Top 5 Plumbing and Heating Jobs to Get Done This Summer

Top 5 Plumbing and Heating Jobs to Get Done This Summer

Summer is the time most people forget their heating system exists.

The boiler gets switched into summer mode.

The radiators sit quietly gathering dust.

Nobody thinks about them again until the first properly cold evening, when the thermostat gets turned up and half the house refuses to heat.

Excellent timing.

Summer is actually one of the best times to deal with plumbing and heating work.

The house is warm enough without the heating. Windows can be opened. The system can be drained without your family sitting in coats indoors, looking at you like you’ve personally cancelled warmth.

More importantly, you can find and deal with problems before every other homeowner in North Somerset discovers theirs on the same freezing Monday morning.

Here are our top five plumbing and heating jobs for summer.

Quick answer: What plumbing and heating work should I do during summer?

The five most useful summer plumbing and heating jobs are:

1. Service and properly test your boiler
2. Replace damaged or inefficient radiators
3. Clean dirty heating water and restore system performance
4. Replace an old or unreliable boiler before winter
5. Check leaks, valves, stop taps and the general plumbing system

Summer gives you time to inspect, maintain and improve the system without urgently needing the heating.

You’re not buying heat in July.

You’re protecting yourself against January.

Summer plumbing and heating jobs at a glance

Summer jobWhy summer is a good timeBoiler serviceProblems can be identified before the boiler is needed constantlyRadiator replacementThe heating can be drained without leaving the house freezingHeating system cleanLess disruption while central heating is not being usedBoiler replacementMore time to plan rather than accepting an emergency installationPlumbing and valve checksSmall leaks and seized valves can be dealt with before they become emergencies

1. Get your boiler serviced before the autumn rush

An annual boiler service is one of those jobs people know they should book.

Then they forget.

Then October arrives, the boiler makes a noise like a shopping trolley being pushed down a staircase, and suddenly it becomes urgent.

A proper boiler service should not simply involve taking the cover off, waving a vacuum cleaner around and putting it back together.

The boiler should be inspected and tested properly.

Depending on the appliance and system, this may include checking:

• Boiler operation
• Combustion readings
• Flue condition
• Seals and visible components
• Water leaks
• System pressure
• Safety devices
• Controls
• Signs of corrosion or poor circulation
• Heating water condition where relevant
• Manufacturer requirements

The aim is not to promise that your boiler will never break down.

Nobody can promise that without lying.

The aim is to gather information.

Is something starting to wear?

Is the heating water filthy?

Is the pressure behaving strangely?

Are there early signs of a leak?

Does the boiler operate properly when the heating is turned on?

That information gives you time.

Instead of discovering in December that the boiler needs major work, you might discover in July that something is looking tired and should be planned for.

That is deferred reward.

Not very exciting.

Extremely useful.

Does servicing keep the warranty valid?

Many boiler warranties require regular servicing by an appropriately qualified engineer.

The exact terms depend on the manufacturer, so check your warranty documents.

Missing services may create problems if you later need to make a claim.

Paying for a long warranty and then ignoring the servicing requirements is a bit like buying home insurance and deliberately leaving the front door open.

2. Replace damaged or inefficient radiators

Radiators rarely fail with a dramatic announcement.

They tend to gradually become worse.

One room takes longer to warm.

The bottom of a radiator stays cold.

A valve begins weeping slightly.

There’s bubbling, banging or strange metallic noises.

Then winter arrives and the room feels like a storage unit.

Possible signs a radiator or its surrounding system needs attention include:

• Visible corrosion
• Rust marks
• Leaking valves or connections
• Cold sections
• Slow heating
• Repeatedly trapped air
• Damaged thermostatic valves
• A radiator that is too small for the room
• Poor positioning
• Old radiators that no longer suit the room

A cold section does not automatically mean the radiator needs replacing.

Cold at the top may indicate air.

Cold at the bottom may point towards sludge or restricted circulation.

The whole radiator being cold could involve the valve, balancing or wider system flow.

Test first.

Spend money second.

Radical, I know.

Why replace radiators in summer?

Replacing radiators often requires the heating system to be drained or partially isolated.

That is far less annoying when the heating is not needed.

You can also take time to consider whether the replacement radiator is actually the right size.

Simply fitting another radiator with the same dimensions may repeat an old mistake.

Rooms change.

Extensions are added.

Windows are replaced.

