How To Keep Your Family’s Combi Boiler Healthy
Lifestyle

How To Keep Your Family’s Combi Boiler Healthy

In the winter, we are so dependent on our boilers. They’re a lifeline to staying warm. We expect them to jump into action quickly and effectively, whenever there is a slight chill in our homes. Despite this, it’s still so easy to neglect our boilers in the warmer months – or forget they exist completely. Unfortunately though, doing so can have detrimental effects on the health and lifespan and may increase the servicing and maintenance cost of a combi boiler.  

There are plenty of simple ways to check on your boiler every now and then, making sure it’s kept in good shape. Most boiler issues are easy enough to fix with some DIY, and an occasional helping hand from an engineer. Taking good care of a standard combi boiler is cheap, easy, and rewarding and by doing so you are prolonging the life of your boiler so you don’t need to install a new boiler sooner than you need to.

Here are some simple ways to take care of your combi boiler:

Insulate your pipes

One easy way to help your boiler out in preparation for the drop in temperatures is to insulate/lag your pipes. This is easily done, with some readymade pipe lagging from your local DIY store. Simply measure the size of the lagging you will need, and fit it to your pipes. It’s a cheap and quick fix, that can have noticeable results on the performance of your boiler and the warmth of your family home! 

Insulating your pipes not only protects them from freezing over but also prevents any heat from being lost on your hot water’s journey to your radiators or taps. The more heat you can trap in your pipes, the more efficient your boiler can perform and the lower your pesky energy bills. It’s a win-win. 

Switch your boiler on regularly (even in summer!)

Another tip is to keep your boiler on its toes. Leaving your boiler unused and untouched for months can only lead to trouble. The chances are that when autumn rolls around, problems may present themselves. 

To avoid this, make sure to switch your boiler on once a month for a short burst of 10-15 minutes. This way, you can make sure your boiler is functioning effectively and isn’t just left to gather dust. 

How To Keep Your Family’s Combi Boiler Healthy

Monitor your boiler pressure

Your combi boiler pressure is a highly important element to be aware of. Usually, pressure levels are displayed clearly on the front of a combi boiler with a digital gauge. A healthy boiler should display 1 to 1.5 bars when switched off or 2 bars once running if it is to function efficiently.

If your pressure levels are clearly too high or low, there are things that can be done. For example, overly high boiler pressure can be fixed by bleeding and releasing any trapped air from your radiators. On the other hand, if your pressure has dropped significantly low over time, you can re-pressurise your system using your combi boiler’s filling loop.

Never be afraid to seek professional help if you want to make sure these tasks are carried out properly or to avoid any children getting in the way! 

System flush your boiler semi-regularly

Over time, the combi boiler in your family home may become blocked with debris or sludge. This is completely natural, but can actually stop your heating system from doing its job. 

Treat your boiler to a deep clean if you think this is the case. A professional flush of your heating system can have amazing benefits for your boiler’s efficiency, the temperature of your home, and the cost of your energy bills. 

Book in for an annual boiler service

No matter how hard we try to look after your boiler’s and keep our families toasty warm, problems can still crop up. To help identify these and nip them in the bud, you should always book your boiler in for an annual service. 

Make sure your boiler is checked by a qualified and Gas Safe certified engineer, to keep your home safe. Now is the perfect time to schedule in a boiler service, so your boiler is prepared and raring to go in time for autumn. 

You may find that an engineer recommends that your home needs a new boiler. In which case, there is plenty of time to arrange a boiler replacement. BOXT offer a wide range of only the most efficient and high-quality boilers around. What’s more, their ‘find a boiler’ tool makes it easy and quick to find the right one for your family. 

Don’t ignore warning signs.

Finally, if your family’s boiler is making any funny noises or showing any warning signs, don’t let these fall by the wayside. The longer you leave problems unaddressed, the more they can escalate and become expensive or impossible to fix! 

Claire x

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