Why it's vital to service your boiler annually
Tooting-based Happy Dog Plumbing & Heating on the importance of having your boiler annually serviced, and how it’s particularly advantageous in the summer months.
For most people, the boiler is known as the appliance for providing us with hot water for our showers and heating to make our homes cosy in the winter. If it’s working and doing its job correctly, then it can just be left alone, right?
In simple terms, yes, but it does require maintenance by a qualified Gas Safe engineer from time to time. If you’ve ever owned a car you’ll know that it needs annual MOT and servicing to ensure it’s safe and continues to work properly. The same can be said for boilers.
Most boiler warranties/guarantees offered are subject to Annual Boiler Servicing. Whilst it isn't currently British law (although we feel that it should be) for every boiler to be serviced annually, it is an important maintenance routine that your boiler should have. Annual servicing will ensure that your boiler is running efficiently and safely for the year ahead and minimises the risk of breakdowns, thus increasing the lifespan of the boiler as well. It also validates any manufacturer's warranty/guarantee for the appliance.
Annual Servicing keeps you safe and healthy
Carbon monoxide poisoning in the home accounts for 50 recorded deaths per year, and as many as 4,000 medical visits to hospitals per year.
Regular servicing of your gas boiler helps ensure that it’s combusting fuel efficiently and most importantly safely, which can greatly reduce the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning as well as prolonging the lifespan of the boiler. For more information on carbon monoxide poisoning visit the Gas Safe website.
Whilst for most of us a boiler breakdown is just an inconvenience, it can cause severe health issues for vulnerable or elderly people.
When should I service my gas boiler?
Ideally it should be serviced every 12 months, especially if it maintains the manufacturer's warranty.
Gas boilers tend to work their hardest during the colder months, therefore it’s best to service your boiler in the summer months – between May and August. Servicing your boiler during this time will also give you a lot more flexibility in choosing a convenient date and time to suit your calendar.
We all know how it goes – you put a reminder in your diary to book an appointment but something comes up and you forget. Before you know it, the weather’s freezing and it’s likely you won't be the only person with a broken boiler and therefore availability is likely to be limited with most gas safe engineers.
We’ve recently launched our FREE boiler service reminder – simply enter your details and we’ll email you around a month before your boiler is due to be serviced. No more remembering, no more planning, leaving you more time to do the things you want to.
How will an annual boiler service save me money?
By servicing your boiler annually, you can get on top of any faults or issues early on before they turn into bigger and more expensive problems. It really makes sense to ensure your boiler is in good health.
My boiler was installed in the winter, so do I have to service it then to validate my warranty/guarantee?
If your boiler is still under warranty/guarantee then the answer is ‘yes’ - you can't change your service date/month. Not sure if your boiler is still under warranty/guarantee? A simple call to the manufacturer and they should be able to let you know.
Here are a few links to some of the most common boiler manufacturers to help identify if your boiler is still covered:
If your boiler is no longer under guarantee/warranty and was installed between October and March, we recommend that you schedule to have it serviced during the summer months to avoid difficulties in getting it serviced during the colder and busiest months of every heating engineers calendar. And don’t forget, you get 10% off your bill when you mention Tooting Daily PRSS!
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