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Well I hadn’t realised winter is already with us till I got up this morning and found my central heating pump had packed in. I couldn’t see any snow, but the house felt freezing without my radiators gently wafting out the heat.

Central heating pumps are the unseen footsoldiers of the central heating system, and nobody even knows they’ve got one till it fails. Fortunately, they’re a doddle to replace and 9am saw me shopping in my local DIY for a new pump.

Central heating pumps are pretty standard, but if in doubt just take your old one along and ask them to match it. The pump is that thing like a small baked bean tin that sits in the pipes near your hot water cylinder.

Just above and below the pump is a tap to cut off the water supply and stop it flooding when you take the central heating pump out.
Turn off both taps securely, then it’s a couple of minutes with the right size spanner and the nuts top and bottom of the pump unscrew. Make sure you put down an old towel to soak up any drips though.

The pump is electric of course, so there’s a couple of wires to undo – having first turned off the power at the mains. And then refitting the new pump is the reverse of this process.

Of course, I’m very experienced at this kind of job and I’ve done it many times. If you’re not experienced or are in any doubt at all, then safety comes first and the job must be left to a qualified plumber.

Rob

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