Winter is well and truly upon us and the last thing you want in the middle of a cold spell is a boiler breakdown. To help you avoid this happening we have put together a short guide on what you can do to keep you boiler working well all winter.
Get an annual service
If you haven’t already done this during the warmer summer months when your boiler is not working as hard, you should get one done now. Be sure to always use a Gas Safe registered engineer. They will check that your boiler is working well and that the various components are in good condition and doing what they are meant to be doing. This way your boiler will work efficiently, not only reducing the chances of a breakdown, but also keeping your energy bills down (if your boiler is working inefficiently, it is working harder to keep up burning more gas and increasing your energy bills).
Keep an eye on your boiler
You know your boiler and you will know if something isn’t right. Check the colour of the pilot light. If it is anything other than a mostly blue colour (e.g. yellow), or if it goes out, then get the experts in for a check. Also look at the water pressure from time to time. Ideally it will be at one bar and it should never any higher than two bar. If that is not the case, get an engineer in to check your boiler for you.
Check your radiators
Are they all warming up or is one (or more than one) cooler than the others? If you notice that one or more radiators are not as warm then you may need to bleed them – i.e. take excess air out of the system to allow the hot water to better circulate through. It could be that you have a sludge build-up, in which case you may need to power flush your heating system to get rid of it. Sludge build-up can cause significant (and expensive) problems if left untreated, so don’t leave it any longer than necessary before calling in the experts.
Look after your pipes
Getting your pipes insulated could be the difference between water freezing in them and seizing up your system and it operating efficiently even when temperatures drop to below freezing. The critical pipes are your boiler’s condensate pipes. If they freeze during a particularly cold spell then a boiler breakdown is almost unavoidable. Pipe insulation is another way of keeping your boiler working efficiently, and keeping your bills down, as your boiler will not need to work overtime to warm up cold water.
Need a hand?
If you suspect a boiler problem or want some help checking and insulating your system, talk to us at London City Plumbers. We offer free, no-obligation quotes – just call us on 020 8226 5499 and one of our experts will help keep your system working well.