It is that time of year again to turn your heating on and wrap up warm for the winter. It is important to check your boiler regularly, however, it often gets ignored. Boilers tend to break down more easily during the winter months. So it is crucial to keep up with maintenance for your boiler to ensure it is working correctly and there are no faults within the system. This ensures that it is safe, keeps your house warm, and prevents any costly repairs in the future.
Let’s take a look at our top 6 maintenance tips for your heating system:
1. Check Your radiators
One of the ways you can check your heating system is to feel your radiators to ensure they are working correctly when hot water is circulating. Ask yourself if they are completely warm or have cold patches? If it has the latter, it means your central heating is not working efficiently and needs to be power-flushed, as you may be wasting unnecessary money. You should bleed your radiators yearly too.
Bleed Your Radiators Yearly
It is important to bleed your radiator once every year to ensure it stays in good working condition. Over time, air can get trapped in your radiators which will prevent the radiator from heating up completely, which means there might be cold patches. You can release the air by bleeding the radiator. If you are unsure of how to do this or need some extra help, contact one of our engineers who will be happy to assist you.
2. Have Your Boiler Annually Serviced
It is important to keep your boiler maintenance up to and get it serviced once every year. This will ensure your system is working efficiently. At TMT Boilers, we offer an annual boiler service to check if there are any faulty issues and what can be done to repair them. Our engineers are always on hand to examine the safety of your boiler system and will be executed by one of our Gas Safe engineers. Remember that having your boiler serviced is more efficient and can help reduce your energy bills.
Find out How Long Will it Take to Install a New Boiler
3. Check Your Boiler Pressure
Remember to check your boiler pressure. For hot water to be circulated around the pipes and radiators in your home, the boiler has to be set at the right pressure. Your boiler pressure should be at one bar or in between one and two and not any lower, to ensure the boiler’s working efficiently. There will be a gauge on your boiler to show you a pressure reading, having a look at your user manual to double-check. If you need your boiler repaired, we can help.
4. Insulate System Pipes
Especially during the winter months, water left standing in pipes can cause them to freeze and cause blockages which can result in pipes bursting. Pouring tepid water over the frozen areas can be utilised to unlock and unfreeze pipes. However, there is a risk if you use boiling water it can lead to further damage.
5. Install Heating Controls
Another way to maintain your boiler system is to install a thermostat. This will enable you to control your temperature, and set your heating to turn on and off automatically on the days you require. You can set your thermostat to turn off once your desired temperature is reached. This means that you will not waste any energy, which will save you money. Some thermostats have the option to record how much you spend each day. Different thermostat models operate best with different systems, so it is best to seek professional advice from one of our engineers before installing one.
Common Problems With Radiators
If you notice any of the problems below happening to your radiators, contact us as soon as possible.