Is Air Killing Your Boiler? Andrew Tyler’s Guide to Deaeration for Horsham & Adur Homeowners

The Hidden Threat to Your Boiler: Why Air in Your Heating System is Costing You Money.

Hello, I’m Andrew Tyler, a certified gas engineer with Prime Boiler Care, and I specialise in keeping the homes of Horsham, Southwater, Storrington, Billingshurst, Steyning, Henfield, Pulborough, Shoreham-by-Sea, Lancing, Southwick, Sompting, and neighbouring areas running efficiently.

Today, I want to talk about a common issue I find on many call-outs across West Sussex: air in your central heating system. 

While you might think a quick radiator bleed is enough, the impact of unwanted air is often much more damaging to your boiler and components than homeowners realise, leading to serious inefficiencies and potentially costly boiler breakdowns.

Are Microbubbles Causing Cold Spots in Your Radiators?

If you've noticed noisy radiators, radiator cold spots, or that your heating is just not putting out the warmth it should in your Shoreham-by-Sea or Horsham home, air is the likely culprit. 

While a manual bleed or a system flush might offer a short-term fix, these problems almost always return because the root cause—the presence of microbubbles—hasn't been properly addressed.

Microbubbles are tiny air bubbles trapped within your system's water. 

For long-term system efficiency and reliability, especially with modern, high-efficiency boilers, these need to be effectively and continuously removed.

The Real Enemy: Magnetite and Oxygen.

Most people are familiar with sludge (magnetite or iron oxide) that can clog up systems, but they rarely connect it back to air. 

The formation of this destructive sludge is only possible when oxygen and water combine. 

The oxygen, largely coming from the air in your system, reacts with the metal components—the boiler’s heat exchanger, radiators, and pipes—causing corrosion. 

This magnetite then blocks pipes, valves, and pump impellers, leading to component failure. 

When I see a high volume of magnetite in a system, I know there is a deeper problem with air ingress and that boiler corrosion prevention is urgently needed.

Understanding the Different Types of Air

In your heating system, air exists in three forms:

1. Free Air: This is the air you find at the top of radiators, easily released by bleeding. It enters the system through things like leaks, maintenance work, or incorrect system pressure.

2. Dissolved Gases: These bubbles develop naturally when pressure or temperature changes within the system.

3. Microbubbles: These are so small they are trapped within the water itself and are released as the water temperature increases.

The microbubbles and dissolved gases are unavoidable because water naturally contains them. 

If microbubbles are left untreated, they can't be easily bled out and are eventually reabsorbed into the water as dissolved gases, fuelling the corrosive reaction that creates magnetite.

Why You Need a Deaerator for Long-Term Protection

For a long time, an Automatic Air Vent (AAV) was thought to be the solution, and while it helps with free air, it does very little to remove those destructive microbubbles.

The proper and effective removal of microbubbles requires a deaerator, a specialist piece of equipment designed to capture and remove the smallest air particles. 

I typically fit a reliable unit, like the SpiroVent RV2, on the flow pipe at the hottest point of the system—usually near the boiler. 

This is where microbubbles form due to the temperature increase, and the deaerator immediately removes them before they can compromise your system.

Leaving air in your central heating system is essentially throwing money away, as it can increase energy use by up to 6%, leading to unnecessarily high heating bills for residents in Lancing, Steyning, or anywhere in our service area. 

More importantly, it dramatically increases the risk of component breakdown caused by that magnetite contamination.

Unlike just adding chemical inhibitor or fitting a dirt separator—which only treat the symptoms—boiler deaeration offers true long-term boiler protection by preventing the problem from ever taking hold. 

It is the most effective way to ensure your heating system remains reliable and efficient for years to come.

Need Boiler Deaeration or a Central Heating System Health Check in West Sussex?

If you are experiencing cold spots, noisy pipes, or you're concerned about your system's efficiency, don't wait for a costly breakdown. 

Contact Prime Boiler Care today for professional, effective deaeration installation in Horsham and Adur Districts.

Call Andrew Tyler for a free, no-obligation quote.

Prime Boiler Care

Suite 54, Standby Business Centre

Foundry Lane

Horsham, West Sussex, RH13 5PX

01403 814602