A brief guide on preparing your heating system for the winter season
The weather is dropping and the nights are drawing in, which means it’ll only be a matter of weeks until we all go for the thermostat and put our heating back on.
Unfortunately, after months of having our thermostats turned all the way down, it’s inevitable that for some homeowners, putting their boilers back on would result in them discovering difficulties exactly when they need their warmth the most.
As you deal with these emergency call outs, October and November are among the busiest months on the calendar for plumbers and heating professionals, frequently resulting in lengthy hours as you try to get to as many people as possible. While there isn’t much you can do to prevent a late-night call from a client whose boiler won’t switch on, there are things homeowners can do to assist maintain their underfloor heating in good working order, reducing the likelihood that they will need to make that urgent call.
Some fast heating tests you may perform now
Visual inspection: Locate the manifold and examine it as well as the surrounding pipes. Take a snapshot of any signs of a leak or anything you are unsure about and email it to your plumber. If you need to inspect those hard-to-see places, use a torch.
Tissue check: If you suspect a minor leak, clean the area with tissue and then wrap a clean piece of tissue around the point to keep it from falling off. Every day or so, check the area. There is a leak if the tissue paper becomes wet again.
Pressure check: Locate the pressure gauge for the heating system (this could be next to the expansion tank, which is usually a big red cylinder the size of a beach ball, built into the boiler, or sited close to the boiler). The gauge should normally be between 1 and 1.5 bar. Contact your plumber if it is higher or lower.
Check the batteries: If you have thermostats with batteries, check them and replace them as needed.
Turn everything on: Start the system by raising the thermostat to create a demand for heat. Open all thermostatic radiator valves and set any time switches to operate 24 hours a day. Examine all of your radiators for leakage.
Listen for noises: Can you hear any strange noises when you turn the system on? What kind of sounds are they? Do they come to a halt when the system warms up? Can you figure out where the noise is coming from? All this is vital information for your plumber.
Schedule a system service: This is the greatest approach to prepare for winter, but your heating engineer will rapidly get overworked as the temperature cools. Make an appointment early (like now) to ensure a trouble-free winter. Having the service completed early ensures that if anything needs fixing or replacing, you will have enough time to do it before the weather becomes bitterly cold.