Insulation improves.

The radiator should suit the heat loss of the room, not simply the gap beneath the window.

Consider the valves at the same time

If you are replacing a radiator, it is worth inspecting the valves.

Old valves can seize, leak or become difficult to control.

Thermostatic radiator valves can help control individual room temperatures, but only when they are installed and used properly.

They do not magically make a poorly designed heating system efficient.

Nothing does.

3. Clean dirty heating water and restore circulation

Heating systems contain metal.

Metal, water and oxygen are not exactly best mates.

Over time, corrosion can create black magnetic sludge inside the pipework, radiators, boiler and pump.

That sludge can cause:

• Cold areas on radiators
• Slow heating
• Noisy operation
• Reduced water flow
• Blocked boiler components
• Dirty filters
• Pump problems
• Increased energy use
• Repeated breakdowns

People often refer to every heating system clean as a powerflush.

They are not all the same.

A proper cleaning method should be chosen after inspecting and testing the system.

Depending on the condition, the work might involve:

• Chemical cleaning
• Magnetic cleaning
• Individual radiator flushing
• High flow cleaning
• Powerflushing
• Cleaning filters and strainers
• Refilling with suitable inhibitor
• Balancing the heating system afterwards

The goal is to remove contamination and restore water flow.

Not to connect an expensive machine, make some impressive noises and leave six hours later with exactly the same cold radiator.

Why clean the system in summer?

Heating system cleaning can require the central heating to remain off for much of the day.

In July, that is usually fine.

In January, not so much.

Summer also gives you time to confirm the system is working properly after the work has been completed.

Turn the heating on.

Check every radiator.

Check the pressure.

Listen for unusual noises.

Make sure the system does what it is supposed to do.

If it does, brilliant.

If it doesn’t, you’ve found the problem before winter.

Does a heating system clean lower energy bills?

A dirty or poorly circulating system may waste energy because the boiler has to work harder to move heat around the property.

Cleaning can improve performance where contamination is causing the issue.

However, we should be honest.

A system clean does not guarantee some enormous, magical reduction in every energy bill.

If your home is poorly insulated, your radiators are undersized and the controls are ancient, clean water will not suddenly rewrite the laws of physics.

It is one part of an efficient heating system.

4. Replace an old boiler before it becomes an emergency

Replacing a boiler during summer sounds odd.

The heating probably works.

Nobody is cold.

Why spend money now?

Because planned replacement and emergency replacement are completely different experiences.

A planned boiler replacement gives you time to:

• Compare suitable boiler options
• Inspect the existing heating system
• Test the heating water
• Check the gas supply
• Assess the controls
• Consider radiator upgrades
• Look at warranties
• Understand what the quotation includes
• Choose a sensible installation date
• Prepare financially

An emergency replacement gives you time to say:

“Yes, please. Anything. We’re freezing.”

Not ideal.

Signs your boiler may be approaching replacement

An older boiler does not automatically need replacing simply because it has celebrated a birthday.

However, replacement may be worth planning if:

• It breaks down repeatedly
• Parts are becoming difficult to obtain
• Repairs are becoming expensive
• It is leaking or badly corroded
• Heating and hot water performance is poor
• The boiler is unsuitable for the property
• The whole system needs major improvement
• You are planning renovation work
• Reliability matters more than squeezing out another winter

The decision should be based on condition, reliability, repair costs and the wider system.

Not because somebody glanced at it and declared it old.

A new boiler is only part of the job

The boiler itself is often the easy bit.

A proper installation should also consider:

• Gas pipe sizing
• Flue position and sealing
• Condensate drainage
• Heating water quality
• Magnetic filtration
• Controls
• System flushing
• Radiator performance
• Correct commissioning
• Registration and paperwork
• Handover

Put a new boiler onto a filthy, badly controlled heating system and you have not fixed everything.

You’ve simply given the existing problems a shiny new box to attack.

5. Check your plumbing, valves and stop taps

Not every useful summer job needs to involve replacing a boiler or cleaning an entire heating system.

Some of the most valuable work is boring.

Really boring.

Checking small leaks.

Moving isolation valves.

Testing stop taps.

Inspecting wastes beneath sinks.

Looking around toilets, baths and showers.

Nobody posts a glamorous Instagram reel about confirming a stop tap works.

But when a pipe bursts, you’ll be thrilled somebody did.

