Turning on your boiler is something many homeowners do not think about during the warm summer months. However, with the summer winding down and the cooler weather fast approaching, now is the time to start thinking about turning on your boiler, if you haven’t thought about it yet.
For many homeowners, the boiler has been off for 3 to 4 months. If this is the case for your home, the ideal situation is not to turn the boiler straight on when the cold weather arrives.
The ideal situation for boiler maintenance is to turn it on once or twice per month, even during the warm months. For the homeowners that have been doing this, the likelihood of detecting a problem early is much higher.
If you find yourself as a homeowner who has not done the monthly or semi-monthly boiler turn on check, it’s still not too late.
As the cold months have not arrived in Vancouver yet, now is the ideal time to perform checks and ensure there are no problems with your boiler.
Regular boiler checks will:
• Detect problems with the system, allowing for more time to address the issue
• Avoid dust and grit build-up
• Avoid corrosion in the pipework, preventing potential blockages
When you turn on your boiler to perform the check, you will be able to hear and see the heat being distributed.
To help ensure that your radiators are working efficiently, a good test to perform is to bleed your radiators. This process refers to draining the radiators of air build up.
Steps to bleed your radiators:
• Getting the radiator warm
• Turn off your heating pump
• Locate your radiator bleeding key
• Insert the radiator bleeding key into the radiator
• Turn the key anti-clockwise
• At this point, air and a small amount of water should be released
• Clean up the water that was released
• Turn the radiator bleeding key and close the valve again
• Run the cold tap for about 1 minute to adjust the pressure
If you find the radiator valve has seized up during the radiator check, you will need to call a heating expert to get the issue resolved before you are left in the cold.
If you detect a problem while turning on your boiler, there is still time to fix it before the weather turns and you are left in the cold. Call the experts from Universal Plumbing and Heating at 604-873-3551 for all your boiler repair, service and installation needs. We offer 24/7 emergency service; visit our website for more information.
An expected life span of a boiler is approximately 10 years. Boilers older than 10 years are often not as efficient and cost the homeowner a lot more money to operate. Our heating experts can offer professional advice and make recommendations that will fit both your needs and budget.
