5 Ways to Keep Your Boiler Ready For Winter

We are lucky to have tolerably mild weather in the United Kingdom. Nonetheless, there are times we experience cold snaps during the winter season. At this point, the temperatures usually drop significantly to the lowest level. Freezing temperatures in the UK can last for some weeks. During these freezing days, it is important that you keep your house warm.

Highly experienced teams recommend checking your heating systems regularly. It doesn’t mean you should obsess with your installations. You just have to take care of them on a scheduled basis throughout the year. That’s why you might find useful iHeat‘s website. A boiler lifetime relies upon maintenance and regular inspections.

Here is a guide on how to plan ahead of the winter weather to ensure your boiler is ready and fit for the coming winter days:

1. INSULATE YOUR BOILER CONDENSATE PIPE: A frozen condensate pipe is one of the major causes of a broken boiler or boiler inefficiency during winter. This causes many homeowners to spend so much to fix on several occasions. Fortunately, you can prevent this problem from occurring.
   • Overview of the boiler condensate pipe: A boiler condensate pipe is a part of the boiler that is usually fixed outside the property to ensure access to wastewater Because the condensate boiler pipes are externally placed, they are exposed to harsh temperatures such as the cold snaps during winter. This will make water flow relatively slow, and the condensate pipe can become frozen.
   • Preventing the condensate pipe from freezing: it is good way to prevent your condensate pipe from freezing by making use of a waterproof cladding which is made of plastic. This can be only done by a Gas Safe certified heating engineer.
2. BLEED ALL YOUR RADIATORS: Your heating system can maintain its efficient state when you frequently bleed your radiators. This will also help you save some money while you stay warm and comfortable.
   • Why You Should Bleed Your Radiators: It is important that you bleed your radiators so as to expel the trapped air in them. Bubbles of air are known to get trapped in the central heating system. The accumulation of air in the radiators will make them cooler than usual. This commonly occurs during spring and summer when the heating systems are less used.
   • How to Bleed Radiators: It is easy to bleed radiators. Follow these steps to bleed your radiators:
     • Turn on your central heating system
     • Assess your radiators to identify the ones that need bleeding

• Then turn your heater off.
• Prepare where you want to use
• Open the bleed valve of the radiator.
• Bleed the radiators
• Then check your heater pressure.

3. CHECK YOUR BOILER WATER PRESSURE: Low boiler water pressure is one of the major causes of boiler inefficiency. This often results from frequent loss of water from the heating system. There could be an expansion vessel that needs to repressurised. It is recommended that you repressurise once or twice yearly. If there is a need for a more frequent radiator bleeding, you should contact Recommonded Plumbers in London to have our Gas Safe Registered heating engineer visit your facility.
   1. What is the normal rate for boiler pressure?: On the norm, your boiler pressure should be within 1.0 – 1.5 bar, which would be indicated by a green zone on the pressure gauge. If the gauge displays 0.5 or less, you should repressurise the heating system. You can do so by following these steps:

• Ensure the filling loop handle is at 90 degrees to the pipe flow.
• Ensure you can view the pressure gauge as you access the filling loop.
• Then turn off your boiler.
• Turn the two filling loop handles to align with the direction of the boiler pipe. You will hear the flow of water.
• Ensure you do not over-pressurise the boiler.
• Turn on the boiler and observe the pressure.

4. CHECK THE THERMOSTATS: A faulty thermostat can be so frustrating. When bad, a thermostat can make your room to become extremely hot or cold. A faulty thermostat will make the room temperature unbearable, and it will also consume so much energy, consequently affecting your energy bills. There is a need to check your thermostat frequently.
   • How to Identify a Faulty Thermostat: Turn on the timer on the thermostat to check if the boiler would switch off. If it doesn’t, turn off the boiler’s clock and do it again. If your boiler does not respond to your thermostat, contact Emergency Plumber for boiler repair.

5. PERFORM BOILER SERVICE: To ensure that your boiler is fit to withstand the freezing temperature during winter, you need to seek for a professional boiler repair services in London. When you opt for an up to date boiler service by a Gas Safe Registered heating engineer, your boiler will be in good condition to withstand the freezing weather during cold snaps. It will also be able to provide even heating and hot water on demand. You should expect your dedicated engineer to replace worn out or damaged parts of the boiler and also clean up all the parts. This will promote efficiency.

If you require professional boiler service, you can contact at 4D Heating and Plumbing engineers to have our well-experienced engineers attend o your needs.