A Guide to Getting Started On Your Annual Boiler Service

Getting Started On Your Annual Boiler Service – Things You Need To Know

What is an annual boiler service all about? Just like every other mechanical and electrical appliance, boilers also need up-to-date care and maintenance by a certified engineer or specialist to enhance and optimize their functions. This is what we term an annual boiler service.

Annual boiler service is essential to the lifespan of your boiler and should be carried out regularly since it helps prevent likely faults that could develop at any time. As you might already know, the performance of any machine depreciates over time, but with servicing, they tend to remain efficient and save you from unnecessary expenses. 

Doing this yearly is known as an annual boiler service. An annual boiler service usually starts following the 12-month warranty after installation. Not conducting an annual boiler service on your boiler may invalidate your warranty should you encounter a boiler problem. 

Basic Tips for Annual Boiler Servicing.

If you’ve never carried out an annual boiler service, you may not know things that you’re supposed to do when the engineer comes around. This is one of the reasons why we’ve made this post so that you’ll know what you’re supposed to do when the engineer arrives.

For instance, a good boiler service should be conducted within 30 minutes or an hour and you should demand a written report and thoroughly check its accuracy, especially after the engineer is done with the boiler checks. Also, before you pay for your annual boiler servicing, make sure your boiler is still under its original warranty as most ‘modern’ boilers are accompanied in their first one or two years by cover for parts and labour. 

What you should expect from the engineer when he comes for the annual boiler service.

When the engineer arrives for the annual boiler service, he will carry out a series of inspections to ascertain if your boiler is in safe and working conditions 

The engineer will test the boiler combustion and flue route and he will also repair any leaks and clear any pipe or ventilation blocks. He will carry out visual inspections on the ignition functionalities and check for chemical flush.

Signs you should look out for in your boiler system.

There are various signs you should look out for if you suspect that your boiler system is faulty. A few of them are:

• When water no longer heats at the right temperature and the recommended 1 – 1.5 bar of pressure keeps declining. 
• If the boiler keeps overheating or you notice smoke around the appliances when using it.
• When there is a change in flame, from yellow colour to blue

Do You Have Any Legal Obligations Regarding The Annual Boiler Service?

If you are a tenant, you don’t have any ‘legal’ responsibility to service a boiler in your rented apartment. However, if you’re the landlord it is a different ball game. It is a legal requirement for landlords to conduct annual boiler service for their boiler systems. After the annual boiler service is complete you will need to keep copies of the annual boiler report and give them to your tenants at the beginning of each tenancy year. 

As a landlord/homeowner, you have a duty of care to ensure that the boiler systems on your property are working perfectly and won’t cause harm to tenants or visitors. 

Are There Any Benefits Of Getting An Annual Boiler Service?

You might be wondering if there are any benefits of conducting an annual boiler service. Well, there are many benefits you’d enjoy from getting your boiler systems checked regularly. Let’s look at a few.

1. Cost Efficiency: Regular servicing is a benefit since it affords you the chance of avoiding the situation of a spoilt boiler that would eventually amount to purchasing a new one. It costs less to service a boiler than to replace your boiler completely. For instance, in the United Kingdom, fixing the problem could prevent paying about £200 a year on heating bills. 
2. Energy Efficiency: With timely servicing of your boiler, you get better and improved energy services. This is because with the servicing comes the need for your engineer to optimize your boiler’s efficiencies, which in the long run, keep your energy bills low regardless of the model of boilers you own. As a matter of fact, for industrial boilers, running annual service saves the amount of energy by up to 40%.
3. Securing of Warranty: Provided your boiler is under warranty, performing annual servicing of your boiler, would no doubt secure it. For failure to do so may have your warranty voided. That is, if your boiler breaks down, you will not be able to claim damages either in monetary form or in exchange for a new one. As such, you should check your conditions of warranty when getting a boiler so you can know if annual service is a requirement, and if it is, do not hesitate to book one in time. Of course, you wouldn’t want to lose at the end of the day.
4. Saving Lives: During servicing, the specialist or the engineers run a variety of safety tests that can eventually save lives from fires, explosions, carbon monoxide poisoning, harmful toxins, and hot flue gas leaks from the boilers. 

Guest Article.