As we find days turning shorter, and the sun rays losing their strength than before, we know winter is at our close end. So no more that blazing heat, and no more a break for your boiler. It’s time when the temperature will start dipping down bringing in frost and snow. And we have to rely on our heating to get our home warm and comfortable.
But do keep in mind, that things might not always happen so smoothly and easily with your boilers when you turn them on at that time. To avoid any such difficulties to occur, there are a few measures you need to take during its off time, which have been discussed below:
Prepare for a Boiler Service: Servicing your boiler annually is anyways mandate to keep its warranty on. So if you are servicing your boiler, better to do it before the cold months and be sure of its safe and effective service at the time you need it the most. But at times, if your boiler is aging, more frequent boiler servicing is required. A trained and certified professional can easily identify any issues, small or big, and can rectify them as much as possible. An ineffective heating system can make your winter miserable. So summer boiler servicing is the best way you can prevent it
Make it work at intervals: Summer does not need heating. So most of us do the mistake of giving it a long steady rest. Even if its’ the hot season, turning on the boiler and your heating system every 10-15 minutes is very vital. That will give you the peace of mind that your boiler hasn’t seized and will provide you uninterrupted service when it’s cold.
Don’t let your pipes freeze: The low-degree temperature of the winter months in the Uk can cause the pipes to freeze and can make the boilers stop functioning. That can also cause leakages and pipe damage. To prevent this thing from happening, insulating your pipes is a must to do a thing before the winter months. Keeping them at a moderately low temperature throughout is also required for this.
But for any reason, if your pipes do freeze, you can defrost them by pouring lukewarm water on them.
Check your Boiler Pressure: Boiler Pressure is an important thing that needs to get monitored. Too high boiler pressure means excess air into the system and at times, it can even damage the system causing leakages. Bleeding of radiators can get the thing to normal to a great extent. But on the other hand, if your boiler loses pressure, it can be because of less water or air in it. More air or water moving out of the system due to bleeding your radiators or a leak can result in it. Boilers with low pressure give poor performance as it has hardly any air or water within the system to heat. However, it can be adjusted by putting extra water in it through a refilling loop.
Get your Radiators Right: Another thing you need to do before the cold season arrives is to turn on your boilers and look into your radiators. If you find the radiators cold at the bottom even after the heating is turned on, that can be because of the excess air in it. Bleeding your radiators is the best way you can get things right. But in case, you find radiators not turning hot ( especially at the bottom) even after continuous releasing out of the air, that might be because of the sludge in it. You can try cleaning it by yourself or take the help of a professional to do it.
Check the Boiler Flame: If you are using a natural gas furnace, your gas flame should be blue in color. A completely blue flame with a light blue triangle in the middle indicates the full combustion of the fuel. In case, it’s not the thing and you are experiencing a smokey yellow flame, it’s an indication of leakage, resulting in fuel wastage and CO emissions. Do consult with an experienced gas engineer and get the thing right asap.local plumber near me