Test your heating, not your patience

Before the time comes for the yearly debate about when the right time is to put the heating on for the first time, it's time to give your heating a trial run to make sure it's working. 

40% of boiler breakdowns happen when people switch on their heating for the first time after summer, according to British Gas. Checking your boiler early makes it less likely that you'll be left without it later on. This also gives you the chance to report any issues ahead of the high demand for repairs which comes once temperatures drop. 

How to test your heating

To test it, just run your heating for 15 minutes at a high temperature. If when you do this, your heating doesn't come on, your radiators don't heat up properly, your boiler makes strange noises, shows an error code, or affects your hot water – try the following things:   

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). It is easy to forget to adjust it once it gets colder but checking this now can avoid an expensive and unnecessary call-out for a gas engineer. 

Bleed your radiators 

Air trapped in a radiator will prevent it from heating up properly and reaching the temperature you want - to fix this you'll need to bleed your radiator valve using a radiator key. You can buy these in DIY or hardware shops or online. 

Always turn off your heating and let the radiators cool down before bleeding them. 

After bleeding a radiator, 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 or need help, get in touch. 

If your heating still isn't working as it should be – report it to us straight away: call 0300 131 7300 or email repairsandmaintenance@isha.co.uk.  

Avoid added stress this year and check your heating before you need it.  

And don’t forget to give us access for your annual boiler service and gas safety check.