Maintaining your gas boiler and heating system is not only crucial for safety, but it also ensures excellent performance, efficiency, and reliability. Now is the perfect time to ensure that your boiler is fully functional for winter. Follow these tips to make sure your boiler is ready for winter.
Ensure that your boiler condensate pipe is insulated
A condensate pipe drains all the excess water produced from the condensing process in your boiler. If the condensed pipe is 22mm or smaller in diameter, insulate the pipe or upgrade it to 1 ½ inch waste pipe. The easiest way to stop a condensate pipe from freezing is to protect it with thick pipe insulation. If the pipe is 1 ½, it doesn’t need insulation.
Bleed your radiators
Radiators need bleeding when they have air trapped inside of them. It is best practice to bleed all the radiators in the house because it will improve the efficiency of your system. Usually, there are 1 or 2 radiators that need bleeding, one of which will be a towel rail, if you have one, as well as the upstairs radiators. We recommended that you bleed your radiators once a year, even if they are working correctly.
Bleeding your radiators is an easy task and only requires a bleed key and a towel or tissue paper. I suggest you put a towel on the floor as well as some radiators have filthy water. Follow these simple steps to bleed your radiators.
- Prepare the area by placing a towel/tissue paper under the radiator bleed valve, as well as on the floor to catch water.
- Open the radiator bleed valve (half or one whole turn)
- If there is air, you will hear it coming out.
- Keep the valve open until water starts coming out.
- Once the water starts coming out of the valve, close it.
- Repeat the process with all the radiators.
Check the pressure of your boiler
Boiler pressure is the pressure of hot water running in your sealed central heating system. A low boiler pressure could prevent your central heating from working, and a high boiler pressure could result in failure. You want your pressure gauge needle to be between 1 and 2 bar. Anything less than 0.5 bar means you will need to repressurise the system.
Follow these simple steps to repressurise your system.
- Turn off the boiler.
- Turn both filling loops handles to match the direction of the pipe. You should hear the water flowing.
- The pressure should turn up. Watch the gauge and close the handles when you reach the right pressure.
- Turn the boiler back on.
Avid Heating’s boiler service not only helps you reduce energy bills, but also identify potential faults before they occur. Our Gas Safe registered engineers are highly trained and equipped to service your boiler.
Contact us today for a free quote.