Reactive Blog #11 - How to Bleed a Radiator in 4 Easy Steps

How to Bleed a Radiator in 4 Easy Steps

It’s getting colder outside unfortunately so its now time to start turning on the radiators, as they haven’t been on in many months due to this summers heatwave they may experience some issues, which means that they may need bleeding. So we have put together an easy 4 step guide on how to do this.

Turn Your Heating On

The first step of bleeding your radiators is to turn on the heating so that all radiators in your home come on. You should remember to wait until your radiators are fully heated before moving on to step two as you will need to build up the pressure inside the radiator to be able to get all the air out of them.

Check the Radiators Temperature 

Once your radiators are hot, you should go and check each radiator and see if every part of them is warming up properly. Be careful though, radiators can obviously get very hot and you could burn/injure yourself when touching them. If there are cold spots on the radiator, (usually toward the top of the radiator) then there could be air or gas trapped, this means you’ll need to bleed that radiator.

Time to Bleed the Radiators

Next, you need to switch off your central heating. You need to do this so you can safely handle the radiators without burning yourself or getting the floor wet when bleeding them.

When bleeding a radiator, you will need a radiator key. If you do not have one, you can buy one to hand you can purchase one at most local hardware stores, or you could use a large flat-blade screwdriver.

At the top of the radiator at one end, there will be a valve. You can attach the radiator key to the centre or put the end of the screwdriver into the groove. Hold the key or screwdriver with a cloth, and have another cloth ready to catch any drips, then slowly turn the radiator key or screwdriver anti-clockwise. If the gas is escaping, you will hear a hissing sound. Once there is no more gas, a liquid will come out and the valve will need to be closed quickly.

Check The Pressure

Finally, you should check the pressure of the radiators. You can do this by having a look at the gauge on your boiler. If the pressure is too low, you’ll need to top it up. You can do this using the lever or tap on your boiler, known as the filling loop.

Afterwards, you may want to run another ‘hot test’ to check that the radiator is heating evenly and properly. Simply turn your heating on, wait for all the radiators to heat up and check for any cool spots.

Still Having Troubles?

If you are still experiencing issues you can contact us at: http://www.reactiveinsurance.co.uk/about/#contactus

Reactive Blog #10 - Common Hob Problems and Fixes

Common Hob Problems and Fixes

Having a problem with your hob can be a really worrying issue, especially if you have a gas hob. We have put together some tips that will help you with your problems.

Erratic Flames in the Gas Cooker

Your gas hobs should give off stable a blue flame. If the burner is operating correctly that is. If the flames from your gas cooker look yellow or uneven, or if the flames even look smaller than usual, this indicates that there is possible debris in the gas burners or the jets. To fix this situation you should really get a technician to remove the burner assembly and inspect for blockages around the jet and the burner head. They should then clean these parts thoroughly with water and remove the dirt from the area. Do not attempt to do this yourself with harsh chemicals or metal wire as you will make the problem worse and it will make it cost even more to fix.

Gas Leak From a Gas Hob

Installing a natural gas detector or a carbon monoxide detector is a great idea to keep your home safe. A slight smell of gas is common from gas cookers, but if the smell of gas is stronger than normal or you are suspicious of the smell, then it is likely you have a gas leak somewhere in the hob. You should open your windows and doors to let air in and turn off the gas hob. Do not turn on any lights or light a match if the smell of gas carries on in the kitchen as it could be fatal. Call for repair immediately and do not attempt to fix the problem yourself as the results can be dangerous.

Turning on an Electric Hob Trips the Electricity

If turning on your electric hob causes your electrics to trip out, you should unplug any other appliances on the same circuit and reset the fuse box. Turn on the cooker and try again. If the electrics trip out again, you may need to have a technician replace the hob as it may be faulty.

Still Having Trouble? 

If you are still having troubles you can ask one of us at Reactive for help at: http://www.reactiveinsurance.co.uk/about/#contactus

Reactive Blog #9 - Top Tips for Landlords: Part 2

Top Tips for Landlords: Part 2

Letting out property can be very stressful and confusing at times, especially when letting to students. Finding the right tenant for you can be a tricky and long process, so we have put together some top tips that will help you along the way.

