Having a fully functioning central heating system means your home can be warm and cosy whenever you need it to be, as well as having hot water. Poorly maintained central heating systems can be dangerous as they could lead to gas leaks and inconvenient breakdowns in the colder months leaving you without heat for days.

In this blog, we’re going to look at all the different ways to take care of your central heating system, including diagnosing those nasty boiler smells you may have from time to time.

How to Diagnose Boiler Smells

Every gas appliance in your home should be checked annually by a gas safe engineer.

A boiler's job is to provide you with years of clean, efficient and safe heating power so it's important you get your boiler serviced regularly.

As with anything, issues can arise that can compromise a boiler’s safety. One sign that there's an issue with your boiler is unusual smells. Not only do these smells identify a problem with your boiler, but they can also be causing harm to your wellbeing too so you'll need to be able to quickly recognise them.

Here are a few signs to look out for and what to do if you encounter them.

1.Rotten Egg Smell

You would have probably come into contact with this smell at some point, especially when lighting the hob on a gas cooker. These eggy, sulphur like smells can also come from your boiler. Utility companies purposefully add these scents to natural gas so it is easier to detect. If your boiler has a sulphur like smell, it could indicate that it has a leak.

2.Burning and Heavy Dust

If a boiler hasn’t been used for a while, it can produce a smell of burning fabric or dust when it's turned on. This is often the result of the pilot light burning off accumulated dust from the boiler housing. If the smell persists, it can indicate a serious issue with your boiler. Give your boiler a chance to burn off the collected dust first but if that doesn’t help, you can try either cleaning or replacing the furnaces air filter.

If the problem continues, contact a qualified boiler or HVAC repairman to take a look at your boiler.

3.Metallic or Electrical Circuits

A boiler is comprised of many electrical elements. Sometimes wires fray or become disconnected. As the electrical circuit is exposed to heat, if they become too hot they can give off smells similar to burning metal, melted plastic or burning oil.

If you smell something burning inside your boiler, you should immediately switch it off & call a qualified boiler or HVAC repairman to figure out the issue. It would also be a good idea to keep an eye on your boiler to ensure nothing combusts, even after it has been switched off.

How to Clean Your Central Heating System

Good central heating maintenance keeps your system in top shape and saves you money in the long term. Before the winter months come back around and when the weather is slightly warmer, it's a good idea to do a check of your central heating to give your system a reboot and flush it out. 

1.Bleeding your Radiator

Radiators often get pockets of air get trapped in them. This causes hot water to not circulate as effectively as it should meaning it can take much longer to heat your home or possibly not heat it at all. You'll be able to spot this as large parts of your radiator will feel cold when turned on.

Regularly bleeding your radiators can help avoid this from occurring. As heating is used more throughout the winter months, it's an ideal time to give your central heating a little care and attention beforehand so you can keep your homes warm.

2.Flushing your Central Heating

For something more powerful, you can flush your entire central heating system.

Over time, rust will begin to build up inside your central heating system & can cause a number of problems to occur from

• Needing frequent bleeding
• Little to no heat distribution
• A noisy or problematic boiler
• Little to no hot water
• High fuel bills
• Boiler failure

Central heating flushers are designed to flush out and remove the harmful iron oxide deposits aka rust. The flushing machine is connected to the heating circuit and a high flow of water is pushed through the circuit to effectively purge the system of sludge, scale and corrosion.

The Dangers of Not Taking Care of your Central Heating

Not taking care of your central heating can cause many problems down the line.

1.Gas Explosion

As we’re sure you're aware, a gas leak can be catastrophic if it is exposed to a naked flame. Unfortunately gas explosions are far more common than they should be. If your boiler starts to emit a smell of rotten egg you should extinguish all naked flames. You should then open doors and windows and leave your house immediately. Finally call the national gas emergency number on 0800 111 999.

2.Carbon Monoxide Leak

Unfortunately, it’s not always as simple as smelling something that could let you know that something with your boiler has gone awry. Your boiler can also emit carbon monoxide - a colourless, odourless and tasteless gas - that can seriously harm those that inhale it. Breathing in to much of this gas can cause you to pass out and even cause death. Knowing if you have a carbon monoxide leak is difficult but having a carbon monoxide detector in your home or place of work is one of the best ways to protect you from a dangerous leak.

‘Every year there are about 60 deaths in England and Wales from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning’ – NHS

As carbon monoxide has no smell or taste, it's important to be able to be aware & spot the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning -

• Dizziness
• Headache
• Feeling and being sick
• Tiredness
• Confusion
• Stomach pain
• Difficulty breathing

If you start to experience flu like symptoms, especially when you're in the same space and at certain times of the day, get yourself checked out at the doctors.

If they tell you you’re well, check with others in your home or work if they are feeling the same as you as this is a very clear indicator of carbon monoxide poisoning.

No matter if you have symptoms or not, installing a carbon monoxide detector near your boiler is paramount for keeping you and others around you safe. The detector will remove the guess work and will beep and alert you if you have a leak.

How to Know If You Need a New Boiler

So, you’ve taken great care of your boiler and had it serviced regularly but it’s finally given up. As with anything, eventually a breakdown will likely happen and it can be incredibly frustrating especially if it’s the middle of winter. Aside from the bad smells we have discussed, there are some other tell-tale signs to look out for which mean you may need a new boiler.

• Radiators take a long time to heat up
• Your bills are increasing
• The boiler is leaking
• Loud noises

By maintaining your boiler and central heating system, you can keep them ticking over for longer & keep your home warm whenever you need.

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