A well maintained boiler is a great money saver in any home. It’s cheaper to run your boiler efficiently, and it’s less likely to break down and need expensive repairs. Keep your home warm without boosting your bills with some simple ways to improve your boiler’s efficiency.
Service Your Boiler
Boiler servicing is an important part of keeping your boiler in top condition. Make sure you hire a Gas Safe engineer to service your boiler once a year. This service makes sure everything inside the boiler is running correctly and safely. The engineer can spot any issues that might become bigger problems.
Keep The Boiler Clean
Dusting the boiler might not be an obvious part of your cleaning routine, but a clean boiler can actually run better. Keeping the dust at bay protects the pipes from becoming clogged and causing poor performance.
You can also have a professional come in to give the boiler a power clean inside, which clears out any sludge settled inside, giving your boiler the best option to work properly.
Bleed Your Radiators
A bled radiator runs more efficiently, so you’ll improve your heating costs by making sure you remember to bleed your radiators. Turn on the heating and check the radiators. If they have cold spots, or the heating is taking a while to come through, then they need to be bled. Make sure you do this task regularly to keep your heating working properly and to maintain an energy efficient boiler.
Insulate The Pipes
In cold weather, pipes can freeze, which can cause real problems for your boiler. To prevent this from happening, insulate the pipes. Wrap them in foam to stop them losing heat, and will keep water in the pipes hot for longer.
Turn On The Heating
It might seem counter-intuitive, but run the boiler occasionally during the summer. A boiler that is left off for too long can seize up. You don’t want to turn the boiler on during the first cold snap to find it’s stopped working. When it’s warm, run the heating for ten to fifteen minutes occasionally to keep things working properly.
Give It Some Space
Many boilers are in the airing cupboard or a storage cupboard. If your boiler is packed in tight with towels, winter coats and spare shoes, it doesn’t have room to ventilate properly, which makes it run less efficiently. Tidy up the space around the boiler and give it space to breathe.
Know What Problems To Look For
Don’t just ignore the boiler until service time and assume everything is fine. Make sure you give the boiler a quick check on a regular basis and look out for anything strange. Spotting a small problem and calling an engineer can mean you have a small, inexpensive repair instead of an issue developing into a major problem that needs an expensive replacement.
Listen out for clunking noises, and look for any cracks, leaks or black, sooty marks on or around the boiler. If you notice anything, call an engineer and have it checked.
