The importance of boiler servicing

All gas boilers need to be serviced every year to stop expensive repairs in the future. Our team of gas safe engineers can help clean your boiler to make sure it’s running at it’s best and performing to it’s maximum capacity. There are different types of servicing which can range from just taking an analyzer test of the flu emissions to sripping the boiler down and giving the boiler what we call a proper service. Our boiler service costs £80.00 and for that you get a full service.

Boiler Service Checklist

• Gas emissions
• Gas pressures
• Gas tightness test
• Flu and seals in good condition
• Expansion vessel set to correct pressure
• Condensate syphon cleaned out
• Radiators working properly
• Hot water working correctly
• Heat exchanger cleaned if scaling showing
• Boiler controls working correctly
• Magnetic filters cleaned

Gas Emissions

As part of the boiler servicing, the manufacturer will have a checklist as to what the boiler emissions should be. Carbon monoxide which is abbreviated to CO, Carbon dioxide CO2, and the ratio. When we put the analyser into the flue we can get the readings and see how your boiler is performing.

Gas pressures

Every home has a regulator by the gas meter to keep the same gas pressures in every household. This is normally set to 21 mbar. When the boiler is installed the gas pipe from ther meter to your boiler should be large enough so that there is no more than 1 mbar pressure drop at the boiler. If the gas pipe is not correctly sized this can cause a pressure loss which potentially could cause high levels of carbon monoxide produced by your boiler so this is why it’s important to carry out this gas test.

Gas tightness test

This a test done at the meter to make sure you don’t have a gas leak in your home. If you can smell gas at anytime it’s important that you turn the gas off at the meter immediatly and follow the guidlines on the gas safe register.

Flue and seals in good condition

Boiler servicing, the boiler will have seals around the cover which can wear over time. The flue which disposes of the emissions have rubber seals that stop these gas from coming back into your home. It’s not compulsory tp have a carbon monoxide alarmin your home but we always advise that any boilers situated in a bedroom then put a carbon monoxide alarm right next to the boiler just as an added safety feature.

Expansion Vessel

On older central heating systems you used to have a header tank in the loft with a copper pipe hanging over the top of it. This meant if there was a problem with your heating system the the water would spill out back into the header tank. With the modern day combi boilers these have been taken away and replaced with an expansion vessel inside your boiler to deal with excessive heat expansion. We will check that these are correctly pressured as they can deflate over time.

Condensate syphon

This is very important in your annual boiler service. The modern combi boilers have a drain that runs from your boiler to a waste pipe that constantly drains water whilst your boiler is in use. The syphon can fill with a lot of carbon over a period of time and if not cleaned out can back up into your boiler which then can cause problems to your boiler.

Radiators working properly

Your heating will be tested and making sure radiators get hot and thermostatic valves working properly. We will bleed any radiators that have air in them. If there are cold spots in a lot of the radiators then a power flush would need to be booked in to clean the sludge out of them. This is not part of your boiler service but can be arranged for £450.00.

Hot water working correctly

Temperatures taken at hot water outlets to make sure operating correctly. On most combi boilers there is a dial to regulate the hot water temperature to reach your desired heat.

Heat exchanger cleaned if scaling showing

The heat exchanger is were the water circulates around your boiler. These can build up with scale and it’s important that these are cleaned so the water circulates around your heating system properly without getting stuck in the heat exchanger.

Boiler controls

These are very important in the control of your heating system. 21 degrees is the normal setting on your room thermostat but just turning these down a few degrees can help in reducing gas bills and better for the environment as well. We also do Nest and Hive which means you can operate heating system through you phone. Typical installation is around £250.00.

Magnetic filters

These are fitted on the return pipe of your heating system. The magnet attracts the iron particles which can clog up your heating system. They need to be cleaned out as they can get a lot of sludge inside.