When your home relies on radiant heating to keep warm during the winter months, you are going to need different maintenance than HVAC with a furnace. The radiators or other heating elements will need to be flushed and bled to get air out. You will also need to do maintenance to the boiler before you start using it to heat your home. Here are some tips that will help you prepare your boiler for the winter heating season:

1. Flushing Radiators to Remove Debris That Collects in Them When Not Used  

One of the first maintenance tasks that needs to be done with your radiant heating system is flushing the radiators, pipes or other elements. Over the months when your system is sitting idle, radiators collect water and it can cause corrosion and debris to get in the system. Flush the system until you see clean water coming out of radiators or bleeding valves when you bleed them. If you have baseboard elements or in-floor heating, this valve will be located near  the boiler of your heating system.

2. Bleeding the Entire Hydronic Radiant Heating System to Remove Air

As the system is idle, air also gets inside radiators and tubes, which is why you need to bleed the system. There are valves on radiators that can be opened to let the water out of the system. You want to bleed the system when the pump is on and water is circulating to ensure all the air is removed. With radiators, you will need to go to each individual radiator and bleed them one at a time.

3. Cleaning and Preparing Different Types of Boilers to Get Ready for Winter

One of the benefits of a radiant heating system is the little maintenance that it requires, but there are going to be some things that need to be done. Before cold weather arrives, you will want to service your boiler serviced. The maintenance of your boiler will include cleaning the fire chamber, and fuel system. If you have a boiler that uses biomass, there will be a small amount of maintenance that you need to continue doing throughout the winter months. A boiler service will be able to help you with the maintenance and repairs of any type of boiler your radiant heating system uses.

These are some tips that will help prepare your boiler for the winter heating season. If you need help with maintenance before cold weather arrives, contact a home boiler repair service to ensure you stay warm this winter.