Winter Weather Advice: How to repressurise your boiler
Before you turn your heating back on again after the summer, it is essential that your boiler is operating efficiently in preparation for the winter season. This will give you peace of mind that your heating and hot water is ticking along nicely, ensuring your home is nice and warm for the cold months ahead.
In the guide, we’ll take you through the steps on how to repressurise your boiler so you’re ready for winter.
When turning your heating back on, you may notice that you have low boiler pressure. This can affect your whole central heating system as your radiators may struggle to heat your home properly and water.
Low boiler pressure can be caused by water leaks or excessively bleeding your radiators. As a safety precaution, your boiler may switch off completely which will leave you without heating and hot water.
Check your boiler pressure
If you’re unsure whether or not your boiler needs repressurising, the first thing to do is check your gas boiler’s pressure. The typical boiler pressure is between 1 - 1.5 bars. If it is lower than this, it is highly likely that you will need to repressurise your boiler.
Depending on the model of boiler you have in your home, your boiler’s pressure should be displayed on the front of the boiler interface. You will find either a physical or digital pressure gauge. The dial (or bar) will tell you the level of pressure in the system.
If you notice that the boiler pressure has significantly dropped, it could be that a leak in the system has occurred. Check your boiler systems for any signs of water leaking and call a gas safe heating registered engineer as soon as possible to fix the problem.
How to repressurise a boiler without a filling loop
Some boilers don’t always have a filling loop; this is usually the case for older models of combi boilers. This means that you may have a filling key instead of a filling loop. If you’re unsure, check your boiler manual.
Here are the steps for repressurising a boiler without a filling loop:
1. Turn off your boiler and wait for the whole heating system to cool down.
2. Insert the filling key into the keyhole to unlock it.
3. Turn the valve next to the key until water flows through it. We recommend that you use either a spanner or wrench to do this.
4. Keep checking the valve until it reaches the recommended level for your boiler.
5. Close the valve and turn your heating system back on.
My boiler’s pressure has dropped again, what do I do now?
If you have followed the steps and your boiler’s pressure has immediately dropped again, there could be another issue. A rapid drop in boiler pressure can be linked to a major water leak or a problem with the pressure release valve.
Contact your local heating engineer as quickly as possible as if the leak gets worse it has the potential to cause further damage to your boiler and your whole heating system which could be costly to repair.