Energy Guides

Boiler servicing - the lowdown

Monday 17 January, 2011

By Dominic Welling - dominic.welling@consumerchoices.co.uk

It is sensible to get your boiler serviced at least once a year no matter how old it is. This is primarily for safety reasons but you could also catch a problem before it becomes acute.

Most perilously, you could be at risk of carbon monoxide poisoning if your boiler malfunctions - so it is important that you get it looked at on an annual basis.

What is included in a boiler service?

It is a good idea to find out exactly what to expect from your boiler service - not just from a value for money point of view but, more importantly, so you have peace of mind all relevant checks have been done successfully.

So here are the key things that should be included in any boiler service:

• The engineer should do a complete visual check of the boiler to check it meets all current standards (such as electricity regulations, gas safety regulations, building regulations etc).
• The boiler should then be fired up to see if there are any working faults
• The engineer should remove the outer casing of the boiler and check all the main boiler components - the burner, the heat exchanger, the main injector, and the spark/sensor probe.
• The engineer should check the flue terminals to make sure they are not obstructed and also check that the internal flue components are sealed properly.
• The gas valve should be adjusted with a flue gas analyser to check that the boiler’s burner is combusting efficiently and properly.
• The inside casing and boiler parts should be cleaned
• The engineer should also conduct a gas tightness test to ensure that there are no leaks
• Finally the boiler casing should be put back on and the engineer will check that it is properly sealed.

How much will it cost to get a boiler serviced?

The cost of a typical boiler service will vary significantly throughout the country.

As a rough guide you are looking at spending an average of £64 to get your boiler serviced, but be warned that prices can range from £30-£155.

Boiler cover

A lot of boiler cover policies will include cover for an annual service.

However, although these policies cover you in case of an emergency as well, it is not always necessary and can work out much more expensive.

For example, if you think a once a year check up will suffice to keep your boiler ticking along nicely and avoid emergency breakdowns, then it might be worth saving the pennies and spend the £64 on an annual service, rather than paying £15 each month on an insurance policy you may never use.

If, however, you think that you will need insurance, make sure you shop around because each policy will vary considerably.

Here are some examples of cover:

• AA Home Emergency Response Cover (www.theaa.com)
• HomeServe (www.homeserve.com)
• npower hometeam 50 (www.npower.co.uk)

Is your boiler man legit?

Also, make sure the person playing around with your boiler is someone who is registered with Gas Safe.

To check or find a suitable engineer you should go on the following website:

www.gassaferegister.co.uk

To check if a gas engineer is registered, enter their ID number in the “Check an engineer” panel on the website.

If the engineer is registered you will be provided with a list of details including:

• A picture of the engineer
• Contact details of the Gas Safe registered business
• What gas work they are qualified to carry out