Tips For Flushing Your Hydronic Radiant Heating System

Posted on

If you have hydronic radiant heating in your home, you likely are familiar with the comfort it can provide by heating your home with hot water underneath the floor. However, are you familiar with the maintenance that is involved with flushing the system? This helps get rid of any sediment in the water lines and helps the boiler run efficiently. Here are some tips that you need to know about this unique form of heating.

Become Familiar With The System

It helps to become a bit familiar with the system before you move forward with flushing it. You'll see the tankless boiler that is the key part of the radiant heating system that all water flows through. The water gets heated, travels through a pressure relief valve, and then travels through a pump to push the water through the water lines that go through the floor to each zone. The water then comes back to the room where your boiler is located, passes through the boiler, and cycles through the entire system again.

Turn Off The Main Water Source

You'll want to start by turning off the water source that is flowing into the radiant heat system. There is likely a valve on the main water pipe that goes to the heating system, and you can turn the valve to shut off the water. Make sure that it is in the closed position before you continue.

Flush The Water Out From The In Floor Pipes

There should be a way to shut off the water that flows into the boiler, with a spigot connected to that shut-off valve. You will want to connect a hose to that spigot and run it into a drain or out to your street so that the water can flow into the sewer. You will then close the water line going to the boiler, which will redirect water to the spigot. You can then turn on the main water source, and you'll see all of the water start to cycle through the system and out of the hose. 

Take a look at the quality of the water that is coming out of the hose. Do you notice that there is sediment in the water? This is what you are flushing out of the system. You can then turn off the main water source, close the spigot prior to the boiler, and disconnect your hose.

Contact a local HVAC contractor to learn more about heating system maintenance.


Share