With the chilly weather that’s currently hit Bristol, most of us are cranking up the thermostat in efforts to keep warm. Heating our homes can be an expensive ordeal, especially if our central heating systems aren’t working correctly. Avoid expensive energy bills and a poorly heated home by carrying out the following tasks.
Bleed your Radiators
Radiators filled with trapped air or gas will not be as efficient at heating your home. You can easily check whether your radiators need bleeding. When your heating is on, and the radiator is turned up, check for coolness at the top of your radiator. If the radiator tops are cool, then it is likely that your radiators do need bleeding to release the trapped air or gas that prevents hot water from heating all of the radiator.
To bleed your radiators, you’ll first need to make sure that your heating is turned off. Using a radiator key or radiator bleed key turn the radiator valve 180 degrees in an anti-clockwise direction. This will open the valve and release any trapped air. Don’t be alarmed if you hear a hissing noise as this is just the air escaping. When water starts to drip from the valve, then all the air has been released so that valve can be closed by turning the key 180 degrees in a clockwise direction.
Checking your Boiler’s Pressure
Checking your boiler’s water pressure is incredibly simple. Most boilers have a gauge or indicator dial, where you can check the pressure. These are usually on the front of the boiler, although they may be underneath, with modern boilers often having a digital display. A healthy boiler pressure should be between one and one and half bars. If the reading is below this amount, then your boiler needs refilling.
The next step is to check your boiler’s instructions manual to find whether you can refill your boiler yourself, or whether you’ll need a trained engineer to help.
It is a good idea to get your boiler checked annually as this will help reduce energy bills and locate any faults early. Always use an engineer that is on the Gas Safe Register, like our team.
If you’ve checked your central heating and are finding that it still doesn’t heat your home efficiently, we can arrange for a heating engineer in Bristol to visit your home and carry out checks on your central heating system.
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