System

I will turn my boiler/radiator system back on tonight for the first time since last winter. I am use to having a furnace and ductwork, and I heard that you need to have maintenance done on your boiler before you start it each winter. Is this true and is it something I can do myself? Are there books that I can purchase? I am a pretty handy guy and can fix almost anything, but have never done anything to a boiler/radiator system. Please help. Thanks.

first clean off the baseboard elements (they will let off accumulated dust and the like) vacuum
make sure the area around the boiler is clean and, that it is not lacking ventilation in the room
it is a good idea to get the inside of the boiler cleaned and inspected by someone who has a license (ask the town fire department, there probably not suppose to but they sure wont give you the # of the guy that they had to clean up after)

3 Responses

1. crack rabbit Says:
   May 16th, 2010 at 10:26 am

   Is it oil fired. coal, Natural gas? The preventive maintenance on these different type burners are not the same. Once you know what you have you can go from there. Good luck.
   References :

2. xtraink Says:
   May 16th, 2010 at 11:07 am

   My house had a boiler radiator system that was really old. The radiators need to be drained occasionally but I didn’t do it every year. For us the easiest way was to disconnect the radiator and take it outside. Remove the little whistler and flush the inside with a garden hose. You’ll be shocked at the amount of rust that builds up over the years. Turn off the water supply to the boiler and drain it then refill and drain it again. There are a lot of DIY sites to give you information.
   References :

3. Special Ed :Þ Says:
   May 16th, 2010 at 11:41 am

   first clean off the baseboard elements (they will let off accumulated dust and the like) vacuum
   make sure the area around the boiler is clean and, that it is not lacking ventilation in the room
   it is a good idea to get the inside of the boiler cleaned and inspected by someone who has a license (ask the town fire department, there probably not suppose to but they sure wont give you the # of the guy that they had to clean up after)
   References :

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