How to Check Your Boiler
Just like any other piece of machinery in your home, your boiler is likely to break down once in a while. Different reasons could be responsible for a boiler breakdown.
Interestingly, some of the reasons for this breakdown can be solved yourself without having to call boiler repair specialists to help you fix the machinery. As you well know, getting professional help means you will spend some money.
Instead of spending money on something you can easily fix, you should do it yourself. Hence, in this article, we will guide you on how to check your boiler to fix some issues that it might develop.
Let’s get started…
1. Check the Timer and Thermostat
A power failure could make it look like your boiling isn’t working as it should. When a power failure occurs, it is easy for the timer and thermostat to reset. Hence, the heat is turned off and on at the wrong intervals and times.
Therefore, to fix this issue, you should check the timers as well as the thermostats. Ensure that they are all correct. If they aren’t, then they will need to be reprogrammed to the previous settings before it got reset.This is something you can do easily.
The room’s thermostat needs to be set as well. This will help the boiler detect the temperature or the room thereby allowing it to deliver the right amount of heat.
When adjusting the room thermostat’s settings, ensure that you don’t exceed 21°. If you do so, you might not enjoy the effects.
If altering the settings doesn’t fix the issue, then the problem could be with the thermostat’s batteries. In this case, you will have to replace the batteries. The types of batteries used by most thermostats are AA or AAA batteries. Visit http://www.differencebetween.net/object/difference-between-aa-and-aaa/to learn the differences between AA and AAA batteries.
2. Check the Pressure
If the boiler’s pressure is very low, the possibility ofyour machinery breaking down is increased. This happens a lot to combi boilers.Thankfully, this issue can be easily fixed without hiring a specialist.
How to Check Boiler Pressure
Do the following to check the pressure:
i. Access the control panel.
ii. Check the pressure dial or gauge.
iii. Ensure that the pressure is set at 1 bar. Anything below that won’t allow the boiler to work properly.
iii. Increase the pressure via the filling loop found at the lower part of the machinery.
iv. Ensure that the machinery is off.
v. Examine the hoses that connect to the valves for leaks.If there are then you have to replace them.
vi. Open up the valves. When you do this, water will begin to fill the system.
vi. Monitor the pressure dial or gauge until it gets to 1.5.When it does, close the valves.
vii. Turn on the boiler.
With the steps above, the machinery should be up and running again if it was affected by low pressure.
3. Bleed the Radiators
When you notice the radiator isn’t heating up as it should or you detect cold spots, then it doesn’t mean your boiler is damaged. A quickfix is to bleed the radiators. Click here to learn how radiators work.
To do this, you will require only a radiator key as well asa towel or bucket.
How to Bleed Radiators
Do the following to bleed the radiators:
i. Turn the central heating off.
ii. Wait for the radiators to get cool.
iii. The radiator key should be inserted into the boiler’s radiator valve.
iv. Turn the key anticlockwise. Ensure that you keep the towel or bucket close by to help you collect water spillage.
v. If you hear any hissing noise, you shouldn’t worry. That is just air escaping out of the radiator.
vi. Close the radiator valve immediately when you see that water is starting to come out.
Once the air is removed, the radiators should be back to their optimal working condition once you turn on the central heating.
4. Check if there is Power Supply
Is power being supplied to the boiler? To confirm if this is responsible for the equipment not working, you should check the connection tothe outlet, the fuse, RCD switch, etc.
Conclusion
Not every boiler issue demands the presence of a repair specialist. Some of the issues can be fixed yourself without having to spend adime.
