Guide to boiler maintenance Part two

Boiler maintenance part 2

Thanks for checking back with us here at Mr Central Heating on this 2nd part of our boiler maintenance guide. If you missed part one, you can see "Boiler Maintenance, a guide" Listen to your boiler, if your boiler is making gurgling noises when it starts up, when your boiler ignites, if there is lots of ticking and unusual noises then get a service call booked! If the boiler sounds ok and you are happy, then you need to next establish what type of boiler you have,  this will then determine what you can do. For combination and system boilers which are ones with instantaneous hot water, pressurised circuits and systems that do not have water storage there is a lot more that you need to do on a regular basis because due to the way they work they are more involved. This is no reason to not choose one and actually there is less to go wrong with a combination boiler but all the components are pre-assembled and contained with the appliance. System boilers use an expansion vessel within the boiler to allow for a closed system and works in conjunction with an indirect cylinder. [caption id="attachment_2228" align="alignleft" width="205"] Pressure Gauge[/caption] Maintaining pressure with a sealed heating circuit is indicated by the pressure gauge and if you consult any user guide then you will see it needs to be between 1.0bar and 1.5bar depending on what the manufacturers suggests. So if you have not looked at your boiler for a will and see the pressure is below this then find the filler loop and top it up. Remember water expands so if the system is cold then just be careful on how much you put in. [caption id="attachment_1516" align="alignright" width="200"] Cylinder[/caption] For conventional boilers all the components are outside of the appliance so you would also need to look, listen and note down anything strange with not only the boiler but the pump, motorized valve or hot water cylinder. By the way the boiler in the airing cupboard is the cylinder as this is often a common mistake. The UK is quite strange in its terminology and systems because we have had influence from Europe and the US and have over the years adopted bits from each and also adapted what suited us better in the smaller terraced or urbanised society that makes up this glorious country. If your pump is making a strange noise then you can vent it through the front of the unit where you will see a coin slot. Open it gently and let any air out like you would do with a radiator, this hopefully will stop the noise and make for a better running system. In any system you have one of the main problems is air and getting this out of the system via the radiators or pump can make the difference between a system lasting for well over 10 years or going wrong constantly. [caption id="attachment_2422" align="alignleft" width="107"] Check for cold areas[/caption] Regularly checking your radiators for cold spots and boilers and pumps for noise is an indicator of air and it is a simple maintenance task that will improve your system. Air causes corrosion and boilers to lock out and debris to build up which again ruins heat exchangers. If you are unsure with anything please feel free to give us a call at Mr Central Heating, there is not a lot that we have not heard over the years and are always ready to help.