SUN SAVERS
From checking your water pressure to bleeding your radiators.
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THE boiler packing up during a freezing cold spell is a domestic nightmare.
But carrying out a few simple maintenance steps now can avoid expensive callouts later down the line.
Here’s what you need to do now to keep your heating and hot water running during winter.
PRESSURE CHECK: Boilers will stop working if the water pressure is too low.
But you can usually tweak the settings on the appliance to bring it back up.
Around once a month, it’s a good idea to check the pressure is sitting at around 1.5 bars.
VENTILATE: If your boiler is in a cupboard, it’s important to make sure air vents are clear.
Clean them from cobwebs or dust every few months.
Avoid storing other stuff in the cupboard to ensure the boiler and ventilators have plenty of space.
VALVE CHECK: Make sure your radiator valves are open and working before turning the heating on.
If you have a thermostatic valve that is jammed or leaking, you can try to fix it yourself without calling anyone out.
There is a handy guide to valve fixing on Homeserve’s website.
The site also explains how to change a valve yourself if it is broken and you want to avoid calling out a professional.
BLEED RADIATORS: Trapped air within a radiator will stop it from warming up properly when the heating is on.
Bleeding a radiator means letting this air out and should be done two times a year.
It’s straightforward to carry out and you don’t need a professional to do it.
On its website, Homeserve has a guide with a video that you can follow.
BOILER SERVICE: A gas-safe engineer can service your boiler once a year and find small problems before they become a big and expensive issue that crashes your system.
Professionals will check inhibitor levels within the system to help avoid corrosion and sludge build-up.
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