We often get asked the question “How do I get my boiler ready for winter?”. To help prevent your boiler and central heating system breaking down when the weather is at its coldest, here are 6 tips to get your central heating ready for autumn and winter to make sure you are prepared.
1. Get Your Boiler Serviced
It is essential to get your boiler serviced each year for these five main reasons:-
- Safety of anyone who enters your property
- Keep your boiler lasting longer
- Save money on gas bills and repairs
- Comply with guarantees and insurance
- Legal requirement for landlords (and so shows the importance of this whether you are a landlord or not)
To ensure that your boiler works well throughout winter, having your boiler serviced in the Autumn is adviseable – as then it has been recently looked at, cleaned and if needed, repaired to ensure it gives you a warm home throughout the colder months.
Have a look at what we do when we service your gas boiler.
2. Power Flush Your Central Heating System
A ‘power flush’ of your central heating system removes any sludge, lime scale or iron oxide.
Dirty water in your central heating system causes heating problems and decreases the efficiency – meaning it will not be as hot, and it will use more fuel (and so be more expensive). Any build-up of sludge in your radiators will cause cold spots to develop and make your system work harder to heat your rooms.
Dirty water in the system is also a significant cause of both pump and boiler breakdowns, which can be both a nuisance, and expensive.
3. Bleed the Radiators
With the heating turned on check to see if the top of any radiator is cooler than the bottom.
If it is this will be because there is air trapped inside the radiator which needs to be removed by using a radiator bleeding key at the top of the radiator.
Worcester Bosch has a good article with instructions on how to bleed a radiator.
4. Ensure Your Water Pipes are Insulated
If the weather is really cold and temperatures drop to (below) freezing, then the water in your pipes could easily freeze up if your pipes are not insulated.
Not only does having frozen water in your external pipework mean you have no water coming into your property (and your pipes could also break) but also having a reduced flow (or total stop) of water entering your boiler can damage it.
It’s important to keep the water in your heating system flowing – so when it starts to get cold outside you need to make sure your pipes are insulated so the water doesn’t freeze. It’s easy to insulate your piping with ready-made foam lagging which is cheap to buy.
5. Check that your Central Heating Thermostat is in the Correct Position
If your central heating room thermostat is not in the correct position in your home then it could make your heating come on when it is not needed – and so waste energy – or not come on when you need warmth.
Thermostats need to be placed away from windows and drafts so that they can accurately measure the temperature in the room.
6. Compare Energy Deals
Are you paying too much for your gas bill? It’s a good idea to ensure that you’re on the energy tariff that is correct for you to ensure you are not being overcharged.
Most energy providers will advise you which is the best deal for you, but also shop around and see what other providers can offer you. If you are less worried about the cost of the gas you use, you will feel happier having your central heating on.
A warm home is essential for your health and to reduce the occurrence of damp and damage to your property.
We hope you have found these simple tips to get your boiler and central heating ready for autumn and winter – if you would like us to help you with anything (like having your boiler and central heating serviced) so you feel well prepared for Autumn and Winter then please do call us on 01395 267805, use our contact form below, or visit us in our boiler showroom here in Exmouth, Devon.
