Radiators will heat up hotter and faster after engineer's 1 simple job you can do yourself

As the cold weather sets in, keeping your home warm and cosy becomes a top priority, and every change, no matter how small, can make a big difference. That's why it's worth making sure your heating system is running at its best - starting with your radiators.

According to Boxt engineer Will Scholfield, radiators need bleeding if you don't suspect them working smoothly. Despite this task sounding slightly menacing, all it involves is allowing any pockets of trapped air to escape. If trapped air is left inside your radiators with nowhere to go, it will cause the radiators not to heat up fully, and become less efficient.

He warned that if left long-term term it could also promote corrosion within your central heating system.

It's simply something that needs to be done regularly to allow your heating system to be as efficient as possible and do its job of keeping your home cosy.

He said: "Bleeding your radiators semi-regularly (around twice a year) means your central heating can run efficiently, and you can rest easy knowing you're keeping a lid on your energy bills."

You probably have everything you need around your home already to bleed a radiator - a radiator bleed key or screwdriver, depending on the bleed valve type and a cloth or container to catch any leaking water.

Before bleeding your radiators, make sure to let your central heating system cool entirely and lay an old towel along the base of your radiator to protect your floor.

Next, find the bleed valve - this is usually located at the top of the radiator, on either side. However, this can vary depending on the radiator type. It is round and will have a square section for a radiator key or a slit for a screwdriver.

Then insert your bleed key into the valve and slowly turn anticlockwise until air starts to escape. When water begins to leak, turn the key clockwise to tighten the valve.

Repeat this process on all of the radiators, then finish by checking that the water pressure is between one and two bars on your boiler, and adjust if necessary.