Coming into the colder months, you may find that you want to start using your heating system in your home. If you've never used it before or you've never lived by yourself, you may be unsure of how to use it/ know what to do if it starts to act up. If you find yourself not being able to work your heating system, have a look at this quick guide to try and help you. 

 

First, it is important to discover what sort of central heating system your home has, as there are a few different kinds such as: 

 

Wet systems- This is when a boiler heats water which is pumped through pipes to the radiators in the property. 

 

Combination (combi) boiler system- This is when the boiler heats water on demand and provides both central heating and hot water. 

 

Pressurised system- When a boiler heats water and stores it in a pressurised cylinder for later use. 

 

Storage heater system: Electric heaters store heat overnight in firebricks and release it during the day. 

 

You may also find that you have a gas or an electric boiler.

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The most common kinds of central heating systems we find In UK homes are wet system and combi boiler systems. Gas boilers are also the most common kind of boiler found in UK homes. Combi boilers provide both central heating and hot water, so where you have one of these combi boilers, you may not have a water tank, as it is not necessary.  

 

Before turning on your boiler after a summer of not using it, it may be a good idea to bleed your radiators to make sure that when you get the heating on, your radiators will actually heat up. We have a guide on this already if you refer to our “how to” guide page. You may also need to top up your boiler pressure which can also be found in our “how to” section.  

 

You can turn your central heating on by using the controls on your boiler. It will have an on or off switch and a small screen that allows you to access other controls. You will see on your gas boiler that you have a boiler timer. This allows you to time when you want your heating to come on and turn off. You may see a circular dial set against a larger square box or a timer which will be built in. The box will have an on and off switch and this should be set to ‘On’. The dial on the front of the box will show the hours of the day, like a clock. You can turn the dials to show when you want the boiler to come on and off.  

 

When turning on the heating with a combi boiler, there are usually two dials, (sometimes there may only be one), and one will have a radiator icon for the heating. Turn this dial until you reach the desired combi boiler heating temperature setting. If there are no actual temperature numbers, having it set to around two-thirds of the way is normally the best temperature to set it at. Or set it to E if there is this setting there. If you don’t have any dials to turn, then you may have buttons. You simply need to press the buttons up or down to set the temperature you want. 

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