While your boiler is working okay and heating your home and providing you with hot water, many people don’t give this important appliance a second thought. It is only when it goes wrong do we reach out for our trusted boiler repair man. However, it is vitally important that your boiler – whatever its fuel – is serviced regularly.
Why is boiler servicing important?
Having your boiler serviced regularly ensures that it is operating at its most efficient, thereby keeping fuel bills low (studies show that regular servicing of boilers can reduce annual fuel costs by up to 10%). Servicing can also save you money on costly call-out fees due unexpected breakdowns by spotting potential issues and fixing them before they become a problem.
Regular servicing also reduces the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. Odourless and colourless, carbon monoxide is difficult to notice, which is why we recommend that all households or businesses have a carbon monoxide detector fitted.
Any installation or servicing of a gas appliance should be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer. For those fuelled by oil or solid fuel, installation and servicing should be carried out by an engineer who is registered with an organisation that is part of the Competent Persons Scheme, for example OFTEC for oil and HETAS for solid fuel. You can check that your heating engineer is registered with one of these organisations by visiting their websites or checking the Government’s Competent Persons Scheme website.
How often should the system be serviced?
All appliances should be serviced yearly. However, some boiler manufacturers may recommend a more regular service such as every six months.
Summer is the best time to get your boiler serviced. During winter it is often difficult to get hold of a heating engineer as they are often called out on boiler breakdowns.
What does a service include?
A boiler service will differ depending on the fuel. For instance, while an oil boiler will need its nozzles cleaned or renewed, this is not necessary for a gas boiler.
However, all boiler services will include checks for operating efficiency, ensuring that all parts are in good working order, and will check flue gases.
All annual boiler checks will also ensure that your boiler is running at maximum efficiency and is safe to use.
Landlords and Boiler Servicing
Landlords in the UK are obliged by law to keep all gas installations and heating appliances regularly maintained and are safe to use. For gas appliances, landlords also have a legal responsibility to undertake all boiler repairs and annual servicing.
In addition it is the landlord’s responsibility to arrange for an annual gas safety check, which must be carried out by a Gas Safe engineer. On completion of the gas safety check, a Gas Safety certificate will be issued and a copy must be supplied to the tenant.
Commercial boiler servicing London
Commercial gas appliances and plant room equipment are a specialised field. Many companies employ specialist commercial heating engineering companies on planned and preventative maintenance contracts to undertake regular safety checks, servicing and repairs so that their tenants, staff and customers are not inconvenienced by lengthy breakdowns. Without this type of arrangement, it is often hard to find a commercial heating engineer at short notice.
By having your commercial boiler regularly serviced you can reduce the amount of boiler breakdowns and costly call-out fees, increase the life expectancy of the appliance and improve safety.
Contact the experts | Our Plumbing and Heating Maintenance Service
Montagu Property Services is Gas Safe registered and is able to undertake all of your regular boiler heating system and maintenance requirements. We can carry out landlord boiler checks, boiler maintenance, servicing and central heating repairs.
Our plumbing and heating department is able to provide a range of services:
- Gas Safe and landlord certificates
- Commercial and domestic boiler servicing
- Plumbing, boiler and heating system repairs and installation
- Emergency call out service
To book a service, or to speak to us about your commercial or domestic heating system, please call us on 0207 723 5463 between 8am and 6pm, or email us at info@montagupropertyservices.com and we will get back to you.
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