How to Flush the Inside of a Radiator: Detailed Steps and Precautions
As winter approaches, the cleaning and maintenance of radiators has become a focus for many families. Flushing the inside of your radiator not only improves heating efficiency, but also extends the life of the equipment. The following is a compilation of content related to radiator cleaning that has been hot topics on the Internet in the past 10 days, as well as a detailed guide to the cleaning steps.
1. Why do we need to flush the inside of the radiator?

After long-term use of the radiator, scale, rust and other impurities will accumulate inside, causing the following problems:
| Question type | Specific performance |
|---|---|
| Decreased heating efficiency | The radiator part is not hot or the temperature is uneven |
| energy waste | It is necessary to increase the boiler temperature to achieve the desired effect |
| Equipment loss | Impurities accelerate pipeline corrosion and shorten service life |
2. Preparation for flushing the radiator
Before starting flushing, you need to make the following preparations:
| Tools/Materials | Instructions for use |
|---|---|
| wrench | Remove the radiator plug |
| Bucket/Hose | discharged sewage |
| White vinegar or professional cleaning agent | Dissolve scale |
| rubber gloves | protect hands |
3. Step-by-step flushing guide
Step 1: Shut down and drain the system
Turn off the power to the heating system and wait until the water temperature drops below 40°C. Find the drain valve at the bottom of the radiator and slowly drain out the water inside.
Step 2: Remove the plug
Use a wrench to unscrew the plugs (usually made of plastic or metal) above and below the radiator counterclockwise, taking care to retain the sealing gaskets.
Step 3: Rinse Operation
| Flushing method | Operational points |
|---|---|
| Rinse with water | Rinse the inside with tap water from a hose until clean water comes out |
| chemical cleaning | Dilute white vinegar in a ratio of 1:10 and let it sit for 2 hours before rinsing. |
| Backwash | Change the direction of the water inlet and outlet for more thorough flushing |
Step 4: System Recovery
Reinstall the plug and ensure sealing, open the water supply valve and inject water to a pressure of 1.5 Bar. After exhausting, start the system for trial operation.
4. Precautions and Frequently Asked Questions
| Things to note | Reason explanation |
|---|---|
| Avoid using strong acid cleaners | May corrode aluminum radiators |
| Complete exhaust after flushing | Prevent air blockage from affecting heating |
| Older cast iron radiators require more frequent cleaning | The interior is more susceptible to rust and scaling |
5. Professional cleaning suggestions
It is recommended to contact a professional for the following situations:
• The system has not been cleaned after more than 5 years of use
• There is a large area of heat loss or abnormal noise.
• Floor heating system cleaning (special pulse equipment required)
By cleaning the radiator regularly (recommended once every 2-3 years), the heating effect can be improved by 20%-30% and energy consumption can be reduced at the same time. Recent hot search data shows that the search volume for the topic "heating cleaning" has increased by 45% year-on-year, reflecting that more and more users are beginning to pay attention to this maintenance work.
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