Maintaining your boiler properly will require professional care eventually, there’s plenty that you can do to keep your Boiler installation in good repair without having any expertise or special knowledge.
With that in mind, here are eight boiler maintenance tips that will help you keep warm and safe, while also protecting your wallet.
1. Get Annual Boiler Service
Much like a car, your boiler is a large, important machine that needs routine tending to.
So many boiler issues can be mitigated or outright prevented with just a little bit of pre-emptive care. And it goes without saying that if there’s a problem that puts you or your family at risk, you’d want to know about it and fix it.
Furthermore, all of the best boiler technicians in East York will be able to identify and resolve a whole host of issues before they get out of hand. This will save you from being caught unaware in the future should the boiler break down due to these unaddressed issues, leaving you with a cold house and expensive bill.
2. Keep the Boiler Ventilated
Boilers need space in order to function properly. Typically, people will treat their boiler rooms as additional storage, which is fine, so long as the stored goods don’t begin to crowd the boiler itself.
Make sure that coats or other items aren’t hung over the boiler and it has a good 700 mm separation from the wall to ensure that it’s working properly.
3. Check Insulation
When transferring heat, one small, exposed area can mean a dramatic reduction in the boiler’s effectiveness.
That’s because if the boiler is not properly insulated, then heat will escape, reducing the boiler’s efficiency. Make sure that the insulation around your boiler is intact and routinely check to make sure there aren’t any holes or weak spots.
In other words, it pays to make sure that the insulation is doing its job.
4. Keep Your Water Pressure Up
Water pressure is what keeps that hot water circulating around the pipes and radiators and keeping your home comfortable and warm. As such, it’s important to check the pressure gauge to make sure that the water pressure is at the appropriate levels (you can find the appropriate levels in the manual for the unit).
You could always adjust the pressure yourself if it’s too high or low. If you aren’t sure how to do this, or need a little extra help, contact a boiler expert or repair service in East York.
5. Bleed the Radiators
As time goes on, air may become trapped in your radiators. These air pockets will prevent the radiator from operating at full capacity because they can form cold patches that prevent heat dispersal.
The way to rid your radiators of these air pockets is by bleeding the radiator. “Bleeding” in this instance means opening a valve to let trapped air out. You’ll want to keep the valve tight, however, as if you loosen it too much, water could shoot out.
You can do this on your own, but if you’re having trouble, call in a boiler repair service in East York.
6. Switch on Your Heating Regularly
Like we mentioned at the top, you never want to be caught unprepared by a boiler issue. They can be expensive and time-consuming to fix.
In that spirit, you’re always better off turning the boiler on about once a month for a few minutes to make sure it’s working. This is also great for spotting problems early before they develop into major issues.
7. Check for Warning Signs
While boiler experts in East York are great at identifying and solving issues with your boiler, they don’t live at your house. But you do—and that means you can easily monitor your boiler and detect early warning signs of trouble.
Getting your boiler serviced annually is a great way to delegate most of the work to technicians, but it always pays to be vigilant. Look out for:
- Leaking or dripping from the pipes
- Pilot light going out
- Whistling noises
- Banging noises
- Boiler switching itself off
Those are the issues that can be settled with a boiler repair service in East York and aren’t emergencies.
On the other hand, if you smell gas or begin to feel woozy and don’t know why, evacuate immediately and call emergency services. This could be a sign of a carbon monoxide leak, which could be fatal.
8. Lag Your Pipes
In the winter, your pipes are at risk of freezing and potentially bursting. This can be extremely expensive to fix (not to mention it will deprive you of heat in those cold months).
A good way to avoid this is by lagging your external pipes. This is easy and cheap to do. Just grab some lagging material from your local hardware store and wrap it around the pipes. It’s simple, easy, and a great investment.