Useful plumbing checks include:

• Test the internal stop tap
• Locate the external boundary stop tap
• Inspect pipes beneath sinks
• Check toilet valves and connections
• Look for staining beneath baths and showers
• Inspect silicone around shower trays and baths
• Move accessible isolation valves carefully
• Check radiator valves for leaks
• Inspect the boiler and cylinder cupboard
• Look for green staining or corrosion on copper fittings
• Check outdoor taps and pipework
• Look beneath appliances for signs of water

The aim is to find small problems while they are still small.

A slightly damp compression joint beneath a kitchen unit may not look dramatic.

Leave it long enough and it can damage the unit, flooring and ceiling below.

Water is patient.

It’ll get there eventually.

Test the stop tap before you need it

Your internal stop tap is often beneath the kitchen sink.

Often.

Not always.

Older homes can hide them in cupboards, utility rooms, garages, under floors or somewhere selected by a plumber with a genuine dislike of future generations.

Find it.

Make sure it is accessible.

Check that it moves.

Do not force a seized valve until it snaps and creates the exact emergency you were trying to prevent.

If it is stiff, seized or leaking, arrange for it to be repaired or replaced.

Why summer is the best time for heating maintenance

Summer gives you options.

That is the real advantage.

You can plan the work.

Compare quotations.

Order components.

Allow the heating to be switched off.

Test everything afterwards.

And avoid competing for appointments with every customer whose boiler has failed during the first cold week of the year.

Autumn and winter are busy because failures become urgent.

The fault may have existed for months.

Winter simply exposes it.

Common mistakes homeowners make

Waiting until the heating is needed

The heating has been off for months.

Then it is turned on during the first cold evening and everyone expects perfection.

Turn it on during summer.

Does it work?

Do all the radiators heat?

Does the pressure remain stable?

Any odd noises?

If yes, excellent.

If no, you have time to deal with it.

Assuming a boiler service checks the whole heating system

A standard boiler service focuses mainly on the boiler.

It does not automatically mean every radiator, valve, control and section of pipework has been fully inspected.

Ask what is included.

For a proper pre winter check, ask the engineer to confirm whether the wider system does what it should.

Ignoring a small pressure drop

If the pressure needs topping up repeatedly, the water is going somewhere.

Repeated topping up is not maintenance.

It is delaying diagnosis.

Replacing radiators without investigating the cause

A cold radiator might be faulty.

Or the system might contain sludge.

Or the valve could be stuck.

Or the heating might be badly balanced.

Find the reason first.

Booking everything in October

You can.

So can everybody else.

Summer heating checklist

Before autumn arrives, check:

• Has the boiler been serviced?
• Does the heating switch on?
• Do all radiators warm properly?
• Is the boiler pressure stable?
• Are any radiator valves leaking?
• Are thermostatic valves moving?
• Are there unusual noises?
• Is the heating water dirty?
• Does the thermostat work?
• Are the controls set correctly?
• Is your stop tap accessible?
• Are there any small plumbing leaks?
• Is the boiler becoming unreliable?
• Does any planned work need completing before winter?

Keep it simple.

Turn it on.

Does it do what it is supposed to do?

If yes, brilliant.

If not, sort it now.

Our professional recommendation

Use summer to buy information.

Not panic.

Get the boiler serviced.

Test the heating.

Check the pressure.

Look for leaks.

Inspect the radiators.

Find out whether the system is healthy before you genuinely need it.

A decent engineer should be able to tell you:

• What is working
• What is not
• What needs attention now
• What can wait
• What might need planning for in the next few years

That gives you control.

You can budget.

You can compare options.

You can decide properly.

Far better than standing in a freezing kitchen at 7am, accepting the first available solution because your shower is cold and the children are complaining.

Plumbing and heating services across North Somerset

Kesselmann Heating & Plumbing provides boiler, heating and plumbing services across:

• Weston-super-Mare
• Clevedon
• Portishead
• Nailsea
• Bristol
• North Somerset and surrounding areas

We can help with:

• Boiler servicing
• Boiler fault finding
• Boiler replacement
• Radiator replacement
• Heating system cleaning
• Magnetic cleaning and inhibitor
• Heating controls
• Plumbing repairs
• Leak investigation
• General system checks

We’ll explain what we find in plain English.

What needs doing.

What doesn’t.

And what you might want to plan for later.

No panic.

No dramatic sales pitch.

Just useful information.