Overpricing the Property

Vendors will often try and talk up the rental value of their property to gain more interest in their property, but landlords this is not a good idea. They can easily check the reality by talking to lettings agents and researching online. In a price sensitive market, having overly high rent will mean the property could remain empty while the outgoings continue.

Poor Presentation and Poor Furniture

Due to property being so expensive, all sorts of people rent these days. Some as a lifestyle choice, but others because they can’t afford to buy a property. Many people will be renting long-term. Tenants will want a property that feels like just like home, not something that doesn’t feel theirs, so if the property looks like a throwback to their student renting days, they will either treat it badly or leave and find a better one.

Get Tenant References

Landlords need to know if a potential tenant can and will pay the rent on time. That is why you need to get a tenant referencing from them. It’s important to check employer and bank reference. References should also help determine whether they will be a good tenant who will pay on time and treat the property well.

Have the Right Insurance

Standard home insurance is not designed for rental properties. Landlords will need to take out a specialist buy-to-let buildings and contents policy that includes public liability cover, incase a tenant makes a claim against them for an accident they might have had in the property. You can also choose to take out rent guarantee insurance to cover unpaid rent if the tenant is still in the property. You will need to ensure that the letting agent is registered with the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) so that both the landlord and tenant’s money is protected.

If you are still having troubles you can ask one of us at Reactive for help at: http://www.reactiveinsurance.co.uk/about/#contactus

Reactive Blog #8 - Top Tips for University Living

Top Tips for University Living

Moving into your first shared house at university can be very daunting as there are so many things you need to learn to do very quickly that you have never done before. Such as paying bills, signing important contracts and engaging with landlords. Here are some top tips for you to make sure you have done everything properly before moving in.

Check over the Important Things

When you find a house that you like you should ask the letting agents for a full list of fees before you agree to the property. It is important to remember that letting agents cannot charge you to register with them or to show you around properties. If they ask you for money for this, it is best to report them to your university.

You should also ask to see a copy of the energy performance certificate. This way you can find out how energy efficient the property is.

If possible it is best to speak to the current tenants. They will tell you if the property suffers from damp and whether the landlord or letting agent is easy to get hold of when there is an issue.

It is best to have your tenancy agreement checked over by the student union, or even your Citizens Advice Bureau if possible. If there's anything you're not happy with that they find in the contract, you can go back to the landlord or letting agent and suggest changes.

Make Sure Your Deposit Is Protected

It is very important that you make sure your deposit is protected. This way you can get your deposit back safely. When agreeing to a property your landlord must do two things with your deposit. They have to protect it within a deposit protection scheme within 30 days of receiving them from you, and they must give information about which scheme they're protected with to you.

Know What Type of Contract You're On 

Students renting private shared accommodation can either have separate or joint tenancy agreements. If you have a joint tenancy, where everyone signs the same tenancy agreement. All tenants have responsibility for the rent, so if one person does something wrong or drops out. All tenants may have to pay their share. It can be difficult for one person to move out when it’s a fixed-term joint tenancy agreement, so know what contract you have signed before you decided to drop out of university if you don’t like it. You could be left paying rent when you don’t even live there.

Make an Inventory When You Move In

So you’re at the point where you have signed for your first shared house. Now you need to make an inventory list of what is in the house and what is wrong with everything (down to every scratch on anything). To do this, make sure you look thoroughly at the property when you move in and note it all down. You will need to give this to your landlord or agency. This means that if they try and charge you for anything that wasn’t you, you will have proof that it was already there.

Know How to Contact Your Landlord

Your landlord is responsible for most repairs in the house and some repairs need to be fixed within a certain amount of days legally. If they refuse to fix them then you can get advice from an organisation like Shelter or from your student union (who should be very helpful).

You need to make sure that you know how to contact your landlord and that you've asked them how all appliances work. That way you can talk to them about any repairs before they get worse.