More Boiler Maintenance Tips to Consider

Your boiler is one of the most important items in your home, and probably one of the most valuable ones too. Looking after your boiler will help ensure you get the most from it, both in terms of performance and in terms of it lasting longer and requiring fewer repairs. 

It makes sense, where possible, to learn some basic boiler maintenance tips, as this can save you money in call-outs to heating engineers, and it also helps you manage day-to-day boiler care which can prevent bigger problems from occurring. 

At Smart Gas Plumbing & Heating, we visit many homes to carry out boiler repairs and maintenance, and while we are always happy to help, we sometimes deal with problems that could have been avoided had just a few simple steps been taken by the boiler owner. 

So to help you help your central heating system, we’ve written the following tips. This is an extra guide - a ‘part 2’ to our recent popular post outlining some simple maintenance tips for your boiler. Taking this guidance on board will further help you care for your boiler and keep it healthy.

Ensure your boiler is ventilated

Boilers need to breathe, and one of the simplest ways to help them stay healthy is by keeping them ventilated. This is easy enough to do if your boiler is mounted to the wall - so long as you ensure you don’t place anything on top of it. Often, though, boilers are located in cupboards and it can be tempting to store things around them, from towels and bedding to coats and bags. This clutter prevents your boiler from breathing properly and the lack of ventilation can cause issues with its performance. Therefore it’s best to ensure the area around your boiler is left free, and you find another place to stash your bits and bobs!

Make sure your boiler’s pressure isn’t too low

In our last post we explained that if your boiler’s pressure is too high, you probably need to bleed your radiators. While this is true and a key boiler maintenance consideration, your boiler’s pressure can also drop too low at times. When this happens it needs repressurising, and you can see if this is the case with your boiler by reading the pressure gauge. The needle should sit in the green zone, between 1 and 1.5 bars. If it’s too low you can repressurise it via the filling loop on your boiler, if you feel confident and understand the instructions on your manual. However, if you’re not sure it’s best to contact a Gas Safe registered engineer to ensure it’s undertaken safely and you don’t risk further damage.

Turn your boiler on in summer

Most of us don’t need to use our boilers a lot in summer, especially if the British weather is being kind! However, it’s definitely worth turning your boiler on every couple of weeks and letting it run for half an hour or so. This will help prevent it seizing up when it comes to autumn and you start to need it to heat your home again. Look at it in a similar way to your car, which you know not to leave sitting on your drive for 3 months without turning the engine on or taking it for a run!

Check for carbon monoxide

Buying a carbon monoxide detector could, quite literally, save your life. These small units are inexpensive and can detect carbon monoxide - a colourless, odourless gas that is highly poisonous. If you have a leak, you need to know it will be detected straight away for the safety of you and your family.  

Clean your boiler

Your boiler will be cleaned inside during its annual service, and you shouldn’t attempt this yourself anyway as it can be unsafe and risk damage as many internal parts are delicate. However, simply dusting around the outside, underneath and on top of your boiler regularly can help it perform better. This is because it stops dust getting inside and helps to keep it ventilated.

Boiler maintenance help in West Yorkshire

At Smart Gas Plumbing & Heating we’re here to help: whether you have a boiler issue or would like some help maintaining your boiler and carrying out any of the above tasks. We work with different boiler types and brands, having in depth experience and always delivering a high standard of work.

We cover the areas of Heckmondwike, Batley, Cleckheaton, Dewsbury and Mirfield, and offer a friendly, reliable and trusted service to our customers, old and new. 

If you’d like to find out more about how we can help, wish to arrange a quote or have another plumbing or heating query, simply get in touch.

You can contact us by telephone on 07900417080, by email at info@smartgasheating.com or by sending us a message via our online contact form.