2 GET YOUR CENTRAL HEATING SERVICED

There’s nothing worse than turning on your central heating in autumn only to discover there’s a problem. So, before it gets too cold, have your boiler and central heating system serviced by a registered engineer. If your radiators are heating unevenly, you could try bleeding them yourself. You can’t bleed a radiator when the heating is on, as it may be too hot to touch and you could also get hot water spraying out of the radiator, so turn off your heating before you begin. Attach a radiator key to the square head in the centre of the valve at the top corner and slowly turn it anticlockwise. You should hear hissing as the trapped air escapes. Use a cloth or bowl to catch any water that comes out. Retighten the valve quickly once the hissing stops and only water comes out. Turn your central heating back on and check the pressure by looking at the gauge on your boiler. Bleeding your radiators can cause the pressure to drop, so if the pressure is too low, you’ll need to top it up by using the lever or tap on your boiler, known as the filling loop. Check if your radiator is now heating up properly. If the heat is evenly spread through the radiator, you’ve fixed the problem.