Switching your boiler off in summer - is it worth it?

Although for most people in the UK it is unlikely the last time that they will use there central heating. For most, it could actually be it until the end of the summer. Unfortunately who knows what sort of summer we will get this year and we are sure that it is not the last time for most when it comes to turning the boiler on.

Leaving your heating on all year is probably not an option unless you live in a remote part of the UK, so most people turn their heating off in the summer and just operate the hot water. It does depend what sort of boiler you have and with a combination boiler you would just turn the setting to summertime which is a setting that just allows the boiler to function without the heating. Combination boilers operate on a priority on hot water when the central heating is on and when it is not the diverter valve is just set to hot water.

In a conventional system that has separate hot water storage or tanks which may be heated by a system boiler or heat only (conventional boiler) the motorised valve determines where the heat goes. If there is no call for heat in the radiator circuit then then valve will remain closed and the priority will be hot water. This is only if there is a requirement for hot water through the coil of the cylinder which is governed by your programmed hot water settings.

This mean that really both systems are actually being used in some shape and form although not to the full extent but the boiler is ticking over. This leads to the question raised and the option to be fairly guaranteed that the boiler or system will work fully when the central heating is turned towards the winter.

The answer really to the question is not really a certain one but as a matter of precaution it is always best to keep something ticking over. A car if not used for long periods, can be a pain to start when required but it is not probably the fault of the engine but other components around it.

The same is for a central heating boiler and the components around it like the pump and the diverter valve. Unlike a car you do not have a choke and once a system is cold and possibly not being used there is less visible or understandable problems that you can see and determine.

It is not a bad thing to test the system once in a while and if this means firing up the central heating circuit for 1 hr once or twice over the summer then it is not going to hurt to be prepared. In combination and sealed boilers when the system is cold you have to be careful not to overfill it if you think it is not pressurised correctly as water contracts when it is cold.

Turning the setting to heating and hot water in whatever system you have is always a good idea as it may just help you not to be left cold.