7 Central Heating Servicing Tips That Are Essential For Your Home

The central heating system is one of the most fundamental elements of your home. As the winter months and cold nights draw in, you’ll be relying on your central heating now more than any other time of year. With this in mind, it’s essential that it’s always in good working order so that it doesn’t let you down when you need it most. The best way to keep boilers, radiators and other central heating systems performing at the top of their game is to ensure they’re frequently serviced so any issues are picked up on and addressed before they become more…

Image of hands with copper pipe looking at radiator plumbing

Who to Call if Your Central Heating Stops Working in Ipswich this Winter

With the nights getting longer, darker and colder, it’s the time of year when our boilers start to get their annual workout, making sure that our homes keep us warm over winter. And no matter how carefully we manage them and make sure they get their annual service, there’s always the worry that they may break down at the wrong time. However, before we look at the question of who to call should the worst happen, let’s examine what we can do before the onset of winter to give our boilers the best chance of making it safely through until spring….

Air Source Heat Pumping: What you need to know

What are air source heat pumps? Air source heat pumps take heat from the air outside and use it to function radiators, hot water systems, underfloor heating and warm air convectors. Quite the opposite to refrigerators, air source heat pumps extract warmth to increase the temperature inside (rather than expel heat from the inside) and they still function well in a -15 degree environment. Two types of heat pumps Air-to-air heat pumps – takes heat from the air outside, brings it into the home, and extracts it through a fan system, which then heats up your home’s interior. Air-to-water heat…

Plumbing engineer completing boiler maintenance.

What is an HVAC Technician?

HVAC is short for heating, ventilation and air conditioning, and HVAC/R, includes refrigeration. A HVAC Technician installs, repairs and maintains all of these units and ensures these machines and technologies run at full capacity. All of these systems are installed into a variety of buildings whether that’s the home, office, retail shop, town halls, buses, cars, etc. to ensure maximum comfort and environmental regulation. What do HVAC Technicians do? On particularly cold or hot days, you’ll be gravitating toward the air conditioning or heating, to alleviate yourself and others from extreme temperatures, which have been installed by skilled HVAC/R Technicians. Being…

OFTEC and the Green Deal Fund Extension (article update)

The Green Deal initiative is a scheme backed by the UK Government which is designed to help homeowners and businesses cut down on their emissions and save money on their energy bills. Applicable to any home and business premises in England, Scotland and Wales that is fitted with an electricity meter, the scheme works by giving homeowners and business owners the opportunity to have any efficiency improvements required carried out, but with only a small percentage of the installation costs paid upfront. The savings allow homeowners to gradually pay back the loan using the savings made on the energy bills. When…

Top Tips for Your Household Radiators

Keeping your radiators in top condition is vital for getting the most out of your system, but it can be difficult to keep this condition as a constant, which is why this article will run through some of the best ways to look after your radiators. Painting It may seem like a rather innocuous issue, but being careful with the number of layers of paint on your radiator is important to ensuring the efficiency of your radiator. The more layers there are, the less efficient your radiator will be. It is also very difficult to remove layers of paint from a…

Water Treatment for Central Heating Systems

Central heating systems are used on a nearly daily basis by people around the world, and like any other system, it is liable to encounter faults over time, especially if you have it for a significant number of years. However, there are a number of ways you can treat your system to maximise its performance and minimise the possibility of faults. Water treatment is a very effective method of caring for your system and coupled with various other factors it can significantly enhance the performance and lifespan of your central heating. Building Regulations, British Standards and the majority of boiler manufacturers…

Problem Solving: Central Heating

From time to time, you will encounter some issues with your central heating that can be quite a nuisance, particularly in the colder months of the year. Being able to spot a problem early can save you a lot of time, money and hassle by rectifying the issue before it causes too much damage to your home or building. Faulty Radiators Checking your radiator can be a very effective way to determine the nature of a fault in your home. A common problem is air pockets forming in the top of your radiator, which stops hot water from reaching that…

Having a New Gas Appliance Fitted?

When the time comes that a gas appliance in your home needs to be replaced, the installation of a new one can be quite a complicated process, especially if you don’t know what you should be looking for in the first place. This article will look into the key points that you need to remember when it comes to having a new appliance fitted, and will hopefully make the installation go as smoothly as possible. The installation of your new appliance is something that should be undertaken by a Gas Safe registered professional. It is a very delicate task, especially as…

Ways To Save On Heating

With rises in energy costs being national news recently, more and more focus is being placed on energy efficiency and saving money on your heating bills. While we may be approaching summer and your heating may not be required as much, there are still steps you can take to save yourself some money and avoid any nasty surprises on your bills. Turn your thermostat down This may seem like it goes without saying, but it is easy to forget to turn your thermostat off when it is not needed. By turning your thermostat down by 10 degrees when you go to…