The Ultimate Boiler Guide

A boiler is one of the most important appliances in your home; responsible for your heating and hot water in most cases. It is difficult to imagine life without a boiler if you’ve become accustomed to having one. Because of the intense pressure boilers are under, they are – sadly – often given to failure when you need them most.

However, by being a little cautious when choosing and caring for your boiler, you could not only increase its’ life and efficiency, but you could also significantly reduce the number of emergency boiler repairs you have to have.

Choosing a Boiler

Choosing a boiler might sound simple on paper, but thanks to the very many varieties of boiler and property, there is such a thing as a perfect match, assuming you make all the necessary considerations.

There are 2 main types of boiler; a combi and a heat. As you might imagine, a combi-boiler provides water for the combination of your radiators or heating system whilst a heat only boiler provides the hot water for a tank only. Within these categories, there are also several types of fuel which a boiler can run on so when choosing, you’ll need to be careful about the fuel you have and that it is compatible with the boiler you’re considering. Although the majority of UK homes run on mains gas, there are a staggering 4.3 million which use oil, LPG or liquid petroleum.

Another major consideration with any boiler is its’ efficiency. As well as ensuring that your home is environmentally sound, having an energy efficient boiler could ensure that your own heating costs are minimised and the difference between boilers could be quite staggering.

A further consideration is the way you use the boiler. It used to be the case that you flicked a switch on the wall to get your boiler on and off, but now you can programme them for certain times of the day, access them by remote control and even have apps for mobile devices to control the timing and temperatures.

Installing a Boiler

As you’re probably aware, boiler installation isn’t easy or fast. There are many household jobs that you’ll be able to do yourself: boiler installation is not one of them.

You’ll need someone who is fully trained and is CORGI registered. This means that they’re able to safely connect, disconnect and work with gas appliances and unless they have such a registration, they shouldn’t be touching your boiler.

However, as well as ensuring their credentials and their training, you may also wish to get a feel for them personally. As the saying goes, people buy from people, and this person will be spending a lot of time in your home or premises as they install the boiler. Therefore, using the reviews of friends, family, online forums and expert guides such as Which? may help you as you make your decision.

Care of your boiler

By treating your boiler correctly, you can greatly increase its’ lifespan and minimise the chance of something going wrong. Although without professional qualifications, you can’t actually maintain the boiler itself, there are many things you can do. Regular servicing, running the boiler even in the summer (for short periods of time), regular radiator bleeding, checking the pressure on a regular basis and ensuring that you call in a professional engineer should you come across any problems.

These problems, which are unfortunately common with boilers might include lack of heat or hot water, leaking and dripping, odd noises such as banging, whistling or gurgling, a loss of pressure and a loss of pilot light.

Benefits of regular boiler care

As has already been mentioned, you should always seek professional help if your boiler isn’t acting as it should. However, in many cases, it’s far better to have regular servicing than it is to wait for boiler problems.

Having regular maintenance gives you (and the professionals) the opportunity to troubleshoot and find problems before they develop, it means that your boiler retains its’ efficiency and that any safety issues can be properly highlighted before they become dangerous.

If you are considering installer a new boiler this winter, then Bluewater Plumbers Ltd located in Manchester, are the plumbers to contact. They provide a 24 hour emergency plumbing service to meet all your heating needs. Approved installer of Vaillant boilers, and can offer up to 7 years warranty on both Vaillant and Ideal boiler range.