PLUMBING PROBLEM GUIDES

Radiators & Heating

Radiator symptoms and household heating problems.

Start with what has changed: a cold area, a radiator that stays cold, a noise or a leak. Choose the guide that matches the symptom before trying a repair.

Find your problem

Boiler pressure keeps droppingRecurring loss on the sealed-heating pressure display? Record visible readings and history safely, distinguish tap pressure and arrange assessment without repeated top-ups.Read the guide →Radiator cold all overFind out what to check when a radiator stays cold all over: heating demand, a familiar TRV setting, one versus several radiators and when to get a heating engineer.Read the guide →Radiator cold at bottomA radiator may have temperature differences as water gives up heat. See how to distinguish a persistent cold patch from ordinary operation, what to check using normal heating controls and when to ask a heating engineer.Read the guide →Radiator cold at topA radiator cold at the top may have trapped air, but other causes are possible. Check the symptom, follow a tightly scoped manufacturer-led bleed only when the system is clear, and know when to stop.Read the guide →Radiator leakingSafe damage limitation for a leaking central-heating radiator. Distinguish body, valve, joint and bleed-point clues and prepare a useful heating-engineer request.Read the guide →Radiator making banging noiseUnderstand radiator banging, brief expansion noises and bangs linked to water use. Record a useful pattern without bleeding, balancing or opening the heating system.Read the guide →Radiator won't turn offOne radiator stays warm or heating continues despite familiar settings? Compare local and wider patterns safely, understand TRV limitations and prepare the repair request.Read the guide →Pipe leaking at a jointWater around a pipe connection? Learn how supply, waste and heating joints differ, what you can safely record, and why tightening a fitting may make things worse.Read the guide →Leaking pipeLearn what to do when a visible pipe leaks, how to distinguish supply, waste and heating clues, when a known private stop tap may help, and when to call a plumber.Read the guide →Condensation on pipesWet pipe surface or escaping water? Understand condensation clues, safe ventilation, persistent dripping and when a plumber should assess the source.Read the guide →

Choose by symptom

Where a radiator is cold and whether other radiators are affected can help describe the problem. A symptom alone does not confirm the cause or establish that the system needs flushing. For heating leaks, the incoming mains stop tap does not isolate the radiator circuit; follow the guide’s heating-specific guidance. For unexplained wet pipework, the condensation guide helps describe moisture; it does not diagnose a heating leak or cover boiler condensate repairs.

Common questions

Does it matter where my radiator is cold?

Yes. A cold top, cold bottom and radiator cold all over have different symptom guides. Choose the pattern already noticed; a cold area alone does not confirm the cause.

Is boiler pressure the same as tap water pressure?

No. A sealed heating-system display refers to that circuit, not incoming mains pressure. Use the repeated boiler-pressure-loss guide for that symptom and the measurement guide for household supply pressure.

What if the radiator is leaking or stays hot when it should not?

Choose the leak guide for escaping heating water and the unwanted-heat guide for control behaviour. Turning heating demand off is not hydraulic isolation, and the mains stop tap does not isolate the radiator circuit.

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