How to bleed air from an old radiator. Air lock in the battery - reasons for airy radiators

Air in the batteries interferes with the circulation of the coolant and reduces the heat transfer of radiators. Therefore, it is customary to bleed (bleed) the air from the batteries. How it's done? You can learn about this from our article. Below in the text we will look at the process of removing plugs from heating systems with single-circuit, double-circuit and manifold wiring.

Features of the wiring device

IN modern houses Three types of wiring diagrams are used:

  • single-circuit version with serial connection batteries,
  • double-circuit version with parallel connection of radiators,
  • collector version with insertion of each heating element into the distributor.

With a single-circuit design, all heaters are “strung” on a string heating circuit and form virtually a huge radiator. The double-circuit option involves laying two threads with insertion of batteries. The collector circuit is based on connecting each element to the boiler using a distributor (manifold).

As a result, a plug in a single-circuit circuit can block all circulation. The double-circuit and collector version does not face this problem. But if an air bubble gets into the water, then one of the radiators will stop heating the room.

Therefore, such a blockage must be removed from any wiring. And the sooner the better. You can find out how this is done below in the text, where we will discuss the most effective techniques bleeding plugs from pipes and heating elements.

How to bleed air from a single-circuit system

To bleed air you need to do the following: turn off the pump; add water, increasing the pressure; turn on the pump. The coolant flow will pick up the bubble and carry it into the expansion tank. And if there is an open expander in your house, then the congestion will immediately release into the atmosphere.

If there is no pump in the wiring, then a boiler can be used instead. It must heat the coolant to maximum temperature and then the air bubble will leave the water under the influence of pressure generated as a result of thermal circulation.

In closed single-circuit lines, it is customary to insert into the wiring a separate outlet with a valve at the end, the end of which is highest point wiring. With this outlet you can release the air by opening the valve. Moreover, if the plug does not leave the pipes and heaters immediately, then you will have to repeat manipulations with the pump and valve for supplying water to the heating from the water supply.

In addition, it would be a good idea to embed a Mayevsky unit or a regular ball valve into the outer heater, the outlet of which leads to the return pipe of the boiler. As practice shows, the bubble most often accumulates precisely in the upper part of the last battery of a single-circuit wiring.

How to remove air from a double-circuit wiring

To remove the blockage, you need to screw the Mayevsky valve into the radiator in advance, even at the installation stage. This valve is intended specifically for removing air from heaters. And without it, removing the cork will be extremely difficult.


Well, the process of draining the congestion from the heating system is as follows:

  1. 1. Open the valve for the water supply from the water supply to the heating.
  2. 2. Place a 5-liter bucket under each drain.
  3. 3. Open all Mayevsky taps.
  4. 4. We wait until only water comes out of the drains.
  5. 5. Close the taps, turn off the valve and pour the water out of the buckets.

The pressure of water from the water supply removes the plug, pushing it through Mayevsky's open tap. And if there is a little liquid between the drain and the air bubble, then it will simply drain into the substituted bucket. Well, after only water comes out of the drain, you can close it and turn off the supply from the water supply.

In this case, there is no need to turn on the boiler or pump. Required pressure generated by the water supply itself. Moreover, in closed circuits, before opening the valve on the liquid supply line from the water supply, you need to lower the nipple of the expansion tank, relieving the pressure in the pipes and heaters.

How to remove an air lock from the manifold system

Bleeding plugs from the collector heating system is only possible if you have the same Mayevsky taps. They cut into the free upper corner of the heating element during assembly. Moreover, the collector structure is cleaned of congestion in almost the same way as double-circuit heating lines.


To do this, you need to place a bucket under the tap on the radiator, close the valve on the return manifold, cutting off the heater from the boiler, and supply water from the water supply into the pipes. The pressure of the water will press on the bubble and push it through the hole in open drain. And the blocked return will prevent the bubble from moving into the boiler.

In this case, a decent amount of water can leak from the battery, so the bucket under the tap should be at least five liters. And, most likely, at the very beginning, it will be water that will come out of the drain, followed by air. Therefore, there is no need to rush and turn off the tap.

Once the blockage has cleared from the radiator, you should close the water supply from the water supply to the pipes and open the return line at the appropriate manifold. Having done this, you can turn on the boiler and pump.

How to find an air bubble in a heating system

The airy area can be found by tactile sensations or hearing. In the first case, you go around all the radiators (in the direction of movement of the coolant) and touch them with your hand at the top and bottom. If one of the batteries turns out to be colder than the previous ones, then the problem most likely has accumulated in this place. Therefore, Mayevsky’s faucet must be opened at this particular battery, disconnecting (if possible) it from the return line.

Sometimes a traffic jam can be identified by sound. The battery, partially filled with air, continues to operate, but the coolant circulating in its interior makes a characteristic murmur. And if you hear this “trickle” in the room, then just follow the sound and find the problem radiator.

