If you want to try and keep your home warm this winter, there are a few things that you can do to make sure that you home stays nice and toasty.
There is nothing worse on a cold day when you come home and put the heating on, and the radiators do not warm up properly leaving you feeling cold. In most central heating systems that use hot water, air gets into the system making the radiators much less efficient. It is very easy to prevent if you do a little bit of maintenance now and then, which will help to keep your living room nice and toasty this weekend.
Bleed your Radiators
As previously stated, all hot water heating systems are prone to air entering the system, which means that the radiator cannot hold as much water so it does not get as hot as it should. It is relatively easy to bleed the radiator, and this is something that you should check at least every few months. Some systems have more problems than others, so they will need to be bled more often. Modern radiators don’t require frequent maintenance as their products are made according to high manufacturing standards. That’s why it is very important even from the start, to pick a radiator for your home carefully.
To bleed your radiators, you will need the radiator key, a bowl, and also an old cloth. Find the valve on your radiator, and place the bowl directly underneath, then place the cloth underneath the valve and hold it there. Turn the key, usually counter clockwise, but turn it slowly and not too far. You should start to hear a hissing sound as the air escapes the system, and as soon as this sound stops the water will start to come out. Close the valve on the radiator and clean up any mess you have made, and then go on to check all of the other radiators in your home. Doing this does not take a lot of time at all and will make sure that you keep your home warm during those cold winter months.
Place your Furniture Wisely
Aside from picking among quality stainless steel radiators available in brushed and polished textures, another way that you can help to keep your home nice and warm this winter is to place your furniture in good locations that are going to help keep the temperature warm. A common mistake is to have furniture or curtains blocking radiators, which stops a lot of the heat getting into the room. Make sure that you do not obstruct the radiators, so that the maximum amount of heat is given off. You will also want to position your furniture to help get the maximum amount of airflow in the room, which will help the heat to circulate properly. If you can increase the airflow in the room, you are sure to stay nice and warm when the temperatures drop during the cold winter months.
Eliminate Drafts
Another excellent way to keep your home warm is to try and make sure that you eliminate all of the drafts in your home. You can install draft excluders at the bottom of your doors relatively easily, or you can purchase a removable one that looks like a long sausage shaped cushion. If you live in an older home, then you may also be losing a lot of heat through your windows. If you do not have double glazing, then this can be especially true, and if you seal all around the window permanently, this can help reduce the drafts coming into your home. If you do have very old windows, then you may wish to consider updating them to modern ones. The more drafts you reduce in your home, the warmer your home is going to be. An excellent benefit of reducing the drafts in your home is that your home will become much more efficient. You will find that it will take less power to keep the house at the same temperature, so will save you money as well.
