Every year as the cold weather approaches, 23,000 council properties start switching on the central heating and it will be a busy time for our engineers to fix any problems.
Boilers can stop working if they are not used regularly. It is advisable to run your central heating system at least 1 hour every day throughout winter to make sure it continues to run smoothly.
Here's how you can check your central heating is working -
Turn the boiler on and adjust the temperature
First turn the boiler on. During winter, the Energy Saving Trust recommends that your heating should be set to between 18 degrees and 21 degrees centigrade. Try testing in this range at first and increase the temperature if needed to check the heating.
Check your radiators
Once the heating is on, give it a few minutes to start working, then check each radiator to see if it is getting warm. If you notice cold spots at the top of your radiator it might need bleeding. We advise that you get in touch with us if you notice cold spots.
If everything is working properly, there is no need to get in touch.
If your central heating is not working as expected, check the below common problems.
Pilot light
Some boilers have a permanent pilot light. If this has blown out, it will need to be re-lit. Only attempt to do this if you know how and feel it can be done safely.
Time settings
Your thermostat might be set to come on at a specific time or may have been accidentally changed since you last used your central heating. Double check it is set to work at the time you are testing the heating.
If your central heating is still not working as expected, contact us.