Five Reasons Your Central Heating Is Not Working
Winter is just around the corner and that means that homeowners are turning their heating back on to make their homes comfortable. Here, we give you five reasons your central heating is not working.
Turning the heating back on also means increased energy usage, and here in Wrexham, we have a great record of using renewable energy. Leader Live reported that tens of thousands of megawatts per hour of renewable energy were produced in our area last year, more than double the figure of six years ago.
That figure is likely to increase as residents turn on their heating. However, some homes will not be using any at all because they will find their boiler is not working. While boiler breakdown is not all that common, it does happen and when it does, all the renewable energy in the world cannot heat your home.
The instinct is to turn to an engineer or even already have cover in place as a precaution. The gas and boiler coverage on HomeServe represents why it is important to have some cover for your boiler. Consequently, you can relax knowing if there is a problem, an engineer can rectify it quickly and at little cost to you. Nevertheless, not all instances of breakdown necessitate work from a professional. If you have found your central heating is not working, it could be down to one of these five reasons:
Trapped Air
One common reason your system might not be working is that there is air trapped in it somewhere. This fault will usually only manifest itself in a couple of radiators, perhaps not all. The best way to check is to turn on your hot water. If you have some, the problem likely lies with the radiators. It is a straightforward process to rectify if you have a bleed key. Find the bleed point on the radiator and gently turn the key until air starts to escape. Have a towel ready because you will eventually find water comes out, at which point tighten the key and try the heating again.
Sediment
If this does not work, you could have a build-up of sediment in your radiators. This is where hot water cannot flow around the system because of the blockage, a little like a blocked drain. In this instance, you may well need a professional to come and flush the system. It is not advisable to try it yourself as there could be pressure built up too and only an experienced plumber will know how to safely sort it out.
Fuel
If you are burning solid fuel from an oil tank, maybe you are out of fuel. Check your oil tank to ensure you have reserves and, if you do not, turn off the system and order some. You may need to call an engineer if you have burned an oil tank dry. In some instances, there will be fuel in your tank that for some reason is not reaching your boiler. Many appliances have a button to pump the fuel, something a savvy homeowner can do without expert help.
Timer
One obvious issue for a lack of central heating is a timer, faulty or otherwise. Make sure you have not overridden your heating with a timer and that is preventing it from coming on. If the timer looks to be set right, it may not be working properly. If you have the manual, start a full factory reset, which could alleviate the problem.
Leaks
Leaky pipes can cause all manner of problems as they are the main cause of insurance claims. As well as causing untold damage to your building and contents, they can impact the garden as we explained in our article November Gardening Tips. However, inside the home, a small leak can stop your system working properly in addition to the other problems it causes.
If your central heating is not working after the steps above, it may be a larger problem causing your cold rooms. You may diagnose a leaky pipe yourself: telltale signs not only include a lack of warmth in radiators, but also a noisy system. If you do find the leak, it is best to call in a professional who can assess the repair and also if any further damage has been caused to your property.
We hope you enjoyed our article about “Five Reasons Your Central Heating Is Not Working”. For more home-related articles, click here.