How to Fix Central Heating Problems
When we talk about how to fix central heating problems, what we mean are mainly radiators and pipes. You cannot work on your gas boiler, or indeed, any gas device. Only a recognised engineer can do this.
And whereas it used to be that only CORGI gas registered engineers could legally work on a gas appliance, it’s now engineers which are on the Gas Safe Register, run by The Health and Safety Executive. This took over from the CORGI gas registration process on 1 April, 2009, and was brought in to improve service levels and benefits. Details can be found at the website www.gassaferegister.co.uk, or by telephoning 0800 408 5500.
Okay, lecture over, lets have a look at what you could do about your heating problems.
One of the main things that irritate people about their heating systems is the noise that it makes. This of course might be quite innocent noises, but it might also be a symptom of a problem, so don’t ignore them.
Radiators do make gurgling sounds, which usually means that air is in the system. Go around to each radiator and bleed them. Most people find that it’s the last radiator in the system, usually the highest one, that has the most air trapped within it. In fact, it’s a good idea to bleed all the radiators at least every couple of months, because trapped air means cold spots. Bleed by turning off the system and use the small adapter to open the bleed valve. If it’s hisses, it’s air. Let the air escape until the water comes out (be careful, it’s hot and catch it in something, as you don’t want to ruin the Axminster). If it’s not air and water comes out immediately, then it doesn’t need bleeding.
Another way to tell if the radiator needs bleeding is a cold spot near the top, as the air is not allowing the water up to the top properly.
If a boiler is making a noise, get an engineer into have a look. You could also ask them to have a look at the water pump, usually situated near the water tank, as a noisy system could mean a failing pump.
As well as the radiators, noise might also come from the pipes which may have become dislodged from their fixings, be rubbing against floorboards, or joists, or need fixing down properly. All these jobs can be tackled by the competent DIYer.
But back to the radiators. If it feels cold at the top, then consider taking it of its brackets and shaking out all the sludge and rust that might have built up in the bottom.
If you think that your system is suffering from a large build up of sludge and its slowing down in terms of its effectiveness, then consider a power flush. This should rid all the pipes and radiators of the rubbish that can effectively stop your system, working properly.
Particular sections of radiators that go cold altogether, could be symptoms of other problems. If the radiators upstairs go cold, then it might be that the expansion cistern, which usually lives in the loft, might have gone dry. Have a look and see if it’s got water inside and that the valve is working properly, proving it with a plentiful amount of water.
If the downstairs radiators are cold, this might mean you’ve got problems with the pump, so get a heating engineer to have a look. If some of the radiators are hotter than others, it might be that the whole system is not balanced properly.
Right, finally, if the heating shuts down, check a few things, but remember that you must not tamper with the workings of the boiler. Check firstly that the power supply is working. Is the fuel getting through? Is their a problem with the supply of gas, or oil. What about the pilot light; is that still working properly? And check that the programmer has not turned off the system because it may have reset itself.
And check the thermostats; are they high enough to keep the system, working? Also, have a look to see if the pump is working; if that has packed up, nothing is going to get hot around the house.
So there we are. Keep an eye on your heating system and make that it’s as efficient as possible.
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