Moreover, rare groans and creaks in the pipes have nothing to do with traffic jams. In most cases, they signal possible pressure drops or water hammer in the valves. This, of course, is not very good, but it has nothing to do with the airlock.

Air in heating radiators is a fairly common problem, both for residents of private houses and for people living in apartments. In almost any heating system, sometimes air bag, which must be eliminated by bleeding the air.

In order to determine whether there is air in your heating system, check whether all batteries are at the same temperature? Or maybe in some rooms the radiator is a little warm at the top and completely cold at the bottom, but in other rooms everything works fine? Most likely, this is the same air lock in the battery.

Under no circumstances should the presence of air in the heating system be ignored. If you think that the most a big problem due to accumulated air - this is a cold battery at the height of the heating season, then you are very mistaken.

Over time, metal corrosion will begin inside the radiators and the process of “dry friction” in the battery bearings will begin, and as a result, .

A congested battery can occur for several reasons:

  1. During operation of the heating system, the water heats up and air comes out in the form of bubbles, which collects in the upper part of the radiator.
  2. Air pockets can form after pipeline repairs.
  3. The system must be filled slowly. Do not forget to check the absence of air in radiators and distributors. And remember important rule: the more different turns and radiators there are in the system, the slower it needs to be filled.
  4. Poor quality heating radiators that cannot be repaired.

How can you avoid the formation of an air lock?


How can you remove air?

The ideal option is when, during installation of the heating system, a special Mayevsky valve is built into each radiator, with which you can bleed air from each radiator separately.

You can also use an automatic air vent, which will autonomously control the entire heating system. Even with a perfectly functioning heating system, you will still have to periodically bleed the air from the batteries, but this will not cause much difficulty.

While filling the system, try to control the water pressure and temperature of the radiators. If suddenly the water pressure begins to drop sharply, it means that the seal of the battery has been broken somewhere. If the temperature of the batteries is not stable, look for an air lock in the heating system.

If your batteries are equipped with automatic air vents, then you can rest easy: they do everything for you. necessary work to eliminate airiness in radiators. If the batteries are equipped with manual taps small size, then you need to carry out the entire procedure of removing air from the heating radiator yourself.

Another important point– this is the pipeline itself. Quite often, an air lock can form in very difficult places in the pipeline, where there are many bends, turns or incorrect slopes. In such areas it is necessary to install additional air vents.

How to bleed air from a battery?

In order to remove air from the battery, you need to use a special Mayevsky tap, which is designed specifically for this.

Prepare a bucket for water in advance. In the upper right corner of the radiator you will find the Mayevsky tap, which must be unscrewed with a special key or a regular screwdriver. Don't forget to place a container where the water will drain.

Listen to the sounds that the battery makes: first you will hear a slight hissing sound, which indicates that there is indeed air in the battery, which means that you are doing everything correctly. Now water should drip from the battery, wait until the water runs in a thin stream and screw the tap into place.

There are times when eliminating the air lock in the batteries did not bring any results, and the radiators still remain cold, then it is necessary to thoroughly rinse and blow out the battery.

If this procedure does not yield anything, you need to look for the problem in the heating system itself.


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Residents of private houses and city apartments often experience air pollution heating batteries. This means that an air lock has formed inside the system, disrupting the proper circulation of the coolant through the pipes and, accordingly, preventing the home from being heated normally.

The main signs of airy batteries may be unusual noises inside the system, vibration of pipes, or too little heating of the radiators.

Reasons why air enters the system:

Incorrect installation of the system itself, in particular, failure to comply with the required pipe slope. Incorrect (too fast) filling of the system before starting work. Leaky connection of pipeline elements. Carrying out repair and restoration work after an accident - during this period, air entering the system is inevitable. Other reasons are also possible - for example, corrosion inner surface pipes or high air content dissolved in water.

How to eliminate an air lock in the battery?

To avoid airing while filling the system, certain rules must be followed. Filling with water is carried out from the bottom up, very slowly, so that the liquid has time to displace the air that has accumulated in the pipes. During the process, all taps (except those that drain water) must be opened; if water flows from the tap, this means that up to this level heating system filled as expected, and the tap can be closed so that the water rises higher.


If a plug has formed during operation of the system, you need to release the accumulated air. For this purpose, air vents are used - special devices for automatic or manual type: the latter are also known as the “Maevsky tap”. They are mounted in the most “problematic” parts of the system: on the end parts of radiators or in places where pipes are kinked. The figure also shows other possible locations for installing air vent valves:


An automatic air venting device solves the problem of batteries airing independently, without user intervention. If a Mayevsky tap is built into the system, you need to open it with a special key; at the same time, a slight hissing should be heard (with this sound air comes out of the radiator). As soon as it stops and water flows from the tap, the procedure can be completed and the valve closed again: this means that the air lock has been eliminated and the system’s functionality has been restored. published

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