Turning the heating back on safely.

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Turning the heating back on safely. Posted On 07 September 2020

Your boiler hasn’t been used for heating very much over the past few summer months, if at all, so now’s the time to make sure everything’s running smoothly.

Being safe is of the utmost importance because even a small error could result in the absence of a boiler until it’s replaced or fixed, and this could take months, meaning a very cold autumn indeed. Follow our guide on how best to prepare.

Bleed your radiators.

Since you haven’t been using your central heating system, you’ve probably not noticed whether or not your radiators have stopped working effectively over the summer. It only takes one radiator which isn’t heating up fully like the others to qualify it needing bleeding.

Bleed any underperforming radiators to remove trapped air. It’s also worth noting that thermostatic radiator valves can become stuck if they’ve been left closed for long periods of time, which means they won’t work when it comes to turning the heating on again, so it’s important to keep them open as much as you can during the summer months.

Switch your boiler on gradually.

Again, you’ve probably had your radiator switched off for most of the the summer period, though it’s a good rule of thumb to be aiming to fire it up once or twice a month to help prevent a build-up of things like dust and corrosion, whilst also helping to flag up any other potential issues before switching back on permanently when the weather gets colder. If you haven’t been doing this throughout summer, worry not because there’s still time for you to be doing it before the colder part of autumn arrives.

Check for faults.

During long periods of inactivity is when problems with your boiler are most likely to occur. When heating systems sound like a kettle boiling when you turn it on, this could mean a build-up of sludge or limescale on your boiler’s heat exchanger, known as kettling. This can result in restricting the flow of water within the heat exchanger, causing it to overheat, steam and boil. Ensure there are no issues with your gas supply before trying to reignite the pilot light. This could be caused by a broken thermocouple that’s stopping the gas supply or maybe even a draught blowing the light out altogether.

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