Getting ready for the colder weather 

British Summer Time (BST) officially ends on Sunday, 29 October, when clocks are put back by one hour.

As we move into the typically colder months of Autumn and Winter, now is a great time to check your boiler and radiators are working properly. By taking a few minutes to do some simple checks, you can often avoid serious problems and if you do find any issues, get in touch, and we can arrange to get it fixed.

Check the settings on your boiler

If you have hot water but no heating, check the settings on your boiler.

Your boiler might be set to hot water only (Summer setting) instead of hot water AND heating (Winter setting). You’d be surprised how many people are caught out by this each year, as people often do this to save energy during the warmer months, and it is easy to forget to adjust it again once it gets colder.

Checking this now can avoid an expensive and unnecessary call out for a specialist gas engineer to attend.

Bleed your radiators

It is important to bleed your radiators regularly to remove any trapped air. Air trapped in the radiator will prevent it from heating up correctly and to the temperature you have set. 

1. Turn off your heating and let the radiators cool down before bleeding them.
2. To bleed a radiator valve, you will need a special key. You can buy these in DIY or hardware shops or online by searching for ‘radiator key’.
3. After bleeding a radiator, make sure you check the pressure on your boiler and if necessary, re-pressurise the heating system. It’s simple to do but if you’re not sure how to do this, get in touch.

An example of a radiator key

More information

For more information about how to use your boiler and radiators or if you think there might be an issue with them, call 0300 131 7300 or email isha@isha.co.uk.

Above photo by he gong on Unsplash

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