If there’s one certainty regarding your central heating boiler it’s that if it stops working, it will be in the middle of winter! Boilers have a hard life, yet we expect them to be there to do the job, day after day, of keeping our homes warm and providing us with hot water on demand. How you can you make sure your boiler doesn’t give up on you when you need it most? Here are a few handy tips that will help.
Regular Servicing
A central heating boiler should be serviced annually. As these devices are doing their job 24 hours a day there are parts that will suffer wear and tear. These need replacing ideally before they come to the end of their expected working life. Get a specialist in to service your boiler each year and they will be able to renew any parts that are nearing the end point, and keep your boiler working efficiently.
Check Your Radiators
Like many people your radiators may not have much use during the warmer months, so it’s certainly worth checking they don’t have air in them. You can bleed radiators by turning the small connector at the end and waiting until water comes out. At that point you know your radiators are primed and ready for action when you demand it from them.
Check and Insulate Pipes
Pipes can easily freeze in very cold weather and those that are outdoors or in very cold areas of the building should be correctly lagged. Have a thorough check of all pipes when you start the system up – look also for leaks which can cause problems if they are not attended to – and make a note of any pipes that are not lagged, and you think should be. This could solve you a lot of problems if the weather becomes seriously cold.
Check Your Carbon Monoxide Alarms
Always check the carbon monoxide monitoring alarms before you put your heating system into use. Carbon Monoxide is a known killer and can occur in surprisingly simple circumstances, so check that your alarms are working and – if battery powered – replace the batteries often. It’s a small price to pay for keeping you, your family and your pets safe in case there is a carbon monoxide leakage.
The above are just a few tips that should help you ensure your boiler is ready to serve you through the winter and your heating will work when asked, and they don’t take up much time. Be safe rather than sorry and check each one off now.
