As we approach winter we want to be warm in our homes but if you have an older heating system it may have noticed that the radiators are no longer as warm as they once were, you may have turned up the room stat to compensate but what you are doing is making your boiler work harder and using more energy which in turn increases your heating bill, it is a very vicious circle that you have entered. You are probably starting to wonder where I am going with this; the fact is as a Plumber I hear this story all too often.
Q. So what is going on?
A. As your central heating system gets older it starts to build up with sludge (iron oxide), which causes radiators not to heat up correctly and to generally block the pipe work which connects the boiler to the radiators.
Stay warm this winter and keep your bills down
There are a number of steps that can be taken to help prevent this problem, you can attach magnets to the system to trap the iron oxide filings and stop them creating clogs with the radiators or the -. As a Norwich Plumber I would recommend installing a Magna Clean to the central heating system, there are a number of manufactures out there but I have always found the magna clean to be very reliable if fitted correctly. A magna clean system can be fitted by a competent DIY enthusiast but I would recommend letting a professional Norwich Plumber fit one for you it should cost no more than £140 inclusive of parts and labour to fit one of these devices the price may vary slightly dependant on the type of central heating system you have.
At TSM Plumbing we can help with this or talk to your normal plumber about having one installed it should help save you money in the long term with reduced maintenance and energy bills associated with a central heating system that is clogged with sludge.
The next thing you should do is make sure when your boiler is serviced that the water within the central heating system has the correct level of inhibitor within it, an experienced plumber will be able to advise on this and top your system up if necessary.
Central Heating
These items working in conjunction will help protect your central heating system running efficiently and in turn will help keep your energy bills down and in turn with the more efficient use of energy keeping your carbon footprint lower.
All good Norwich Plumbers will be able to advise on this, if you currently don’t have a plumber that you regularly use you can find one though the Institute of Plumbers or via Norfolk trading standards Trusted Trader Scheme which TSM Plumbing is a member. Always remember to check that the plumber you let into your home is qualified and Insured to carry out the work you have requested.
I hope this advice will help you stay warm this winter and should you have any questions please feel free to contact me.