Hot water and heating are essential parts of modern life. In this post, we will discuss both if both of these aspects are available in Poland and how you can troubleshoot common problems.
Do they have hot water in Poland?
Yes, most houses in Poland have hot water. They often use natural gas to warm this water.
Water heaters are pretty advanced and they can often indicate what is going wrong as they have special sensors. Check the display on the water heater to see if there is an error code if you don’t have hot water. You can check the manual to see what the error code means.
There is often a button to reset the water heater or to turn it on. You might have to open up a shutter to get access to this.
Make sure that the device has electricity and that the natural gas valve is open. The water valve should also be open so that the water can flow through the water heater.
Older water heaters might be harder to turn on as you might have to ignite the flame by pressing two buttons at the same time.
Check the video below for more troubleshooting steps.
It is important to check that the water heater has been maintained well. It should be checked at least every 2 years by a plumber to make sure that it works properly.
If they have a tankless system, it is possible that the hot water runs out before your shower ends. This can limit the amount of time that you can spend in the shower. The system will be able to heat the water again after a while.
It is important that you have one that exhausts the dirty air outside. The water heater should be installed quite far away from the bath as they use electricity.
In most cities in this country, the water is supplied from a centralized water supply, often from a nearby river. In more remote areas the water can come from a well. Check if the pump is working properly.
The water can be quite hard and leave stains on the shower walls if they don’t have a descaler. This is generally not a problem if you are taking a shower.
If you have a water heater that uses electricity, you will need to make sure you have a separate electrical circuit for it. Check the error display as well. Sometimes resetting the water heater can fix the problem. See the video below for more information:
Do they have heating in Poland?
Winters can get quite chilly in Poland, often dropping to freezing or below. Even during spring, the nights can be quite cold.
Luckily most houses in Poland have heating.
Most modern homes in Poland have natural gas as the primary source of heat and hot water. While there is a move towards heat pumps, these have only been installed in new homes.
Modern houses have thermostats that can be controlled with a smartphone. This increases the comfort a lot as you don’t have to deal with cold rooms. Dealing with a thermostat can involve some troubleshooting though. For example, you might have to replace the batteries of the thermostat, change the programming or do some other troubleshooting.
Check that the thermostat is turned on and that it doesn’t display an error code. Check the manual if you get an error code.
Modern heaters often display error codes. You can Google these to see what is going on. It can be anything from a problem with the electrical wire to a faulty sensor. In some cases, you will have to call a plumber to get it fixed.
Also, check the radiators or floor heating. It is possible that air has built up in them. You might have to release this. Radiators can also contain dirt that needs to be removed from them before they work properly again.
Air-based heating is not used often in Poland.
The majority of older homes lack central heating, which means that you have to adjust the heat in each room individually.
Wood-burning stoves are not that common but can be found in more remote areas.
If your house doesn’t have heating, you can get an electric heater. These are quite cheap but are expensive to run. For this reason, it is best to double-check if they have a central heating system in your building.
Most modern water heaters or heating systems display error codes, making it quite easy to see what is going on. That being said, maintenance is still essential. Plumbers have more advanced tools to find errors and find solutions. Avoiding problems in the first place is often better as it can avoid days without hot water or heating. For this reason, you should make sure that the system is checked and cleaned every 2 years.
Poland can get very cold during the winter. They use a lot of natural gas to heat up their homes. Electric heaters are sometimes used as well but they are not as popular. In more remote areas wood is used and heating oils are also an option. Between October and February a lot of heating is needed as it gets very cold during these months.