If you haven't had your boiler serviced in more than a year, you should contact a boiler engineer and arrange a service. Even if your boiler seems to be working fine on the face of it, it's a great way to make sure your heating is as efficient - read cheap - as possible going into winter.
Plus, it'll flag any faults early, which means cheaper and less urgent repairs. The last thing you want is for your boiler to break down in the depths of winter, just when you need it most and when engineers are likely to be at their busiest.
If your boiler is still within its warranty period, check the terms. Not keeping up with annual servicing can invalidate any warranty you may have on your boiler.
To get the best out of your boiler service, you need to make sure you're hiring the right person for the job, and that you're asking the right questions on the day.
Read on to find out how to get the best from a boiler service.
Need a new boiler? Discover the top-rated boiler brands by heading to our .1. Check that your boiler engineer is Gas Safe registered
to show you their Gas Safe Register ID card. All the heating engineers we list through Which? Trusted Traders are Gas Safe Registered, and go through a rigorous vetting process to ensure we're happy to endorse them. You can use the search tool below to find your nearest Which? recommended boiler engineer:2. Find out how much your boiler service will costA boiler service will cost you around £80 on average, though some can be up to £120 depending on where you are. If an engineer is quoting a lot more than you expect, you should query why it is, or gather several different quotes before deciding. The initial price doesn't include any follow-up work that your boiler might need. You'll need to pay for any repairs your engineer needs to make. Common faults, for example, might be that the hot water pump or ignition requires repair, which would cost approximately £280 and £135 respectively. If your boiler is in good condition, you shouldn't expect there to necessarily be a fault each time but, much like having your car MOT-ed, it's worth going into the appointment knowing that something might crop up that would increase the price. Paying for boiler cover tends to be more expensive than paying as you go. Find out why, and see our tips if you do decide to buy it, in our guide to .3. Ask what's included in your boiler service
Your Gas Safe Registered engineer will follow a specific checklist when carrying out your boiler service, but it's worth discussing with them what they will be doing and why for your own understanding. They should verify that all controls are working as they should, test whether the system has the correct degree of pressure, examine the boiler for any indications of corrosion, clean any dirty components and, crucially, confirm that there are no other safety concerns, including gas or carbon monoxide leaks. Check our to make sure you buy one that will detect a deadly leak.4. Ask your engineer to improve your boiler's efficiency
Even if the engineer finds your boiler is in perfect working condition, you should seize the opportunity to get help optimising it for maximum energy efficiency. This will lower your carbon emissions and make your heating cheaper to run over winter.
Ask your engineer about:
Removing soot from your boiler Decreasing the stack temperatureUsing an economiser Using a Variable Frequency Drive to reduce your running costsSetting the right flow temperature for you5. Find out how to change your boiler settings yourself to save money and energyYou'd be forgiven for leaving your boiler sitting in a cupboard from one year to the next without having a look at its controls.
But if energy efficiency is on your mind, it's important to understand what you can do to adjust your boiler settings yourself, so ask your engineer about this.
One thing you can do, for example, is adjust your boiler flow temperature. It's easy to do yourself, but your heating engineer will be able to show you how and explain when to make changes.
Your boiler flow temperature regulates the temperature of water your system sends around your home to warm your radiators.
If your home has a condensing combi boiler, you can probably heat your system with a flow temperature of 60-65ºC. A lower flow temperature will use less gas, reducing your energy bill. The temperature should be as low as it can be while still heating your radiators enough to achieve the air temperature set by your thermostat - which of course will trigger your heating to switch off.
The idea is to warm your home with as little energy as possible, not to have your home be cold. So if you find the air temperature is staying low when the heat is on, you'll need to bump the flow temperature back up.
There's no one right flow temperature - a variety of factors will determine what works for you, such as your insulation, your radiator size and design, and your desired air temperature.
Your engineer should expect you to care about energy and running costs in the current climate, but they won't necessarily set your boiler up for maximum efficiency unless you explain that this is what you're after. So it's worth emphasising this to them and asking what adjustments you can make yourself.
Do bear in mind that this is only true of combi boilers. Heat-only or system boilers which store hot water in a tank or cylinder need to be hot to reduce the risk of Legionella bacteria propagating and causing Legionnaire's disease. But your engineer may well be able to suggest other ways to improve your running costs - so do ask.
source https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/why-you-need-a-boiler-service-and-what-to-ask-about-aYdk73x6Co0m