Radiator and heating checklist
Most heating problems are a five-minute DIY fix caught in October. Left until the first cold snap, the same fix becomes an emergency call-out.
16 items
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The items
- Radiator keyCheap, and the one tool this whole job actually needs.
- Old towel or a clothFor the bit of water that always comes out with the trapped air.
- Radiators checked cold at the topA cold top and warm bottom is trapped air — bleed it. Cold at the bottom is usually sludge, which bleeding won't fix.
- Each radiator bled in turnTurn the key slowly until water rather than air comes out, then close it straight away.
- System pressure checked and topped up after bleedingBleeding drops the pressure slightly — check the gauge and top up via the filling loop if it's low.
- Boiler pressure gauge checkedMost want to sit between 1 and 1.5 bar cold — check the manual for the exact figure.
- Radiators balanced so the whole house heats evenlyThe lockshield valve, not the one with the numbers — this is the one most people never touch, and the reason one room's always cold.
- Thermostatic radiator valves checked for movementA stuck valve reads as a broken radiator when it's actually just seized in one position.
- Radiators checked for leaks or damp patches behind themA slow leak behind a radiator can go unnoticed for months under carpet.
- Boiler serviced annuallyAnything past the radiators is gas or a sealed system — a Gas Safe registered engineer's job, not this list's.
- Carbon monoxide alarm checked and battery testedNon-negotiable near any gas appliance — check it before winter, not after a symptom.
- Central heating inhibitor topped up if the system was drainedStops corrosion and sludge building up inside the pipework.
- Radiators dusted and vents behind them clearedA sofa pushed against a radiator blocks the heat as effectively as a fault would.
- Timer and thermostat settings checked before the season starts
- Chimney or flue checked if the heating uses oneA blocked flue is a carbon monoxide risk, not just an inefficiency.
- Any cold radiator noted for a follow-up check after balancing
Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.
Questions people ask
- How do I know a radiator needs bleeding?
- Cold at the top and warm at the bottom is trapped air. Cold at the bottom and warm at the top is usually sludge, which bleeding won't fix — that needs a power flush.
- Can I fix a boiler fault myself?
- No — anything past the radiators themselves, the thermostat and the pressure gauge is gas or a sealed system, and that's a Gas Safe engineer's job, not a DIY one.
- How often should the system be checked before winter?
- Once a year, before the heating goes on properly for the season — catching a slow leak or a cold radiator in October is far cheaper than catching it in a January cold snap.