Looking after your boiler is easier than you think

Many homeowners are obliged to by their insurance company to have an annual gas safety check and landlords must do so by law, but this doesn’t mean appliances are hazard-free for another year. And it certainly doesn’t guarantee they’re running cost-effectively.

So as well as monitoring your boiler’s age, the colour of its flame and your own health, there are extra steps everyone should take to keep safe all year round.

Regular boiler servicing

The mandatory annual safety check ensures gas is burning, the boiler’s fitted in an appropriate room and it has enough air supply – but this just scratches the surface. You’ll need to eventually check its combustion exhaust gases, cleanliness, seals, gaskets and for any signs of distress if you want it to last.

An appliance service leaves no stone unturned and covers everything above on top of a standard safety check. Clarity Heating highly recommends killing two birds with one stone with an appliance service at least once a year.

Use heating you need

It’s tempting to keep your boiler ticking over just in case you need a quick shower or to cook. But this attitude puts unnecessary pressure on gas appliances, particularly during summer when heating is needed less, and not to mention racks up a hefty bill.

You should therefore check your programmer is set up to come on and off only when you need to use hot water. And if the water is coming out too hot, try turning the temperature down on the cylinder thermostat or, if it’s a combi boiler, the boiler thermostat.

You can also turn radiator temperatures down without affecting the running hot water if you have a combi boiler, which can be a great idea in the summer.

Let your boiler breathe

Think of your boiler as your property’s lung – it needs space to breathe and avoid overworking.

You should therefore clear clutter around it to let latent heat escape from the heat exchanger and reduce the risk of overheating.

Our heating engineers can help

DIY maintenance can only do so much, so make sure you contact us when your boiler experiences issues.