With the nights closing in and the weather beginning to get colder, now is the perfect time to think about your central heating. It might not be the most exciting prospect, but it’s important if you want to have a cosy, warm home throughout the winter.
There are several things you can do to ensure your property is toasty when the temperatures plummet. Here are a few of the most pressing maintenance tasks to complete in the autumn.
Service your boiler
Every year, you should be contacting heating engineers for quotes to service your boiler, even if everything seems to be in good working order. Much like with a car, boilers need tuning up and it’s advisable to test them for potential faults, rather than wait until they break down.
A boiler service should not only look for any faults that are present, but also assess whether there is a risk that any of the parts could fail in the near term. A professional heating engineer will look at all the components to check them for wear and tear, as well as ensuring that there are no blockages or leaks within the system.
In addition, they will make sure that the boiler complies with the relevant health and safety legislation – something that is especially vital if you have an older device. When you’re looking for a professional to service your appliance, make sure you choose someone who is on the Gas Safe register, as this means they are qualified to work with gas boilers.
Bleed the radiators
You may not need to do this every year, but it is sensible to perform this task if you notice that your heating is not performing properly. Unlike servicing a boiler, this is a job you can do yourself and is relatively straightforward.
The aim of this procedure is to get rid of air pockets that can collect at the top of the radiator and prevent heat being evenly distributed. The easiest way to tell whether your radiators need bleeding is to feel the top and bottom of the devices and check for a temperature difference. A common sign that air has got into your system is that the top of the radiator will be cool, while the lower part will be hot.
On every radiator in the top corner you’ll find something called a bleed valve – it is a small protrusion that can be turned with a special key that should be supplied with your heating system, although you can open bleed valves on some models using a screwdriver.
Make sure you are prepared with an old cloth and a container to catch any drips of water before you begin. Firstly, turn off your central heating. Once you’ve done this, you need to insert the bleed key or screwdriver and turn it slightly – usually not more than a quarter or half turn – to allow the air to escape. You’ll hear a hissing noise as it does so.
Once water starts dripping out of the radiator (take care in case it is hot), you should close the valve and then turn your heating back on. You should now notice that the heat is more evenly distributed in your radiator. You may find that only one or two of your radiators have this problem, in which case you only need to bleed these ones, not the others that are operating normally.
Perform a power flush
Like a boiler service, a power flush is something you should do to your central heating system on a regular basis, although not necessarily every year. You’ll need to call in a professional to carry out a power flush, as the process involves using water at a high velocity, but low pressure, to clean the heating system.
Over time, all kinds of dirt and substances can build up in your pipes and radiators, which you will need to clear to prevent them from doing damage to your central heating. A power flush will forcibly remove all this sludge and ensure the circulation is working properly.
If you are installing a new boiler this winter, it is important that you do a power flush before it is fitted, as this will help reduce the likelihood of there being problems with your central heating system further down the line.
Temperature and timing
Although it can be tempting to turn the heating right up when you have a cold spell, it is not good for the boiler to be set at a particularly high temperature. All this does is make your boiler work harder, thereby shortening its lifespan and meaning you may need to carry out repairs more frequently.
The key is to choose a comfortable temperature, typically one that is not much above 20 degrees C, and leave it at this level for the entire winter. If you have an old boiler, it is also advisable to keep your central heating on throughout the year, albeit at a much lower temperature in the summer, as these devices can seize up if they are not used for a long period.
That said, most modern boilers will be equipped with an anti-seize mechanism, so this is not something you’ll need to worry about if you have recently revamped your central heating.