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Winter is coming...
Oct 02, 2019
Time for a boiler service?
It’s happening, winter is most definitely coming. We gave in today and finally popped the heating on, thankfully without issue or incident but this is the time of year we get the most call outs! After using our boilers as little as possible, waking those clunky old radiators is not always a smooth process - because for many people at this time of year, a fading tan and driving to work in the pitch blackness are the least of their worries because it happened to them this year. The dreaded boiler failure! So how can you stop it from being you?
We know how it goes, you arrive home from work to find a house that feels like a walk-in cold store, and you shiver over to the boiler or thermostat to get the heating on - but an hour later, your fingers and lips are still an unappealing shade of blue and you’re losing heat faster than a Marston’s Thursday night curry special.
If that is you right now, give us a call and we will have you up and running again in no time. If not, that's great news, but if you want to help your boiler stay happy and healthy to reduce the chances of needing an emergency call out, follow our simple boiler care guide. These top tips should keep your boiler smiling all year round, and ready to rock every winter!
Give it a little space
Your boiler works hard and can get quite hot and bothered at times. Many people don’t realise that cluttering your boiler’s space can affect its efficiency and operation, they DO require ventilation. Keep the area free of bags, shoes, coats and that scarf Aunt Mary knitted (that realistically, you were never going to use anyway).
Protect it from ice
When winter comes around again, cold weather conditions, and ice in particular, pose a potential nightmare for the pipes which feed your central heating. Check that any pipes which will be exposed to freezing weather conditions are adequately protected with insulation. If you do notice any ice on your pipes, pour warm (not hot) water over them to prevent the ice causing damage. Frozen pipes are prone to cracking or splitting - if the ice has caused problems with your system, give us a call straight away. We can also help with pipe insulation!
Annual Boiler Service
Too many people discount the idea of an annual boiler service, seeing it as an unnecessary expense with the ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ attitude. However, your boiler works hard through the winter, the summer is the perfect time to have it checked out, our Boiler Service packages start from just £50 and chances are, any potential issues will be pre-empted and repaired, saving you having to spend extra time at work (presumably unshowered) just to keep yourself warm, and dressing as an Eskimo to get through the weekend! Boilers should be serviced every year and often, a quick service can pay for itself by ensuring your boiler is running at maximum efficiency, saving you money on your monthly bills.
Turn it on and off again
If you’ve got an IT person in your life, you’ll know this trick as their generic response to almost any problem, except perhaps the opposite way around, however, this simple trick can keep your toes toasty throughout winter. We advise turning your central heating system on every 4-8wks throughout the warmer weather just to ensure everything is ticking along as it should be, take the time to go around and check all radiators are functioning too. The bonus of this is that you’ll spot any issues before you need your central heating on, so you can have it repaired before you need it, potentially saving on the cost of an emergency call out.
Pressure Pressure Pressure!
For a boiler to operate it needs to run under pressure (I know how it feels!) and the amount of pressure matters: if the pressure moves outside of the required range you may have a non-operational boiler on your hands. The good news is that almost anyone can solve boiler pressure issues with the power of a manual or google. Check your boiler for its make and model if you don’t have the original manufacturer’s manual, and search online for the manual which should be easily found on the manufacturer’s website. Often it is a case of simply opening a valve to allow the pressure to change, and closing it when the pressure dial shows the correct pressure. If you are at all unsure or do not feel confident, call us now and we will not only resolve your pressure issues, but our friendly Gas Safe engineers will even show you how to self-resolve in the future, should you wish them to.
Bleeding the Radiators
If your radiators are a little unsure of themselves, or a little hot at the bottom and cooler at the top, there may be too much air within the central heating system. This is solved by 'bleeding the radiators' which is not quite as messy as it sounds, thankfully, and just involves opening the valve to let the air out. Although bleeding radiators is a fairly simple task, generally it is something completed by the more DIY-savvy people among us. If that’s not you, give us a call and we will be out to you as soon as we can. Otherwise, check out YouTube for plenty of videos or search online for a how-to guide.
Blue means as good as new!
The flame in your boiler is normally visible through a small window and the flame should be blue in colour, yellow or smoky appearances are a sign of problems in the making, keep an eye on the colour and give us a call if you’re concerned.
If it looks like a problem, it probably is one!
Cracks, splits, smoky/sooty marks, anything that isn’t the norm - call us straight away before a sign of a problem waiting to happen becomes a problem very much happening!
Got a question? Give us a call now, our Gas Safe engineers will be more than happy to help.
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Pro-Gas Hull - Blog
So what IS a smart thermostat? You probably remember the catchy jingle from the Hive adverts when they launched a few years ago, and they do pretty much what they say on the tin. Connecting to the boiler in the first instance, the thermostat tells the boiler when to turn on the central heating, at what temperature and how long for. Smart thermostats then use the internet to sync to a website or mobile app so that the heating can be managed from anywhere with an internet connection. Most providers also give the user access to information which can help them to save money by showing trends and suggesting smarter ways to use your heating. Are they expensive? Depending on the brand and capabilities the price can vary quite a lot. However, a smart thermostat can be bought for around £150-£300, a cost which you should be able to save from your energy bills through the coming months or year. Should I buy one? The biggest perk of a smart thermostat is using it away from the home. If you’re looking for a way to track your energy uses there are more cost effective devices for this, so if you’re home most of the time it’s likely an unnecessary investment. The main sell is that you can turn the heating off from the airport if you forget to before leaving for a holiday. You can also turn it back on as you set up to come home to ensure the house is warm for you when you walk in. The same goes for impromptu overnight stays with friends or family or even if you’re leaving work later or earlier than expected. Having this control does and has saved thousands of happy customers a lot of money. Which smart thermostat is best? There really isn’t a fix all answer for this one. If you need help picking the right device give our team a call, once we know what you want to achieve and your budget we can put together a free, no-obligation quote to solve your problems. There are four market leaders though which generally are the ones most worth working with. They are well developed and tried and tested with good warranty and support options. Google’s smart thermostat, the Nest Learning Thermostat, and tado both have artificial intelligence to enable them to make decisions for you based on your behaviour. It monitors your heating settings in the beginning then maintains them for you going forward whilst giving of course an override option. British Gas’ Hive and ScottishPower Connect are more about user control, whilst giving a large array of data to their users to help them make smart decisions, they take the passenger seat and require full user management. These devices suit a more sporadic and spontaneous lifestyle better than the former. Will I definitely save money? If you take the time to manage the device properly then chances are the answer is yes. According to tado, its smart thermostats will help customers save an average of 31% on their heating costs – about £200 a year. ScottishPower on the other hand, claim that they could save you around £337 a year if you spend about around £200 a month on your heating. Ok, I’m sold! ...What now? Give the Pro-Gas team a call so we can talk to you about your options and take you through the next steps!
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