November 1st marked national radiator day here in the UK, with summer a distant memory now the clocks have changed, and with the cold winter nights looming ahead it is time to rely on your boiler and radiators to keep you toasty.
If you represent that brave few that have layered up with jumpers, the last bastion of the nation that must hold out until the toilet bowl freezes over before the thermostat is touched, then take heed when leaving it to the last possible moment, you will want to know your boiler is going to start!
The rest of us will likely have put the central heating back on by now, so it is important to remember some key areas of maintenance to make sure you avoid getting cold this winter or avoid having to call the emergency plumber,
It is time to dig out your radiator bleed key, that little brass tool that disappears the second you place it down anywhere (full exposure; I have to buy a new one every year…) and make your way around the house bleeding the built-up air on each of your radiators, some top tips for you:
- Check that the radiators need bleeding when the heating is on because the top of a radiator will be cold or cooler than the bottom, that normally means there is air in there that needs bleeding off.
- Remember after bleeding the radiators to double check that the water pressure in the system is at the correct level, you may need to manually top it up depending on your system.
- You should also book your boiler service in (if you have not done so already this year) to make sure it is in good condition and ready for the increased demand over the winter months.
- While the heating engineer is at your house you may also wish to enquire about how well balanced your heating system is, there are some basic checks they can carry out to determine if all the radiators in your house are getting good flow through them, and each of radiator is reaching a similar temperature.
- If your system is unbalanced, you can ask your heating engineer to carry out balancing for you or carry this out yourself with the use of a touch thermometer.
Wishing you all a warm and cosy winter!