manufacturer’s recommendations. Repeat this for all your HVAC system’s radiators until you achieve balance.