When the temperature drops, the last thing anyone wants is a boiler breakdown or a house full of cold radiators. Heating engineers are at their busiest in winter, and many breakdowns could have been avoided with a few simple checks in the autumn.
Whether you're a homeowner, landlord or property manager, this winter heating checklist will help you get your heating system ready before the cold weather arrives.
1. Get Your Boiler Serviced
An annual boiler service is the single most important thing you can do. A service checks your boiler is running safely and efficiently, and can spot small problems before they turn into expensive repairs. Many manufacturers also require a yearly service to keep the warranty valid.
Important: any work on a gas boiler must be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Landlords are legally required to have gas appliances safety checked every year.
Book early. Autumn is the ideal time, before engineers get booked up.
2. Turn Your Heating On Before You Need It
If your heating has been off all summer, switch it on for a short while in early autumn. This lets you find any faults, noises or cold radiators while it's still mild, rather than on the first freezing night.
3. Check Your Boiler Pressure
Most combi and system boilers have a pressure gauge on the front. When the system is cold, the pressure is usually around 1 to 1.5 bar, but always check your boiler manual for the correct level.
- Too low: the boiler may lock out and stop working. You can usually top it up using the filling loop (follow your manual carefully).
- Keeps dropping: this can mean there's a leak somewhere in the system and it's worth getting checked.
- Too high: call a heating engineer.
4. Bleed Your Radiators
If a radiator is cold at the top but warm at the bottom, there's air trapped inside. Bleeding it lets the air out so the radiator heats up fully.
- Turn the heating off and let the radiators cool.
- Use a radiator key to slowly open the bleed valve at the top corner, with a cloth underneath.
- When you hear hissing stop and water starts to come out, close the valve.
- Check your boiler pressure afterwards, as it may need topping up.
5. Look for Cold Spots at the Bottom of Radiators
If a radiator is warm at the top but cold at the bottom or in the middle, it's often a sign of sludge (a build-up of rust and debris). Sludge reduces efficiency and puts extra strain on your boiler. A heating engineer can clean the system with a chemical or power flush. Fitting a magnetic system filter and adding inhibitor helps stop sludge building up again.
6. Check Your Radiator Valves (TRVs)
Thermostatic radiator valves can stick after months of not being used, leaving a radiator stone cold. Turn each valve from low to high a few times. If a valve has seized, it may need freeing or replacing. Replacement radiator valves are an inexpensive upgrade that give you better control of each room.
7. Check Your Thermostat and Timer
Make sure your thermostat and timer are working and set correctly. Replace batteries in wireless thermostats, and update the clock after the clocks go back. A well-set timer and thermostat can make a real difference to your energy bills.
8. Protect Your Pipes from Freezing
Frozen pipes are one of the most common causes of winter call-outs and can lead to burst pipes and water damage.
- Insulate (lag) pipes in lofts, garages and outbuildings and on outside walls.
- Check the condensate pipe. Modern condensing boilers have a plastic pipe that drains outside. If it freezes, the boiler can stop working. Make sure outdoor sections are insulated.
- Isolate and drain outside taps, or fit a tap cover.
- Keep the heating on low (or on a frost setting) if the property will be empty during cold weather.
9. Know Where Your Stop Tap Is
If a pipe does burst, you need to turn off the water quickly. Find your internal stop tap (often under the kitchen sink) and check it turns easily. Make sure everyone in the property knows where it is.
10. Check for Leaks and Drips
Look around radiator valves, pipework and under the boiler for any drips, damp patches or rust marks. Small leaks get worse over time and can cause your boiler pressure to drop.
11. Test Your Carbon Monoxide Alarm
Every home with a gas, oil or solid fuel appliance should have a working carbon monoxide (CO) alarm. Press the test button and replace it if it's past its expiry date. Signs of a problem with a gas appliance include a lazy yellow or orange flame, soot or staining around the appliance, and the pilot light going out often.
If you ever smell gas, call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 straight away.
12. Upgrade Old or Undersized Radiators
If some rooms never feel warm enough, the radiator may simply be too small for the space, or too old to heat it efficiently. Replacing it with a correctly sized modern radiator (based on the room's BTU requirement) can make the room far more comfortable. In bathrooms, a heated towel rail keeps towels dry and helps prevent damp and mould over winter.
Browse our range of radiators in panel, column, vertical and designer styles.
Your Winter Heating Checklist at a Glance
- Book a boiler service with a Gas Safe engineer
- Turn the heating on early to test it
- Check boiler pressure
- Bleed radiators
- Check for cold spots and sludge
- Free up stuck radiator valves
- Set your thermostat and timer
- Insulate pipes and the condensate pipe
- Find your stop tap
- Look for leaks
- Test your carbon monoxide alarm
- Replace old or undersized radiators
Heating and Plumbing Supplies from Tradeplumbing
Whether you're a homeowner preparing for winter or a heating engineer stocking up for the busy season, Tradeplumbing supplies radiators, towel rails, valves and heating and plumbing essentials at competitive prices, with free delivery to the UK mainland.
We also supply trade customers and large projects, from hotels and pubs to property developers. No job is too big or too small.
