How winter-ready is your home?

The questions

1. Question 1 of 6Feel your radiators with the heating on. Are they warm all over?

   • Some are cold at the top
   • Never checked
   • Warm all over

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   Good to know

   Cold at the top and warm at the bottom means trapped air: bleed it (Worcester Bosch).

   Source: Worcester Bosch: How to bleed a radiator

   How to bleed a radiator

2. Question 2 of 6Your boiler's pressure gauge, with the heating cool, reads…

   • I have never looked
   • Below 1 bar
   • Between 1 and 1.5 bar

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   Good to know

   Worcester Bosch gives 1 to 1.5 bar, read with the heating cool. Other makes may use a different range, so check your manual.

   Source: Worcester Bosch: Maintaining your boiler pressure (homeowner guide, PDF)

   How to top up your boiler pressure

3. Question 3 of 6How do you air the rooms in winter?

   • A window tilted open all day
   • Now and then
   • Wide open for about 5 minutes, 2 to 3 times a day

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   Good to know

   The Umweltbundesamt says open wide for a short time, 2 to 3 times a day in winter, and don't leave windows tilted: it cools the wall and can lead to mould.

   Source: Umweltbundesamt: Wie lüfte ich richtig? (German, updated 13 Dec 2024)

   Stop condensation and mould in winter

4. Question 4 of 6Any small black dots near your window frames?

   • Yes, quite a few
   • A few
   • None at all

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   Good to know

   Small black dots near cold surfaces like window frames are the classic sign of condensation (CSE).

   Source: Centre for Sustainable Energy: Condensation, damp and mould (reviewed Dec 2025)

   Stop condensation and mould in winter

5. Question 5 of 6Could you turn off the main water valve if a pipe burst?

   • No idea where it is
   • I think I know where it is
   • Yes, I have found it and know which way it closes

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   Good to know

   Find it now, not during a leak. A round handle closes clockwise, like a tap; a lever is closed when it sits across the pipe (Barratt Homes, City of Bellevue).

   Source: Barratt Homes: How to isolate your water supply; City of Bellevue Utilities: Prevent frozen pipes and if one breaks

   How to find and turn off your main water valve

6. Question 6 of 6Your smoke alarms…

   • One keeps chirping
   • I don't know how old they are
   • Quiet, and none is older than 10 years

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   Good to know

   A chirp every 30 to 40 seconds usually means a low battery (Kidde). NFPA says to replace smoke alarms every 10 years; the date is on the back.

   Source: Kidde: What causes consistent chirping?; NFPA: Smoke alarms

   Smoke alarm chirping? What it means