If you are a homeowner or landlord you will want to keep your central heating system efficient. We look at why you would need an annual gas boiler servicing.
How Often Should I Service My Boiler?
Oil and gas boilers must, ideally, be serviced once a year. The service involves a qualified heating engineer thoroughly checking your gas appliances, units, flue gas analysis and central heating systems to ensure they are working efficiently and safely.
Electric boilers do not require the same level of service as gas and oil; however, it is still essential to have the new boiler checked whenever possible. It is always helpful to ensure they are efficient before the colder months. We recommend every 6-months or every 12-months for regular service; however, 12-months should suffice.
What Are The Legal Requirements of Boiler Servicing?
Landlords must ensure that their property has an annual service for the safety of their residents and tenants. It is a legal requirement for all rental properties that flues, boilers, and other gas appliances are serviced yearly or every 6-months.
They are responsible for all annual gas safety check records and certificates. It is their job to provide tenants with a copy to keep so they know of any working faults, unsafe fumes, water leaks or corrosion that need professionally repairing and the next scheduled safety check.
What Are Boiler safety issues?
Carbon monoxide poisoning is one of the primary risks of faulty boilers needing repairs. In the UK, 26%, over a quarter, of deaths between 1995-2019 were from unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning caused by faulty central heating boilers. Whilst this is a massive number, the gas safety record of more recent years has detected a significant fall in carbon-monoxide related deaths and incidents.
It can be pretty challenging to identify whether your boiler has begun leaking harmful gases like carbon monoxide. Such is why it is crucial to install an efficient, high-quality carbon monoxide alarm to protect your household or property. The alarm will help successfully identify carbon monoxide leaks so that you can contact a gas engineer immediately. Annual boiler services are another way for professionals to take off your boiler casing and check that no sign of damage could lead to dangerous gas leaks in the future, which ultimately keeps you and your family safe.
Many engineers will check all the key components inside your boilers, such as the flues, heat exchanger, gas pressure checks, and various other aspects if you require boiler repairs.
For a landlord, annual boiler service is a legal requirement; however, it is not the same for homeowners renting a property. Yet, getting your boiler serviced regularly or every year is highly recommended to stay safe in your home with your current gas appliances owned and central heating system.
Why should I have an annual boiler service?
Many may be confused about how often you can have your boiler serviced throughout the year. Homeowners do not have to follow a specific set of legal requirements like landlords; however, there are many convincing arguments for why you should have your boiler system serviced every 6 months or every 12 months.
Here are some factors to consider when booking appointments for a gas safety check on most boilers:
Safety
The most significant reason you should have your boiler serviced each year by heating engineers is to ensure that your boiler stays running safely and that your home or property is not at risk.
Professional gas safe engineers will check that you are not in danger of being poisoned by harmful combustible products leaking from your system.
Carbon monoxide and various other toxic waste could escape your boiler system and damage the health of your household. Such is something you can actively avoid with annual boiler services.
Identification of potential faults
Receiving annual servicing for your boiler will ensure that professionals spot and accurately identify potential faults or concerning areas. They may spot features that require repairing or replacing.
It is incredibly worth scheduling your boiler service appointment for the summertime or the warmer months of the year. That way, you can ensure engineers can repair all faults efficiently in their least busy period before the wintertime or colder seasons when you are most likely to use your boiler and central heating system.
You don't want to face the disruption that may come when your boiler fails during autumn or winter when you need heat and hot water the most.
Not time consuming
Many often wonder how long a boiler service will take; however, it may not take that long if it is just a regular gas safety check-up. Full appointments may typically take approximately 30 minutes, but ultimately, less than an hour.
It's best to schedule your full appointments during off-peak periods, such as in summer when boilers aren't being used as frequently or at all.
That way, you can ensure you get the appointment time you desire that suits your daily or work life. Boiler service costs tend to be reduced during summertime too.
Repairs, replacements and maintenance cleaning may take up a little more time, and you may have to pay additional charges, so try to schedule these as soon as you notice any issues in the long run.
Contact your local servicing company today for a free quote with costs that fit your budget.
Efficiency
An annual boiler service enables heating engineers to check that your boiler system is efficiently working at all times and to a high-industry standard matching the manufacturer's recommendations.
Your engineer must take the scheduled appointment time to make significant updates to your system that will leave your boiler running better and more energy-efficient.
Getting it checked yearly (every 12 months) or every 6 months will improve and prolong the lifespan of your boiler.
Potentially lower fuel bills
Annual boiler service allows you to ensure that you're running an energy-efficient boiler for your home or property.
You must ensure that fuel is being used throughout your building economically, which will allow you to lower energy and fuel bills as much as possible.
An annual boiler service will allow you to ensure that your boiler is in working condition for the winter period - the time when you will utilise it the most.
Knowing your boiler is working properly means that you can leave it off during the spring and summertime to save money on energy bills.
Manufacturer warranty
Boiler manufacturers often require annual service to check that your boiler system is working safely and adequately throughout the year. Doing so helps validate the boiler's warranty in the case of severe damages down the line worth noting.
For example, professional engineers must carry out a Worcester boiler service to the standards recommended by the Worcester manufacturers, and service for a Valliant boiler should meet the requirements of the Valliant manufacturer's.
Your professionals should always be aware of the latest boiler models in your country or local area and have a vague understanding of their mechanisms and servicing needs. However, to ensure that all standards of many boiler warranties are met, your engineer can access the operating manual for your current boiler via its original hard copy or by searching it up online to follow.
The warranty ties in with many business insurance policies and your home insurance; you can ensure that your building or home is protected by keeping up with boiler maintenance. Many businesses provide promotions during summer so that customers can receive a one-off boiler service and boiler inspection to take advantage of their least busy period.
Who should service a boiler?
Any fully-qualified heating engineer must service any household or property boiler, as long as they have safety ID's and all the relevant certificates to prove their ability. The specific qualifications and training they have received speak to their capability; this depends on the type of boiler you wish installed into your property or home.
For example, if you require a gas boiler service, you need to employ an engineer that specialises in gas boilers; on the other hand, if you require an oil boiler service, you need a heating engineer that can do so. Some can perform checks on both boilers, so it is best to ask if they specialise in particular areas before working.
Gas boilers
You must employ a gas safe registered engineer to perform any safety checks, repairs or replacements on your household or property boiler.
There are so many dangers that someone less trained and qualified could run into on the job that isn't worth risking.
The only person skilled enough to service your gas boiler is an engineer on the gas safe registry with a gas safe certificate and ID.
Oil boilers
It is legally required that all oil boilers receive service from a qualified OFTEC registered engineer.
They are the most suitable for the job; they can accurately handle all oil boilers and appliances, giving them the care they need to provide peace of mind.
When your registered heating engineer arrives at your property or household to provide and carry out all necessary aspects of boiler service, you must request to see their professional ID before they begin working. All those engineers on the registry list have ID's that are proof of their ability and many qualifications.
Asking to see this is paramount and will let you know that they are legally capable of the tasks at hand. Numerous boiler servicing companies will check to ensure a team and network of heating engineers who have the required training and qualifications to perform jobs adequately for all local customers. Getting any form of boiler serviced illegally is frowned upon as you could you and your household in grave danger.
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