When the gas that fuels your boiler isn't burnt correctly, carbon monoxide is produced. Though this can't be seen or smelt, it can cause headaches, drowsiness, nausea, breathlessness and even death.
Because of this, it's important to get your boiler serviced at least once a year. This will also help your boiler to run more efficiently, helping you save on your heating bills and can prevent costly repairs in the future.
Signs that your boiler needs servicing
The following symptoms indicate that your gas boiler probably needs to be serviced:
- An irregular or yellow boiler flame
- Stains or smoke marks appearing on or near the appliance
- Hot water has limited flow or is less hot than it should be
- Boiler refilling and/or overheating frequently
- Boiler fan makes loud noises
- The boiler pilot light goes out repeatedly
- The pressure drops
What happens during a boiler service?
When your boiler is serviced, your engineer will:
- Clean the:
- Burner/injector(s)
- Pilot/injector
- Flue-ways, including the draught diverter and heat exchanger
- Ignition components (these will also be adjusted)
- Flame supervision components
- Controls (these will also be lubricated)
- Repair:
- Check:
- Disturbed gas connections
- Boiler seals and joints
- For obvious signs of damage to the wiring
- Flame supervision device operation
- Open-flued boilers for spillage
- Re-set the:
- Burner operating pressure to that on the data label/plate
It's important to keep in mind that only Gas Safe Register approved engineers are qualified to service gas appliances.
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