A fully operational boiler will keep your family safe and warm during the freezing winter months.
By taking a few simple precautions, keeping your boiler in top condition has never been easier, and requires very little effort on your behalf.
As CHS Home we are very busy during the winter months, travelling up and down the country dealing with emergency boiler breakdowns and keeping our customers safe, happy, and warm.
Follow the tips in this guide, however, and there is a good chance you won’t be seeing the happy faces of our boiler repair experts any time soon.
Don’t forget your boiler when you go away
If you are planning on travelling this festive season, maybe for some welcome winter sun or simply to see loved ones, programme your boiler so that it comes on every now and again.
Even though there is nobody at home, this will help to keep the unit ticking over and should hopefully reduce the risk of the pipes freezing.
The shock of returning back to normality after some time away is bad enough without coming home to a boiler breakdown or a burst pipe that will cost you an arm and a leg to replace.
Install insulation on condensate pipes
Condensate pipes are usually located on the exterior of the property and allow condensate water to be removes from the system.
Putting a cover on these pipes to insulate them or using trace heating cables to keep them warm will prevent them from freezing when the temperature drops below 0.
Frozen condensate pipes are one of the biggest causes of winter boiler breakdowns, something that is a bit ironic considering that they also happen to be one of the easiest issues to avoid with a bit of care and attention.
Make an emergency boiler breakdown kit
No matter how many different precautions you take, there will always be a certain risk that your boiler may break down at some point.
If this happens you will need to call for an emergency engineer to come out and fix it. Unfortunately, at this time of year these engineers are extremely busy and they might not be able to fit you in for several days in a worst-case scenario.
Putting together a package including plenty of blankets, an electric heater, a camping stove, and some hats and gloves will ensure that if the worst does happen, you are well prepared.
Check for leaks
Leaks are one of the very first signs that there might be something wrong with your boiler. Regularly checking the boiler and the area around it for any signs of a leak will prevent unnecessary damage from being done and let you know if you need to call in a professional.
Taking fast action in the event of any damage being detected, no matter how minimal it may seem is the number one way to avoid a serious boiler breakdown this winter and will keep you warm all year long.