Gas in radiator???

[thediynovice]

Hi

Our bathroom radiator is constantly filling up with "air". I have to bleed it at least once a month.

I got a British Gas engineer round to take a look at it. He siad that it was actually GAS in the radiator - he proved this by setting fire to it as it gushed out of the bleed valve.

He said this was probably caused by the cleaning fluid not being flushed out properly when it was last flushed. He said that the only way to stop it happening was to drain the system and fill it back up.

Questions: (I have an open vent system)

Has anyone ever heard of this before?
What gas could get inside a radiator?
Why would this only effect one radiator?
Is the ONLY way to cure it to drain the system?

If I do need to drain it, is this a big job?
How exactly do I go about it?

The BG guy said that they would charge a fortune to do this, so if it DOES need doing, I'd like to try myself.

Many Thanks

 

[corgiman]

its hydrogen mate, caused by sludge build up within your system

draining system down and refilling it wont do much, you need to flush it properly, preferably with a powerflush machine as well as chemicals (sentinell ferroquest is good)

funny job flushing itsd like war, hours of waiting followed by breif periods of abject panic

good luck

 

[Dackers]

When you get your powerflush done, make absolutely sure that you shop around thoroughly before hand. I had quotes for mine for anywhere between £200 and £650! I know shopping around is an obvious thing but with variation in price like that it's worth getting more quotes than usual I think.

 

[chrishutt]

Are you sure the gas burnt by itself? I'd be sceptical about hydrogen collecting in that way. What did he actually do?

If it does need flushing, you could DIY - look at manual flushing in the FAQ topic.

 

[thediynovice]

He got a lighter, opened the bleed valve, and set fire to the gas that escaped.

It's only ever this radiator we have trouble with. The radiator in question is directly above the boiler which is located in the kitchen. The boiler is only 3 or 4 years old.

The British Gas bloke said that it wasn't sludge, as it looked quite clean. He thought it was cleaning fluid left in the radiator. Is this likely?

The radiator make a bubbling noise every now and again (as if it had just been injected with air).

 

[chrishutt]

The gas/air may be collecting in that rad just because of its position, but may be generated in the system in general. Do a manual flush and see how things are after that.