Preparing your home for winter

There are checks you can do around your home to prepare for the cold weather

There are checks you can do around your home to prepare for the cold weather

During the cold weather, you may find your home needs repairs more frequently. There are checks you can do around your home to prepare for cold weather throughout winter. 

Heating and hot water 

Its a good idea to regularly check your heating and hot water is working as it should. You can do this by: 

  • Checking your boiler pressure 
  • Testing your heating before the cold weather arrives 
  • Bleeding your radiators if they have cold spots 
  • Know how to reset a tripped switch if your heating stops working. 

We've put together some handy guides below to help you: 

Check your radiators

You might not have used your radiators over the summer months, so it is important to check they are working before the winter.

When your boiler is running, check the temperature at the top and bottom of your radiators. If the top part of your radiator is colder than the bottom half, the radiator has trapped air in it. If more than one radiator is cold, we need to check your entire heating system.

To remove trapped air and make your radiators more efficient, you need to bleed your radiators. To bleed a radiator, you need a radiator key and a dry cloth.

Follow these steps to bleed a radiator.

  1. Switch off your central heating and let the system cool.
  2. When the system is cool, find the square bleed screw at one end of your radiator.
  3. Place the dry cloth under the bleed screw to soak up the small amount of water that comes out.
  4. Put the radiator key into the screw and turn it carefully and slowly to the left until you hear a hissing sound as the trapped air escapes. Only turn the key 2 times so the screw stays in the radiator.
  5. When the hissing stops, carefully and slowly turn the screw to the right but avoid tightening it too much.

It is important to do this before winter if you use your radiators less during the summer.

Check your boiler’s pressure

Make sure your boiler’s pressure gauge is between 1 and 1.5 bar. If it is lower than 1 bar or in the red, your boiler pressure is too low.

How you increase your boiler pressure depends on your boiler. These steps are for the most common BAXI boilers in our customers homes. 

  1. Check the pressure gauge on your boiler. If it is below 1 bar, the pressure needs topping up. 
  2. To begin to top up your boiler, remove any coverings and locate the pressure valves. In this model, the pressure valves are two blue taps. 
  3. Open the valves. If the valve is pointing towards the inside of the boiler, this means it is closed. Turn both valve a quarter turn to open them and allow water to travel through the pipes to top the pressure up.
  4. When both valves are open, you will hear the water travelling through the pipes.
  5. Keep an eye on the pressure gauge: Leave the valves open until the pressure gauge reads between 1 to 1:5 bar. Once the pressures shows between 1 to 1:5 bar, close the valves.

After you have used your boiler and it has cooled down, check the pressure has stayed above 1 bar. If it is below 1 bar or if you regularly need to increase your boiler’s pressure:

 

If your boiler isn't working and the display is blank, the switch for your boiler may have tripped. 

To check this: 

  • Locate your consumer unit, this is often in a cupboard. 
  • Lift the cover on the unit and locate the central heating switch
  • If the switch is down and displaying OFF, the switch has tripped
  • Simply click the switch back to ON 
  • Check the boiler. If the display is back on, this has resolved the issue. 

 

 

How to reset a tripped switch 

Winter nights can be dark and if you're using a lot of appliances and electric in your home at once, it can sometimes trip the electricity supply. Always keep a torch handy during the winter months and know where your consumer unit is in case the electricity trips. 

If the electricity supply goes off in your home, it often means your RCD has tripped and resetting the switch is often a simple fix: 

  • Locate your consumer unit, this is often in a cupboard. 
  • Lift the cover and locate the main switch. This is often the large, red switch. 
  • If the switch is down and in the OFF position, simply flick the switch back up.  

 

Water and plumbing 

Its a good idea to regularly check your water and plumbing is working as it should. You can do this by: 

  • Finding your stop tap and making sure everyone in your home knows where it is and how to use it in an emergency 
  • Check for dripping taps and report any leaks early 
  • Know how to check your condensate pipe and what to do if it freezes over 

How to use your stop tap 

Knowing how to find and use your stop tap is important to make sure you can stop water supply in your home to reduce damage and flooding if there is an emergency. 

  • Start by locating your stop tap. This is usually under the sink. 
  • To stop water supply, turn your stop tap clockwise and keep turning until it stop. 
  • Make sure to test your stop tap. It may be stiff to turn at first. 

 

 

Damp, mould and ventilation 

To make sure your home is warm throughout winter: 

  • Check your extractor fans are working properly 
  • Keep air vents clear and open 

Ways to keep your home warm

  • If you have long curtains fitted to the windows, tucking these behind the radiators can help keep the heat inside your home.
  • Keeping the doors closed helps to block out any draughts and keep the heat inside each room.
  • Open your blinds and curtains when the sun is shining. The natural sunlight can help warm up a room.

Reduce condensation and prevent damp

Condensation is more likely to happen in the colder weather. It happens when moist air inside a home touches a cold wall or surface.

To reduce condensation, you can:

  • keep your home warm by having a consistent warm temperature inside
  • keep a window open or turn your extractor fan on when you are cooking or bathing
  • keep your loft hatch closed
  • arrange your furniture so it is not placed against a radiator

If you have damp or mould in your home, call 0191 525 5000. The phone line is open Monday to Thursday, from 8:30am to 5pm, and Friday, from 8:30am to 12:30pm.

Find out more about reducing condensation and dealing with damp.

Test your smoke detectors

As we use our boilers more in the winter, it is important to test your smoke detector.

Press and hold the test button for 3 seconds until you hear an alarm. When the alarm starts, you can stop holding the button. The alarm means the detector is working. The detector will sound for several seconds and stop automatically.

Never remove the batteries from your carbon monoxide and smoke detectors.

If the alarm is slow or starts to beep periodically, call 0191 525 5000 to report a repair. We will replace your smoke detector when you need a new one.

Prepare the outside of your home for a storm

Preparing your home before a storm can help prevent structural damage and keep you safe. Before a storm, you can:

  • remove any loose or weak branches from trees in your garden
  • secure garden fences, sheds and other things like trampolines and benches in your garden
  • put away or secure outdoor furniture
  • unblock gutters and drains
  • park your vehicle somewhere safe and make sure there are no loose items around it

Reporting a repair

We know no matter how much you prepare your home, you may still need our help with repairs. You can call 0191 525 5000 to report a repair, or visit the reporting a repair page for more information on reporting repairs. 

Check if you are eligible for help with your energy costs

Our Money Matters Team can give advice about government funding for energy bills. This includes helping with: