While the country has been enjoying a lockdown heat wave, the thought of servicing your boiler was probably the last thing on your mind. Admittedly it is the last thing you want to think about while the heat of the sun beats down and every fan in the vicinity is set to maximum. Of course the global pandemic ensues, but you can guarantee that come the first cold snap there will be householders across the UK turning on their heating systems only to find it is not working.
Yearly maintenance can avoid boiler breakdowns and with lockdown restrictions lifting, many heating engineers are working, with new safety measures in place and an increased use of PPE.
So, with the potential threat of a second wave of coronavirus hanging over us, should you be planning ahead? The CIPHE has put together the following reasons why you should think about servicing your boiler now:
1) Servicing your boiler keeps you safe and healthy
Carbon Monoxide is a real danger to anyone with a fuel-burning appliance in the home. This toxic gas is odourless, colourless and tasteless, meaning that most don’t even know they are being poisoned. Regularly servicing your boiler ensures it is combusting fuel safely and efficiently, minimizing the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
And for the elderly, vulnerable or those with young children, ensuring you have a working boiler is a must for the months ahead. While to most of us, the boiler breaking down is an inconvenience, for some a lack of heating and hot water can have severe health and financial repercussions.
It's not just homeowners who need to take note of boiler maintenance. Landlords are still obliged to take all necessary steps to ensure gas boilers and appliances are running safely, even during Covid-19. An annual boiler service is essential and a relatively inexpensive piece of maintenance to undergo each year.
2) Servicing helps to avoid boiler breakdowns
Once that first cold snap hits, so will the boiler breakdowns. Heating engineers across the country will be inundated with call outs and you are likely to have to wait much longer to get your central heating and hot water back up-and-running – especially if either your engineer or members of your household are having to self-isolate.
If you are able to, servicing your boiler now will not only make it much more likely that it is working correctly when you most need it, but you can also choose when to have it serviced on your own terms. No panic, no sitting in the cold, no having to wash in freezing water. No worry either about that unexpected bill or needing to raid the Christmas fund, which brings us nicely onto our next point…
3) Servicing your boiler saves you money
Maintaining an appliance will almost certainly save you money in the long run - the cost of regularly maintaining an appliance can be significantly less than the cost of repairing or replacing an appliance which is not serviced and breaks down. When it comes to household appliances, your boiler is one of the more expensive ones to replace and can cause the most upset to everyday life.
4) It can make your boiler last longer
Boilers are expensive to replace, so just like your car, you should look after it with an annual service. If you’ve read the above, it should be no surprise that regularly serviced boilers tend to outlive those that are not maintained.
5) Warranties
New boiler? If you read the small print on your warranty, you’ll almost exclusively find that it is subject to regular maintenance, so it’s just as important to regularly service a new boiler as it is an old one.
And don’t forget…
Heating Engineers working on gas boilers should all be Gas Safe registered. For oil-fuelled appliances turn to OFTEC registered engineer and a HETAS registered engineer for bio and solid fuel. You can ensure your engineer also works to the highest of standards by employing CIPHE registered heating professional. Use our find a plumber online service to find the best one for you.
So don’t wait until the mercury drops – get on top of any boiler issues now, while you don’t need the heating and stay cosy and snug when the cold weather hits.