Are you wondering why your house isn’t getting warm enough?
I’ve heard this problem time and time again from my customers. Perhaps you’ve only just moved in, and you’re not finding the house (or certain rooms) as comfortable or warm as in your previous home. Or maybe you’ve noticed your radiators seem less effective than they used to be, and your home just isn’t getting as warm anymore.
There could be a few reasons for this, and below, I’m going to use my 20+ years of experience as a heating engineer to give you a better idea of what’s going on in your property, and what you can do to fix it.
So, if your house isn’t getting warm enough, keep reading!
1. Your boiler is undersized
The first reason could be that your boiler is simply undersized for the number of radiators in your home. It’s quite common, especially in newer homes, for builders to install the exact capacity of boiler required – no more and (hopefully) no less.
Since the boiler was installed, you may have had an extension added, or changed your radiators from single to double panels to see if you can get a bit more heat. However, if your boiler hasn’t got the capacity, these attempts will be fruitless.
2. Your radiators are full of sludge
If your radiators aren’t getting warm enough, it could be that they’re sludged up. A good way to tell this is by seeing if they’re only warm at the top – essentially meaning they’re working at half-power. Which of course will mean that your house isn’t getting warm enough.
3. Your pipework is blocked or restricted
Just like sludge can block up radiators, it can also block or restrict your pipework. If sludge is getting into your manifolds or valves, the flow of hot water to your radiators will be restricted.
TIP: A magnetic central heating filter can prevent from sludge build-up in your system.
4. Your boiler’s thermostat isn’t working
Another common issue is that there could be a problem with your boiler’s thermostat, or room thermostat. It could be opening or closing too early, and simply not detecting the correct temperature it needs to be.
5. You have a faulty pump or motorised valves
Finally, you could also have a faulty pump or motorised valve, which is only opening partially. Or, although your pump looks like it’s working, it’s not pumping at the correct speed, therefore the heat is not getting to your radiators.
Things to try if your house isn’t getting warm enough:
If you’re still not sure what could be causing the problem, there are some basic tests you can carry out. For instance, when your heating is on, try feeling whether or not the radiators are getting hot all over. You can also try setting all your controls to maximum and seeing if the radiators get so hot you can’t touch them.
If you do find cold patches, there’s most likely sludge or blockages in your system. However, if the boiler is coming up to temperature and then cutting off, without the heat getting to the boilers, it could easily be an issue with the pump or motorised valves.
Individual radiators are not heating normally? Your problem could be blocked valves.
Finally, are all of your radiators are getting really hot, and your boiler is working flat out, yet the room still isn’t got enough? It probably means your radiator or boiler is undersized.
Regardless of the problem, I’d advice doing your homework and calling an experienced engineer to discuss your options, or the symptoms you’re experiencing. They may wish to visit your home to conduct a more thorough assessment before giving you options.
Feeling unsure of the advice you’ve been given? I’d always recommend getting fixed price quotes from 2 – 3 engineers.
Conclusion
I hope you’ve found this blog helpful when trying to determine why your house isn’t getting warm enough. A number of factors could be causing this issue, and your best bet is to contact an experienced heating engineer – but of course, you can always try some of my advice above first.
If you have any specific questions, feel free to leave a comment below, or get in touch with me directly.
