A guide to boiler maintenance for homeowners
30 June 2020
It’s important that your boiler is working effectively to make sure your home is comfortable and heated. This starts with keeping your boiler well-maintained and ticking away. Making decisions about how to look after your boiler can be complicated, so we have created a guide to help with keeping the heart of your home healthy.
What type of boiler do I have?
The first step in boiler maintenance is knowing which type of boiler you have in your home. We have a handy boiler maintenance guide which should provide you with the information you need to identify your boiler type and make sure you know how they function and what they do based on your type of home.
Why is boiler service and maintenance important?
Maintaining and servicing your boiler is important, as an inefficient boiler not only wastes energy but also costs you more money.
When boilers are left inactive, they can seize up. Regularly turning on the heating is a good way to prevent this. This is especially important during winter, where temperatures can reach below zero, causing the pipes surrounding your boiler to freeze if it isn’t turned on. If this happens, it’ll cause the boiler to cut out and require repair, which is a cost that could otherwise be avoided.
Checking your boiler’s flame
Check that the flame in your boiler is always blue - it shouldn’t be yellow or smoky. A tip is to also check the pressure gauge on your boiler and keep an eye out for any sudden changes to your boiler, both in functionality and appearance.
Bleeding your radiators
Making sure that your radiators are working as they should is also important to keep your boiler healthy. Sometimes air bubbles get trapped in your heating system causing cold patches to form in your radiator - this is because air doesn’t conduct heat as well as water does. The process of bleeding your radiators removes these air bubbles, and by doing this a few times each year, you can keep your radiators and boiler working as they should.
How often should you service your boiler?
Having regular service checks by a trained engineer is key to keeping your boiler healthy and running efficiently. Keeping a close eye on your boiler yourself is a good idea, but it is important to get an annual check up from a professional.
A key benefit to regular boiler servicing is that it decreases the risk of costly repairs or more frequent boiler replacement. It can also help prevent boiler breakdown at inconvenient times - harsh changes in temperature can exasperate issues with your boiler and may lead to boiler breakdown when you most need hot water.