Winter is coming. Thanks to TV show Game of Thrones, it’s a line we’ve all heard, but now it’s about to happen for real. The days are growing shorter, temperatures are cooling, and the sky above is looking decidedly grey. This means one thing: it’s almost time to turn on the heating.
According to research we carried out last year, half of all Brits switched their boilers on or by 11 October, which means time is fast running out. You have only a small window left to check that everything is still in full working order, so now is your chance to get prepared.
If you’re wondering what you can do to whip your central heating into shape before the cold weather really hits, here are a few of our top tips and tricks:
Organise annual boiler services
‘Fail to prepare and you prepare to fail’, or so the saying goes. Where boilers are concerned, this adage is an apt one. The best way to avoid breakdowns is by having yearly gas safety checks carried out, and in our opinion, the weeks leading up to winter are the ideal time to do this. With months of disuse giving problems plenty of opportunity to fester and grow, get a boiler service in before your boiler starts getting lots of use.
Insulate your pipes
It’s fair to say that heating systems can be temperamental, so it pays to take care of them. Some of the biggest issues homeowners face occur when the temperature plummets below zero, as this causes standing water in your pipes to freeze. This problem is compounded by the fact that water expands when it turns to ice, increasing the likelihood of ruptures and breakages. Most of the breakdown calls we get over the winter period, are due to frozen condensate pipes.
Luckily, there’s a simple way to combat this: by investing in some pipe insulation. Like regular boiler services, this cost-effective solution will reduce the likelihood of an emergency situation arising, as well as having the added benefits of improving the energy efficiency of your central heating and saving you money on your bills.
Check your pressure and radiators
Another step we recommend you take is to look carefully at your boiler’s water pressure before the cold weather hits, to see whether it needs to be re-pressurised. If you find it’s too low, you can easily do this yourself, as long as you have a filling loop or filling system installed on your boiler.
Whilst you’re at it, don’t forget to bleed your radiators to ensure your central heating is operating at maximum efficiency.
Although the days are still mild, the nights are already starting to get chilly, so we advise performing a trial run now for a couple of hours in the evening. This is one of the simplest ways to see whether anything is amiss and should you find anything, it will give you plenty of time to get prepared before the weather worsens.
Boiler cover
Last but not least, we always suggest taking out a 24/7 boiler cover service plan. This means that even if the worst does happen during the winter and you find yourself left without any heating, you can guarantee that a member of our team will be out as soon as possible to restore your boiler services and repair your heating system.
Get in touch with us today to find out more.
