10 Essential Tips for a Healthy Boiler

Our experts have put together this list of top tips for keeping your boiler healthy and getting your heating working effectively. If you are in any doubt about your heating, call in a certified professional as boilers and gas can be dangerous.

To keep your boiler working at its best, prevent breakdowns, maximise its lifespan, keep heating bills low and ensure it is protected by the manufacturer’s warranty, it needs to be professionally serviced every year

It’s important to arrange an annual boiler service, even if your boiler appears to be working fine. During a service, a certified engineer would identify any faults and ultimately ensure the boiler is running safely and efficiently.

Getting your boiler serviced regularly will help detect issues early, before they become a bigger problem further down the line. The small cost of a service may help to save from a significant cost during a boiler breakdown.

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It’s worth checking your boiler’s pressure gauge to see if it needs topping up. Ideally, you want to see a reading of between one and two bars; anything below one bar is too low and you’ll need to repressurise your boiler.

There is normally a pressure gauge on the boiler that shows if your pressure is about right.

How often you need to top up pressure will depend on the boiler you have, but checking the pressure gauge every couple of months will mean that you can keep on top of things.

If the pressure is low (below 1 Bar for most boilers) you can easily top this up by either following the instructions in your manual, or by asking your plumber to help you.

It’s important to check that your radiators are working properly. If they are cold at the top, then it’s likely that there’s air trapped inside. We recommend bleeding your radiators before the cold weather arrives, ensuring your heating system is running efficiently when you need it most.

if your radiators aren’t running efficiently, this can cause your boiler to work a lot harder.

As long as there are no further problems, bleeding your radiators is a task that you can do quickly and easily - and you won’t need to call a plumber to do it for you. It’s as simple as opening a valve on your radiator and letting out the trapped air that is causing them to not heat up fully.

If the radiators which are furthest away from the boiler are cooler than those near the boiler you may need to balance them. This isn’t as straightforward as bleeding radiators and you may need to call out a Qualified Boiler engineer for this particular task.

The process involves adjusting your radiators, ensuring there’s an even distribution of heated water to each radiator in your home.

Its helpful to use a thermometer to tell where your pipes and hot and not.

If your boiler flame is visible, check to see if it’s a strong blue colour. An orange or yellow flame indicates that there’s something wrong and you should call a Gas Safe registered engineer as soon as possible.

A faulty boiler can cause serious danger to you and your family, so it’s vital that you ensure that it’s always working properly.

One way to protect against carbon monoxide poisoning is to install an audible carbon monoxide alarm in your home. If the alarm detects carbon monoxide, it will alert you straight away. Alarms cost approximately £15 – £30 and can be found at most DIY stores.

Install your carbon monoxide alarm at least one meter away from your boiler (ideally within the same room) and you’ll be alerted if your boiler starts to produce carbon monoxide.

Tip: Remember to test your alarm at regular intervals.

If you encounter a serious problem with your boiler, don’t try and fix it yourself – always call a Gas Safe registered engineer who knows how to maintain a boiler system. If you’re worried about gas leaks contact the National Gas Emergency Service immediately on 0800 111 999.

It’s something you might not think of, but your boiler collects dust just like anything else in your home. This means that regular cleaning to avoid a build-up of dust is important in prolonging the life of your boiler.

Some say that you can clean your boiler yourself but if you are not a professional, cleaning the inside of your boiler can be dangerous. Not only do boilers heat water to around 60 degrees, they’re far from user-friendly inside. You may also risk causing damage to your boiler that could result in a gas leak, so it’s always best to call an expert.

To ensure that your boiler is cleaned safely and properly, a Gas Safe engineer should carry out the cleaning (which is a key part of your annual servicing). However, you can use a soft cloth to dust the outside of your boiler to prevent any additional dust or dirt getting in.

The external pipe is called the overflow pipe and if you notice it is dripping water, this could suggest that the boiler is not operating properly. A Gas Safe engineer may need to fix the pressure release valve. Find a local heating engineer.