Winter Is Coming – Check your central heating

Winter is coming and your central heating needs to be ready.

Boiler

The source of heating for your system.  You should service your boiler annually, primarily to check its safety and then to check its efficient operation. To ensure it operates efficiently we test the products of combustion and then slowly turn adjuster screws on the gas valve to fine-tune the mix of the gas and air, this will maximise the efficiency and save money on your gas bill.  A bit like fine-tuning your car engine on its annual service.

Pump

The heart of the system. The pump needs to be clear of air and debris. If the pump has just air in it then when it spins it will not connect in any way to the rest of the system and so nothing will work. If it is clogged up then it will not spin fast enough and circulate the heated water from the boiler around the system fast enough, this often causes the boiler to overheat and shut off without the radiators or the tap hot water getting any heat at all. A good heating engineer can tell if a pump is in trouble from the sound it makes.

Controls

In a combination boiler these are all packed inside the boiler on other systems they are on the pipework in the airing cupboard or boiler room. They open and close turn on and off and tick along according to what you want the heating to do. If any one of them fails the system may still work but not operate correctly. If you sense something is not right – a radiator staying on when is shouldn’t or a noise that does not seem right then its likely to be a control problem. Get your controls ready for the Winter.