Your boiler is an integral part of your home, powering both central heating and hot water. To keep it in tip top condition, it’s really important to look after your boiler to avoid any unnecessary disturbances to your daily routine.
Having a regular boiler service can go a long way to keeping it running safely and effectively all year round, keeping your home warm and your family safe. Let’s take a look at boiler servicing, what it entails and how often you should have it done.
Getting your boiler serviced
There are three main reasons why you should get your boiler serviced:
- Safety
- Efficiency
- Your warranty
We’ll look at them one by one.
Safety
Your boiler is precision engineered to be effective and safe, but several factors come together in that big white box that have the potential for risk.
Gas
First, there’s gas. It’s incredibly rare for a boiler to leak gas — especially if it has been regularly serviced — but corrosion, wear and tear, electrical issues, poor plumbing and even damage during installation could all increase the possibility of a leak. The most dangerous time for a gas leak is first thing in the morning or when you’ve been out of the home for a while with the windows closed. Gas seeping into an enclosed room is especially dangerous as it can be ignited with the tiniest spark or flame.
Carbon Monoxide
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a highly dangerous gas to have inside the home, and can cause long-term or even fatal health issues. Worse still, it’s colourless, odourless and invisible. Poor ignition, inefficient oxygen mix or a blocked flue can all cause CO to leak into the home. While small amounts of noxious gases are produced by any form of combustion, they should be vented into the air. To keep your home safe, it’s essential that a gas inspection during the service checks for any signs of CO.
Water
Your boiler is full of water at up to 70 °C and any sudden burst or leak could injure anyone nearby, or damage property. Even a cold water leak can be dangerous, especially if it comes into contact with an electric current; it can also be a slip hazard, particularly on a tiled floor.
Electricity
Finally, there’s electricity itself. As a potential cause of a spark that could ignite gas, and as a normal electrical risk, it’s essential that all electrics are inspected as part of your boiler service.
During this process, your gas servicer will check all of the key components for signs of damage and wear and tear, as well as testing for gases. A full inspection will give you real peace of mind when it comes to your boiler.
Efficiency
While new boilers are more efficient than ever before, it’s important to keep them this way; a boiler which isn’t working to full efficiency is sure to be costing you money on your fuel bill. Fortunately, a regular boiler service will ensure your boiler can perform at peak efficiency.
Everything from the fuel mix to the condition of the pump affects the efficiency of your boiler and the central heating system. If your boiler is not running at its best, you probably have to keep the heating on for a long time just to maintain a comfortable temperature in your home. This also costs money and gives you a much bigger carbon footprint.
Your warranty
When you purchase a boiler, it will come with a warranty that’s really quite lengthy, especially compared to, say, a washing machine or a phone. In fact, the length of a boiler warranty can be in the same ball-park as that of double glazing or other construction work — up to 12 years on our Vogue Max System and Vogue Max Combi models.
But that warranty comes with some very important small print: you need to have your boiler serviced annually to keep it valid. If your boiler breaks down after four years but it turns out you haven’t had a service since it was installed, you won’t be covered, and you’ll need to pay for repair and replacement yourself. This is a standard stipulation across the whole boiler industry, and is there to promote safety and efficiency.
Prepare for your boiler service
Ideal Boilers recommend that you service your boiler annually to keep your boiler operating safely and at peak efficiency. You should book your next visit from your engineer when they come and service your boiler, and put it in your diary to make sure you don’t forget. Sometimes, engineers unfortunately go out of business or retire, so make a confirmatory call a few weeks before the due date — you’ll need to make sure you’re in, and that you’ve got tea and biscuits.
When preparing, remember you won’t have access to hot water for the hour or two when your boiler is being serviced. However, your cold water supply should be uninterrupted, so you should be fine to fill the kettle.
Find your boiler installer
If you don’t have your boiler installer’s details (for example if you’ve just moved into a new home), you can find a local installer in your area using our ‘Find an Installer’ tool — your installer’s details may be found on the front of your boiler or in your boiler log book.
To book an annual boiler service, you can use our online booking facility and input the details found on your service reminder.
Alternatively, you can get in contact with us on 01482 498660 or find more helpful information in our Tips and Advice section.
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