How to prepare your boiler for the winter 

There’s nothing more frustrating than your heating system failing on you as we get deeper and deeper into the winter season. 

If you’re suffering from boiler breakdowns, there are a few things you can do to prevent this in the future. Namely, spending a little time preparing your boiler for the cold weather. 

Here’s what you should do to ‘winterproof’ your boiler, at least a month before winter really kicks in: 

Get your annual boiler servicing in the lead up to winter 

This is the first (and most straightforward) thing you can do to prevent your boiler from breaking down in the winter. Get your annual boiler servicing done in the months leading up to the cold season. 

Your engineer will check for any wear and tear and investigate any signs of damage. You can go into the winter season with peace of mind that your boiler is in an efficient working condition after a long period of disuse. 

Get all pipes insulated 

It’s easy for any standing water in your pipes to freeze when the temperature drops. Frozen pipes can cause your entire plumbing system to fail, thanks to blockage or breakage. 

Luckily, there’s a simple solution. Pipe insulation not only prevents this plumbing failure from occurring, but it can also help improve your home’s energy efficiency and reduce your heating bills in the long term. 

Check your radiators are in working order 

It’s a good idea to check your radiators in the lead up to winter. You may find that you need to bleed them. And it’s actually quite simple to find out if you do. 

Simply turn on your heating system and check for any cold spots. If there are any, it could be due to air trapped with your radiator and they won’t heat up as well. Bleeding your radiators will rectify this issue quickly. 

Check the boiler pressure 

One of the main reasons why boilers tend to break down and stop supplying hot water is due to pressure dropping. Avoid this by checking the pressure gauge prior to the winter months. If it is too high or too low, you can attempt to re-pressurise it yourself. Otherwise, seek the advice of an engineer trained to deal with boiler issues. 

If you follow the above steps, you’ll significantly reduce the chances of your boiler breaking down when it’s needed the most. 

If it’s already broken down and you’re in the West London area, you can rely on one of our expert engineers to take care of it. You can book online or get a free no obligation quote by giving us a call on 020 8434 3644.