Getting your boiler ready for winter

Preparing your boiler for winter is a good way to avoid breakdowns, costly repairs, and disruption to your home. Here are our top tips to help keep your boiler working and home running smoothly in the colder months. 

Switch your central heating on regularly 

It might feel wrong to turn your heating on in summer, but it’s important to check everything’s working before you really need it.  It’s a good idea to switch it on for a few minutes every month to get ahead of any problems. If you do a test and find your home’s not heating properly, contact a Gas Safe engineer who’ll be able to fix the issue.

Insulate your pipes

It’s not unusual for boiler pipes to freeze during winter in the UK. As temperatures drop, the water in your heating system can freeze and expand, putting pressure on your pipes. In serious cases, a pipe might even burst.

Insulating your pipes before winter will lower the risk of them freezing and bursting. And save you money on your bills. You can insulate them yourself using thermal wraps or lagging, which you’ll be able to get in most hardware shops. Remember, only an engineer can repair or replace pipes.

Look out for red flags 

There are a few signs to look out for if you think your boiler’s playing up. Get in touch with your home care provider, plumber, or engineer as soon as you spot any of these issues:

• Leaking or dripping around pipes, taps, or other outlets
• Unusual noises like kettling, whistling, or banging 
• Boiler pilot light going out
• Boiler switching off
• No heat coming from the radiators
• No hot water coming out of the taps

If you have any of the problems below, you’ll need to book an emergency gas callout: 

• Gas smell in your home
• Headaches or nausea that get worse when you use your boiler
• Black scorch marks or soot on or around your boiler
• Yellow flame on your boiler pilot light

Bleed your radiators when you notice cold spots

Not all home heating issues need an engineer right away. Sometimes, there’s a DIY fix you can try at home first. Like if you find cold spots on your radiator. 

When you test your central heating through the year, remember to check your radiators are heating properly. If half of a radiator is cool, or only some of them are heating up, you might need to bleed the system. This will release any air that’s become trapped and has started affecting your boiler pressure. 

To bleed your radiator, you’ll need some towels, a screwdriver, and a radiator key. You can buy a radiator key at most hardware shops.

When you’re ready, open the radiator valve until the air can escape. You might hear a hissing noise when this happens. Watch our step by step video on how to bleed a radiator here. 

Get an annual boiler service

One of the best ways to prepare your home for winter is by getting boiler cover that includes an annual service. This means a Gas Safe engineer will visit your home every year to test your boiler and make sure it's safe to use. You can see all our boiler cover plans here.