It surprising how often I get asked to service boilers that haven't been done for years. We've had years of high profile campaigns stressing the importance of gas safety and the need to have boilers serviced annually. Yet a huge percentage of people choose not to. Why though?
One of the most common phrases I hear from customers is, "I'll have a go at most things, plumbing, electrics, renovations, but I won't touch the gas!" It shows that people generally understand the risks involved, namely CO poisoning and potential explosions. But they don't always connect those same dots to regular appliance servicing and maintenance.
Modern boilers, like modern cars, are designed not to be serviced and worked on the same way they were 20 years ago. In fact, most boiler manufacturers ask you not to strip down the burners every year. However, that doesn't mean that a service is any less essential. The recommended service interval is still every 12 months!
The reason servicing is so important is that, when done properly, it:
Checks the safe operation of the appliance and controls
Confirms if the appliance has been installed correctly and highlights any issues
Checks that the appliance is burning efficiently - important for the planet and your purse
Checks that all products of combustion are contained and safely vented to outside
Allows serviceable items to be cleaned and/or adjusted
Identifies any maintenance issues so that they can be addressed before leading to expensive repairs
Prolongs the lifetime of the appliance
Checks the health of the central heating system water
Did you know, boiler manufacturer guarantees/warranties are invalid if the boiler isn't serviced each year by a gas safe registered engineer?
Take the service I did today as an example. The boiler was a Baxi Duo-Tec ErP, one of the better Baxi models and, if looked after, should last another 10 years. This one hasn't been serviced for 4 years. So what did I find?
Once the cover was removed, it looks pretty good. Especially considering it's 4 years since it was opened 😃 No water marks, no signs of corrosion, not much debris. A test of the combustion before the case was removed also showed that it was burning well. So no need to do anything, right? Easy money! Just sample the combustion, do the basic checks, and go! That's definitely what some companies/engineers do. And that, in my opinion, is why so many people don't service their boilers!
If you have ever watched a "good gas engineer" complete your service in 10 minutes and say something like, "There isn't much to check on these!" and then ask you for £70-£120 for the privilege, you might question the value. In fact, the Heating & Hot Water Industry Council produced an industry agreed best practice guide stating that a boiler service should take a minimum of 30 minutes. The full document can be found here:
The service today took just over an hour and I found the following issues:
No Pressure in the Expansion Vessel
The big, red tank in the picture above should be filled with pressurised air. This one was empty. Most modern boilers have one of these, and they are like car tyres, they even have the same valve. They lose pressure over time and need pumping up occasionally. Like when you do the annual service.
I would say that faulty expansion vessels are one of the most common breakdowns I go to in the winter. Most of the time, a service done properly beforehand would have prevented the breakdown!
This is a simple check that is often overlooked on the service. For the customer, it means the boiler loses pressure every time you put the heating on. So it constantly has to be topped up by the filling loop. No big deal, right? Wrong! Continuously introducing fresh water and oxygen into the system, while at the same time losing inhibitor (the chemical that stops the water causing corrosion) leads to sludge in the system. Sludge is the NUMBER ONE cause of central heating issues, and it is totally preventable.
The picture below is from a different customer who had had that exact issue with a boiler installed only 4 years ago. I attended to carry out a Magnacleanse (similar to a Powerflush) and look at the sludge that came out!
You can imagine the damage that does! The boiler ended up being replaced after only 4 years. Proper servicing would have identified this issue and saved the customer a very expensive repair.
Debris Build up on the Flame Rectification and Ignition Probes
It wasn't particularly bad in this case, but further build up on the rectification probe can stop the boiler working. The layer of debris prevents the boiler sensing a flame and can lead to a breakdown when you most need it.
A few minutes cleaning with a file restores the probes back to near new condition. Reducing the risk of a breakdown and another call out charge.
Ignition Electrodes Starting to Warp
The ignition electrodes and rectification probe sit directly in the burner flame. As you can imaging, subjected to that kind of heat, on and off on a daily basis, the metals eventually bend out of shape. Once the electrodes get too far apart, they won't spark, preventing the boiler from firing. When found during a service, the customer can be informed, giving them a choice of replacing them before a breakdown. The advice on this one was to change them at the next service interval. Again, this saves customers the additional cost and inconvenience of a boiler breakdown.
Summary
So, to answer the question: If you want to know that your boiler is safe, efficient, in good health and has no issues that could lead to expensive repairs, then Yes, get is serviced regularly.
Comments