Winter is a magical time of the year, with everyone excited for Christmas and New Year. It’s a time to celebrate, but your boiler breaking down is something you certainly wouldn’t be celebrating.
Throughout the colder months, central heating becomes a necessity. The cold weather means cosy nights are a must, and early mornings are a bit more bearable thanks to the radiators that warm your home.
Your boiler keeps you and your family warm morning and night, providing everything is working as it should. Of course, there is never a good time for your boiler to break, but there’s no doubt that winter is the worst time. Thankfully, you can take precautions to lower the risk of problems with your boiler.
Get Your Boiler Serviced
Having your boiler serviced yearly is one of the best ways to avoid significant problems. A gas safe registered engineer can look for any issues affecting your boiler and catch them early.
The best time to book a boiler service is during the warmer months. Gas engineers tend to be less in demand, so you won’t have to wait too long. As well as that, having it done before winter means your heating system will be ready to get when the temperature starts to drop.
Keep Your Boiler Clean
It’s a quick and easy job that can make a huge difference. First, keep the exterior of your boiler clean to prevent dust from clogging tubes or pipes.
Check Your Radiators
Turn on your heating and, one by one, check each radiator in your home for any cold spots. If there are any, your radiators are not working to their full potential. Thankfully, that’s easily fixed.
Bleed Your Radiators
You will occasionally need to bleed to ensure your radiators are working correctly.
To do so, turn off your heating and place a towel beneath the radiator valve. Using a radiator key, turn the valve anticlockwise. You should then hear the hiss of air as it escapes. Once the hissing stops and water is flowing out, shut the valve.
Monitor Pressure
If the pressure in your system drops, your boiler may stop working. Pressure drops occur due to water escaping into the system or a failure of the expansion valve.
Check And Insulate Pipes
Throughout the colder months, pipes may freeze over, resulting in your boiler not working.
To avoid frozen pipes, you can either insulate them or leave your heating on low during particularly cold times. If you have frozen pipes, you can thaw them using a hot water bottle.
Check Your CO Alarm
Carbon monoxide can be fatal if you’re exposed to it for a significant amount of time. Due to this, we urge everyone to install and regularly test their carbon monoxide alarm.
For more information, look at the 7 Signs Of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning to ensure you know what to look out for.
Call For Help Sooner Rather Than Later
If there’s a problem that you can’t/are not qualified to fix, call a gas engineer as soon as possible. Fixing a problem sooner rather than later is always the best option and could prevent further problems.
If you need your boiler serviced and need to find a gas engineer, make sure they’re registered. Visit the Gas Safe Register to find gas engineers in your area.
