Five great boiler maintenance tips that will keep your heating and hot water running during winter
THE boiler packing up during a freezing cold spell is a domestic nightmare.
But carrying out a few simple maintenance steps now can avoid expensive callouts later down the line.
Here’s what you need to do now to keep your heating and hot water running during winter.
PRESSURE CHECK: Boilers will stop working if the water pressure is too low.
But you can usually tweak the settings on the appliance to bring it back up.
Around once a month, it’s a good idea to check the pressure is sitting at around 1.5 bars.
VENTILATE: If your boiler is in a cupboard, it’s important to make sure air vents are clear.
Clean them from cobwebs or dust every few months.
Avoid storing other stuff in the cupboard to ensure the boiler and ventilators have plenty of space.
VALVE CHECK: Make sure your radiator valves are open and working before turning the heating on.
If you have a thermostatic valve that is jammed or leaking, you can try to fix it yourself without calling anyone out.
There is a handy guide to valve fixing on Homeserve’s website.
The site also explains how to change a valve yourself if it is broken and you want to avoid calling out a professional.
BLEED RADIATORS: Trapped air within a radiator will stop it from warming up properly when the heating is on.
Bleeding a radiator means letting this air out and should be done two times a year.
It’s straightforward to carry out and you don’t need a professional to do it.
On its website, Homeserve has a guide with a video that you can follow.
BOILER SERVICE: A gas-safe engineer can service your boiler once a year and find small problems before they become a big and expensive issue that crashes your system.
Professionals will check inhibitor levels within the system to help avoid corrosion and sludge build-up.
- All prices on page correct at time of going to press. Deals and offers subject to availability.
Deal of the day
SUN readers can get £10 off Papa Johns pizzas when they spend £15 online for collection or delivery.
Use the code PJSUNSAVER10 to get the deal, which is valid until November 5. T&Cs apply.
SAVE: £10
Cheap treat
SMELL sweet with a quick spritz of this Powder Blush hair and body mist, £3.50 from Primark.
What's new?
GIVE your lashes some drama with this volume black mascara, new in at H&M for £8.99.
Top swap
GLAM up for a party with this pink velvet Ganni mini dress for £215 from Net-A-Porter.
Or head to George from Asda for a similar style that costs £20.
SAVE: £195
Leah's little helper
STAY toasty with this Silentnight comfort control electric blanket.
It is down from £35 to £24.50 at laredoute.co.uk.
Shop & save
SMOOTH skin with B. firming and plumping serum, down from £14.99 to £7.49 at Superdrug.
SAVE: £7.50
Hot right now
BUY six or more bottles of wine from Tesco using a Clubcard and you get 25 per cent off.
PLAY NOW TO WIN £200
JOIN thousands of readers taking part in The Sun Raffle.
Every month we’re giving away £100 to 250 lucky readers – whether you’re saving up or just in need of some extra cash, The Sun could have you covered.
Every Sun Savers code entered equals one Raffle ticket.
The more codes you enter, the more tickets you’ll earn and the more chance you will have of winning!