Quick Guide To Keeping Your House Warm This Winter
Quick Guide To Keeping Your House Warm This Winter
The onset of winter brings about plenty of challenges for the average homeowner, from ice and snow outside to a frozen pipe. But putting aside all thoughts of the weather outside, the inside of your home should be a place of warmth and refuge at this time of year. Here are a few ways to keep the cold weather out and make sure your house is as warm and inviting as it can be this winter.
Dealing With Faulty Radiators
When one or two radiators stop working, it doesn’t mean that there is a problem with the entire system. What might have happened is that there is some air trapped within those radiators, which is preventing the hot water from filling them. You can usually tell this is the case if the bottom of the radiator is warmer than the top.
In this case, you need to bleed those radiators that are like this. It’s quite cheap and easy to do, all you need is a cloth to catch any water drops and a radiator key, which you can buy from most hardware stores.
If you find that the radiators heat up at different speeds, you might need to balance the system. Again, this isn’t particularly expensive or tricky if you’re a DIY fan, but it can take a while. There are plenty of simple to follow guides to doing it online. Just remember to turn off the central heating when dealing with radiators and let everything cool down before you begin.
Investigate Alternative Heating Sources
The central heating system is a bit like the backbone of keeping your house warm. But there are alternatives that can add a touch of luxury about the house, which could be worth investigating, particularly if you work from home and spend most of the day there.
Fireplaces are one of those things everyone seems to think of when it comes to winter. Both log burners and electric fires are great options, although if you choose the former make sure you get the chimney cleaned out before you start using it every year.
Underfloor heating systems, for example, Coldbuster Floor Heating, are also great alternative sources of warmth to consider. It also deals with the problem of having to lay down bathroom mats or rugs over tiled or uncarpeted surfaces that can get very cold overnight.
Prevent Damage To Pipes
It’s very easy to end up with frozen pipes at the start of winter. If you find any of your pipes frozen, you need to get it looked at as soon as possible, or you could end up with breaks and leakages.
One of the most common causes of frozen pipes is leaving your garden hose connected to the outside tap. If the hose freezes, it could back up your central heating system, leaving you with a real situation on your hands. Make sure you disconnect it as soon as the cold weather starts.
