How Important is Boiler Servicing / Maintenance?
Having the boiler in your home properly and regularly maintained, whether by CW Plumbing and Heating Services, or your own fair hand, is not just about helping to avoid breakdowns and costly repairs. It’s also about saving you money on your energy bills, and helping you to keep your home safe from accidents such as your boiler springing a leak, or your boiler emitting carbon monoxide poisoning.
There are actually two different kinds of boiler maintenance. They are:
Reactive maintenance
Proactive maintenance
Reactive Boiler Maintenance
The first one (reactive maintenance) isn’t really maintenance at all. It’s more by way of carrying out necessary repairs, once you boiler has broken down. Okay, if you live in London and you call upon a company that provides good boiler service in London, someone like us here at CW Plumbing and Heating Services, they or we will also check your boiler over, and highlight any other problems they or we may come across during the repair. But it’s not what you would call proactive maintenance.
Reactive maintenance is also likely to be more costly, because in many instances the work is carried out as an emergency; and an emergency boiler repair London based plumber will charge more if it involves overtime, or being called out in the dead of night, or on a bank-holiday weekend.
Proactive Boiler Maintenance
Proactive maintenance (which again, is something that someone like CW Plumbing and Heating Services offer as standard) is all about carrying out a service and pre-empting breakdowns by replacing anything that looks worn, or that is “past its sell-by date” before if actually fails. An efficient boiler, whether its gas or electric powered, will heat the water more efficiently and cost you less to run.
Proactive maintenance on gas-powered boilers is also a way of making sure that there is no danger from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning; so it’s a way of protecting the health and safety on anyone living in the premises.
Some elements of boiler maintenance are actually quite do-able for those who take an interest.
Check the flue and air vents are clear
If the flues or air vents become blocked, they will prevent the boiler from working efficiently. This can also potentially lead to carbon monoxide poisoning, so it’s important that it should be regularly checked every few months.
Checking the water level inside your boiler
Checking the water level inside your boiler should be done every two weeks or so, because if it does runs dry for some reason, allowing it to carry on operating can easily cause damage beyond repair. It can also endanger the lives of anybody in the premises. You need to make sure that the pilot light is on when you check the water level. If the level is below the minimum, you will then need to check the plumbing for any leaks, and if you find any, you will need to repair them, or call on the services of CW Plumbing and Heating Services to repair them for you.
Checking for leaks
A quick, cursory check of the boiler itself should show up any leaks, simply by looking and feeling around the boiler for damp or wet patches. You should also check to make sure there is no fuel leak. If you have a gas boiler, and you suspect that it is leaking, (you can tell by sniffing around the valve – checking for a smell akin to “rotten eggs”) you’ll need to call in an emergency boiler repair London based plumber like CW Plumbing and Heating Services. All our plumbers are Gas Safe registered.
Check to see if your boiler needs de-scaling
If lime-scale is allowed to build up inside your boiler, it will impair its efficiency. Whether you live in a hard or soft water area will have an impact on potential lime-scale-build-up- hard water being the enemy.
Keep any moving parts lubricated
The moving parts of any appliance or device should be lubricated from time to time, and your boiler is no different. If it contains moving parts such as fans or pumps, they should be routinely lubricated. Keeping your boiler regularly serviced and lubricated is important. If you’re not going to do it yourself, why not commission CW plumbing and heating services to do it on your behalf?
Dust check out
If your boiler is located in a boiler room, or an area that is not particularly well ventilated, dust may build up, particularly around the fan if your boiler has one. It’s a good idea to do a quick dust check every fortnight and clear away any you find.
Emptying and flushing your boiler
Although not many people do it, it’s a good idea to empty your boiler twice a year. This is best done in The Spring, once the cold winter is out of the way, and again in The Autumn, before the cold season sets in once again. Emptying the boiler will help to get rid of any dirt or grit that has accumulated and will give you the opportunity to de-scale it too. You should replace any gaskets before you reassemble, and refill the boiler.
Annual boiler check
In spite of the fact that you might regularly maintain your boiler, if it is a gas boiler, it needs to be checked out annually by a registered Gas Safe plumber, like us here at CW Plumbing and Heating services. Call us on either 020 7733 6812, or 07949 095 184, to arrange your annual service while it’s still fresh in your mind. We can schedule it at a time most convenient to you.
