Preparing your House for Winter

As well as a boiler service, there are things you can do to prepare your house for winter. Read on for our top tips to prepare your house for winter.

Preparing your House for Winter

Check your water heater cylinder. On demand water heaters and pre-insulated water heaters don’t require insulation but older style water cylinders will perform better with an insulation jacket. This can be done by purchasing a jacket from your local DIY store and wrapping around your hot water cylinder. Only insulate the hot water cylinder with a jacket

Lag your water pipes. If your loft floor is insulated this can leave your pipes in a cold area, meaning that are more likely to freeze. Plumbing is a professional job but insulating your plumbing is fairly easy. By using insulation (called lagging) you can prevent issues. Insulation comes in the form of foam tubes (minimum diameter 20mm) which simply slide over the pipes, retaining their heat and protecting from the effect of extreme temperatures.

Bleeding radiators nay sound a bit drastic, but it’s really easy to do and saves you a fortune in gas  bills.

• To start, turn on the heating. Once it has reached temperature, run your hands over the radiators to check for cold patches.
• Turn off the heating. Wait for the radiators to completely cool then use a bleed key to release trapped air.
• Use gloves to protect yourself from heat remaining in the system, then hold a cloth under the valve and put the key into the bleed valve and turn it gently. Any trapped air will come rushing out.
• Listen carefully. When the sound changes, you’ll know the water is nearly at the valve. It’s time to tighten the bleed key.
• Do not over tighten the radiator valve as you close it: that can damage your radiator.

L&W Heating and Plumbing

If you need to call on a Gas Safe registered plumber call L&W Heating and Plumbing experts on any of the following numbers:-

Plumbers Wigan 01942 417220
Plumbers St Helens 01744 776140
Plumbers Newton Le Willows 01925 394260
Plumbers Warrington 01925 394260
Plumbers Runcorn 01925 394260
Plumbers Widnes 01925 394260