How to Keep Your Boiler Operating Normally During Winter
Your commercial or industrial boiler does not work consistently throughout the year. Boilers are more likely to breakdown during the winter season since cold makes them to strain more. This is because boilers are used more often during winter seasons compared to summer season. However, you need to maintain your boiler and ensure that it is operating safely at all times. Here are hacks of maintaining your boiler during the winter season.
Plumbing Maintenance for Winter Protection
As winter draws in so, unfortunately, does the likelihood of an issue with your plumbing. Even if you’ve never experienced problems in the past, the drop in temperature means any plumbing system can be vulnerable to unexpected wear and tear. The good news, though, is that by increasing your awareness of what could go wrong, you’re in a position to prevent any mishaps before they occur.
Turning on the heat is the first thing commercial property owners think of when the temperatures fall. It is recommended to conduct boiler checks before the winter. Below are tips to prepare your heat exchanger or boiler for winter.
Regularly Turn on Your Boiler
Failing to turn on your boiler regularly can cause it to get stuck. To prevent this, it is recommended to power up the heater several times during the summer for 10-15 minutes to ensure all parts function correctly. Boilers can also lose pressure over time, resulting in inefficiencies. Keep an eye on the pressure gauge and refill it as needed. Check the operating pressure, water levels, operating temperature, and low water level cutoff daily. For specific pressure maintenance instructions, refer to the user manual provided by the manufacturer.
Beat Those Frozen Pipes
Freezing temperatures can lead to frozen pipes. This is a common occurrence during winter, so it’s advisable to have your pipes checked before the cold weather sets in. Allowing a slow drip of water can help keep the system flowing. Professional plumbing services can ensure that your pipes and water tanks are properly insulated, which significantly helps prevent freezing. Additionally, leaving your heating on low when you’re away and having someone check your property periodically can be helpful.
Prevent Leaks Before They Occur
A leaky water line can cause problems, especially during winter. For example, an unused water hose can freeze inside the pipe, leading to a blockage and potentially a burst pipe. Always remember to disconnect any unused hoses. Keeping your gutters clean can also help avoid blockages, ice dams, and standing water. If your pipes do freeze, follow these steps:
- Turn off the water supply at the stopcock.
- Open all taps to reduce flooding.
- Call qualified plumbers, such as ST Heating Services, to address the issue.
- Once the pipework is repaired, turn off the taps to prevent further flooding.
A Preemptive Check
Another thing to think about is when you last had the water heater checked. Most last around ten years before they need replacing, but, once again, they’re more likely to fail during a cold snap. In winter, maintaining its temperature becomes much harder, so before making it do all that extra work you might want to consider whether it’s time to get it replaced.
Maintain a Clean Septic Tank
An even bigger issue is a burst septic tank, and should this happen it’ll require immediate attention. If snowfall, you might find that creates a natural amount of insulation, but should that snow be compacted you might run into problems. Your best option is to have your tank cleaned before the onset of winter because once it’s burst the only option is to use some qualified plumbing services to come and get it fixed. That can be costly, time-consuming and hardly what you want in the run-up to Christmas. But again, it’s something you can easily prevent from happening in the first place. All that’s required is a little know-how and some good old-fashioned forward-thinking.
Schedule Regular Boiler Servicing
Boiler servicing should take place once a year. A certified specialist, such as the boiler servicing engineers here at ST Heating Services, conducts the servicing process. The boiler engineer checks all the details, clean the components and reviews the records of the boiler room. These records provide data on factors such as exhaust gas temperature and fuel consumption. The recording takes place daily. This data can then be compared to current measurements to determine if the machine is within safe, functional limits, or experiencing problems. However, boiler servicing may take place every few months if the boiler is a bit older.
Pipe Insulation
Water is abnormal in that it expands when frozen. When the weather temperatures are under zero degrees Celsius, stagnant water in your piping system can expand, freeze, and break the pipes.
Insulating the pipes can help to solve the issue of water abnormality. This is similar to the insulation of hollow walls and attics since there is minimal heat transfer and water in the pipes flows as well as possible, and heat loss is minimised. Not only can they prevent emergencies and boiler failures in winter, but they can also reduce energy consumption.
Bleeding your radiator
As commercial boiler services providers, we recommend buying a small thermostat during winter. This can go a long way in prolonging your system’s life during winter. A thermostat works by enabling your heating system to automatically increase and reduce the temperature in your house. This means that your boiler will not stress much when a little warm is needed. This will benefit you since power bills will drop drastically.
Check Boiler Pressure
A drop in boiler pressure can lead to a loss of hot water. Always ensure that your boiler’s pressure remains within the green range on the pressure gauge after switching on the system. To prevent pressure drops, regularly check and use the loop/filler neck and vent the storage heater if the pressure is high. Insufficient pressure can decrease the boiler’s effectiveness.
Boiler repair and servicing From ST Heating Services
You need to service your boiler after a certain period of continuous use. Get in touch with our commercial boiler services provider and schedule an appointment. Our qualified engineers will clean your boiler components thoroughly and check for any defects. In addition, our experts in the field can easily notice a part that needs to be replaced. When a weary part is not replaced on time, it can stress other parts and strain other parts in the boiler.
A well-maintained boiler should warm you throughout the year. Boilers central heating system mainly breakdown due to lack of proper maintenance. This means that failure to repair a worn-out part can adversely damage the system. During winter check your radiator to ensure it is working effectively. A normal radiator has a cooler temperature at the bottom than at the top. If yours is operating oppositely, it needs bleeding. A radiator that needs bleeding prevents your system from working effectively thus straining your heating system. This can tremendously increase your power bills. You can comfortably bleed your radiators at home.
ST Heating Services Ltd’s main goal is to provide state-of-the-art industrial and commercial heating and plumbing services. Our services are offering all kinds of maintenance and repair to a wide range of heating systems. Our plumbers and engineers are registered and have honed skills in addressing all kinds of heating system problems in the North West and Manchester.