The Best Care You Can Give to Your Boiler

Your boiler has an enormous task, repeatedly heating your home and your water. They are hardworking machinery and as such don’t come cheaply.

Even a small basic boiler will set you back a fair whack. Therefore, it’s worth knowing how best to look after your boiler and how to keep a boiler in tip top condition.

Our Number One Piece of Advice

Generally speaking, your boiler is ‘hands-off’ from your point of view. You shouldn’t need to go tinkering, and nor should you. However, the single best thing you can do to ensure the efficiency of your boiler, and to ensure it lasts as long as possible, is to arrange an annual boiler service.

Boiler service plans, or boiler care plans, such as the Ecosafe Worcester Bosch service plan, are the best investment you can make for your boiler. By having a monthly boiler care plan in place, you get peace of mind and free call outs should you need them.

Furthermore, annual servicing of your boiler is essential to its efficiency and wellbeing. At the service, the Gas Safe engineer will check all the working parts of your boiler and replace any which are becoming worn, before they cause a problem.

Now is the ideal time to look at boiler service plans and choose the right one for you. Get your boiler service booked in now before the hard work of winter really begins.

Regular Care You Can Give Your Boiler

In addition to boiler care plans, there are other simple ways you can look after your boiler and ensure it is working optimally.

1. Keep things ticking over: In general, particularly over the colder winter months, it is important to keep your heating on, even when you are away from the house. Keeping your heating on, at a reduced temperature if you’re away, will prevent freezing of the condensate pipe. Should this pipe become frozen, it can cause your boiler issues. By using a thermostat and leaving your heating on low even when not home, you can avoid this common problem. Similarly, in summer months, it can be beneficial to run your heating periodically as it acts as a ‘clear out’ for debris that gathers when the boiler isn’t in use. Just 15 minutes a week can really help.

2. Keep things vented: For many homeowners, the boiler takes up valuable space in the home. It’s tempting to use that space in the boiler cupboard for extra storage. However, for your boiler’s health, it is vital that flues and vents are completely clear, unhindered and not blocked.

3. Bleed your radiators: Approximately every six months you should check if your radiators are heating up as they should. Switch on your heating and see how long the radiators take to warm up, and whether they are evenly conveying heat. If you notice that some radiators are considerably cooler than others, or the top of the radiator is cold, then this could indicate air in the system. Bleeding the radiator isn’t complicated, but it’s important you know what you’re doing. For information on how to bleed a radiator, see our guide. If problems persist, give us a call. Your heating system may require a power flush. Several of our boiler care plans include a power flush.

4. Call the professionals: Boilers shouldn’t be tinkered with and any concerns should be dealt with by a Gas Safe engineer. Therefore, if you’re having any problems with your boiler then it’s best to give us a call. It may be tempting to try and fix things yourself but in reality, it usually makes things considerably worse.

Once again, we reiterate that the single best thing you can do to optimise the efficiency of your boiler is regular servicing. To find out more about our boiler care plans, which are all suitable as a Worcester Bosch service plan, call 0333 9390161.