Is Your Boiler Ready for the Winter?
When winter is on its way, temperatures drop significantly and heating your home becomes a priority. Many people find that their boilers experience issues when the weather begins cooling down which can be frustrating when you’re trying to keep warm.
There are several things you can do to ensure that your boiler is ready for the winter. After reading this post, you’ll be left with a better sense of how to prepare your boiler for the winter months.
At Bog Standard Plumbing and Heating, you can receive a range of services that include boiler installations and repairs. Our gas engineers are qualified to carry out installations and repairs to make sure that your boiler is in the best conditions for winter.
Our services are carried out in Stourbridge and any areas within a one-hour distance. This includes Dudley, Birmingham, and Bromsgrove.
Boiler Servicing
One of the best ways to get your home ready for winter is to have your boiler serviced before the cold weather sets in. This ensures that you won’t have any nasty surprises when you go to switch on the boiler when it’s cold. Ideally, you should get your boiler serviced once a year around September.
This also prevents any issues from becoming worse and saves you money.
Bleeding Radiators
If you’ve had your boiler serviced and still found that your home isn’t feeling as warm as it should, there could be blockages in your radiators. A simple fix for this is to bleed your radiators.
You can use an inexpensive radiator key to bleed your radiators and get rid of anything that could be blocking the heat from reaching them. Check out some tutorials online to do it yourself or contact us to have one of our experts do the job for you.
Protect Your Pipes
It’s common for pipes to freeze during the cold winter months which can lead to more serious issues, such as a burst pipe. Avoiding this is best because it can be difficult to fix. Therefore, make sure that you use pipe-lagging.
This is a readymade product that can be purchased cheaply and added to your pipes to prevent them from freezing and bursting. One of the best things about pipe lagging is that it’s easy to apply and can last for years.
Boiler Pressure
The gauge on your boiler should be giving you a pressure reading of 1-1.5 bar. In cases where it’s reading less than 1 bar, you can increase the pressure yourself by using the manufacturer's instructions.
However, if you’d prefer to not change the boiler pressure yourself, one of our experts can come out and increase the pressure.
Furthermore, it’s not normal for the pressure in boilers to drop. So, if you find that the pressure keeps dropping, there’s likely something wrong and you should have the boiler inspected by a gas engineer.
Testing
Testing your boiler and making sure that your heating and hot water are working correctly before winter comes is a good idea. Try turning on the heating and checking if all the radiators are warm enough.
This will help you to gauge whether you think the boiler isn’t working as it should or whether it’s working properly. If not, you’ve given yourself some time to call out an engineer to service or repair the boiler to be ready for the winter.
System Filters
System filters are accessories that ensure your boiler is running efficiently. These tools provide you with an indication of the performance of your boiler so that you can consider whether you need to call out an engineer for repairs or services.
Not to mention, magnetic system filters can be effective at getting rid of debris in the water of your boiler to prevent pipes from being clogged.
Cleaning Your Boiler
Cleaning your boiler can be a quick and effective method to make sure that it’s working efficiently for the winter. You can remove debris and dirt to prevent the boiler from becoming blocked.
Thermostat Issues
If you find that your boiler is reading different temperatures or not being responsive, it may need to be replaced. You can simply replace the batteries in the thermostat and see if it starts reading the boiler temperature more accurately.
If not, you may want to get an engineer out to check what the issue could be.
Conclusion
Now that you know more about how to make sure your boiler is ready for winter, we hope that you’re feeling more confident about keeping your home warm over the colder months.
If you need help with anything or you’re feeling unsure about the efficiency of your boiler, call us on 0330 113 2248. You can also request a quote for a wide range of boiler services and repairs.