How to Bleed a Boiler System
Boiler heating systems are typically found in older homes. In this system, a boiler heats water that is sent throughout pipes in the base of your walls and into radiators. As the water cools, it is circulated back to the boiler, reheated and sent through the system again. Air can seep into the water lines, causing them to make bubbling or gurgling noises or preventing water from efficiently flowing through the system. Bleeding the system will remove the air. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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1
Turn off the boiler and write down the level of the water pressure in the tank.
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2
Check to make sure that the self-feeding water valve is connected securely to the boiler.
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3
Open all of the valves that lead to your home's different heating zones. These are located on the pipes that go from the top of your boiler through the water circulation pumps and to different areas of your home. (The water circulation pumps are integrated into the pipes that take the hot water from the boiler.)
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4
Close all of the shut-off valves. The shut-off valves are located on the pipes (the return lines) that enter your basement or utility room from other areas of your home and feed into the boiler.
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5
Connect a garden hose to one of the spigots on the return line. This is the line that returns the cold water to the boiler to be reheated.
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Place the unattached end of the hose in a bucket or near a drain. Open the spigot that the hose is connected to and the self-feeding valve to drain water from the line. Continue to drain the water until you no longer see air bubbles. Be careful when doing this as the water is extremely hot. Monitor the water pressure on the tank; if it rises above 25 psi, release the self-feeding valve until it drops back below that level.
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7
Release the self-feeding valve and close the open spigot. Allow the water pressure in the tank to return to its normal level, then bleed the other heating zones using the same method that you used to bleed the first heating zone. After all of the zones have been bled, close all of the zone valves and open all of the shut-off valves.
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Monitor the water pressure. Turn the boiler back on when it reaches the level it was at when you started.
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References
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