Central heating is something many of us take for granted. In years gone by, heating up a home required carefully attending to multiple fireplaces. Nowadays, we’re able to turn a dial and heat up our home in 30 minutes.
At least, that’s how convenient it should be. If your home is taking hours to heat up, it could be a sign of a problem (at this point, even a fireplace is more efficient!).
But just why is my home taking hours to heat up? It could be due to all kinds of issues. This post explores some of the most common causes of a slow heating home.
Your home is poorly insulated
If your radiators are warming up quickly, but the air isn’t getting warm, it could be because your home is poorly insulated. Much of the heat being produced by your heating system could be escaping through your walls, windows and roof. By insulating all these escape routes, you could trap heat in and help your home to heat up faster.
Start by considering the most obvious places for heat to escape. This includes open windows, gaps under doors, cracks in walls or fissures in the roof. Make sure that all windows are closed, add a draft excluder to your door and fix up any damage to stop heat escaping (and to stop cold drafts getting in).
You can then explore added insulation measures. If you’ve got money to invest in insulation, you could consider switching to double pane windows, upgrading old doors or getting your entire loft insulated. If you haven’t got much money to invest or live in rented accommodation, consider measures like buying thermal curtains or looking into cheap insulation boards to lay over your loft floor.
Your boiler pressure is too low
Your heating system needs to operate at a certain pressure in order to enable hot water to flow efficiently around your home. If your boiler’s pressure is too low, hot water will flow slowly around your home – or may not flow at all.
Boiler pressure issues commonly occur in older boilers and can be caused by several things including faulty pressure relief valves or leaks from pipes/your boiler. Look at the pressure valve and determine whether you need to hire a plumber to take a look. If you’ve already dealt with frequent pressure issues and had to make several repairs, it could be time to consider installing a new boiler.
Your heating system is not sufficient for the size of your home
Some heating systems are more powerful in order to heat up larger buildings. For example, churches cannot run on a normal home boiler and typically require large church heaters. You should consider the size of your home and whether your boiler is sufficient enough.
Heating systems can sometimes become less efficient after major extension work – your home could suddenly be too big for your heating to handle. Alternatively, a previous owner may have replaced a boiler with a cheaper boiler that is undersized. This may need to be replaced.
It’s worth noting that oversized boilers can also cause issues like short cycling. By talking to heating engineers, you can find a boiler that is the perfect size for your home.
Your radiators are blocked up with sludge
Sludge can build up over time in older heating systems as a result of residue from rust and minerals in the water. This typically settles in radiators, where it can build up and cause heating issues. Unless this gunk is removed, you may find that your radiators take ages to heat up.
To remove sludge from radiators, you’ll need to fully drain them. This may involve having to take the radiator off the wall and flush it with a hose. With many old corroded radiators, it may be better to simply replace them to prevent further issues in the future. Inhibitors can be installed to reduce sludge buildup in radiators.
Your thermostat isn’t working properly
A faulty thermostat could also be to blame for slow heating. It’s possible that your thermostat may not be reading or triggering the correct temperature. As a result, your heating may not actually be heating to the desired temperature, resulting in your home taking much longer to heat up in cold weather.
A heating engineer will be able to determine if there is a problem with your thermostat. They can then fix your thermostat or replace it (if you’ve got an old manual thermostat, now could be a good time to upgrade to a smart thermostat).