A Guide to Boiler Servicing

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In the same way your car needs a regular check-up at the garage, your boiler needs a regular service. It gives you peace of mind that everything’s working properly. And it could help to prevent your boiler breaking down. Since an engineer should pick up on any faults before they become a problem (and more expensive to fix) further down the line.

Keeping your boiler in tiptop condition also helps it work most efficiently. If your boiler is having to work hard to provide the same level of heat or hot water, then it’s not going to be working as effectively. Which means your energy bills are likely to be higher than they should be.

More than that, though, a boiler service could keep you safe. During a boiler service, an engineer must check the products of combustion. High levels of carbon monoxide could make you ill or prove fatal. 

In France it is a legal requirement to have a boiler serviced annually. The only acceptable proof of this is a service certificate which must include flue gas analysis.

Note! If your current provider does not issue this you are wasting your money!

There is a misconception that people are not allowed to service their own boilers. The truth is, Yes you can service your own boiler if you can complete the legal paperwork required.     Attestation d’entretien

If you charge money for your service, you need to be properly registered and qualified.

Le décret n° 2009-649 du 9 juin 2009

Entretien des équipments de chauffage : quelles sont les règles 

Une chaudière au fioul, gaz, bois, charbon ou multicombustible dont la puissance est comprise entre 4 et 400 kilowatts doit faire l'objet d'un entretien annuel. L'obligation d'entretien concerne aussi une pompe à chaleur et appareil de chauffage avec ventilation. L'entretien doit être fait par un chauffagiste. En l'absence d'entretien, le bailleur peut retenir le montant de l'entretien sur le dépôt de garantie. L'assureur peut refuser d'indemniser en cas de sinistre.

Translation

An oil, gas, wood, coal or multi-fuel boiler with an output of between 4 and 400 kilowatts must be serviced annually. The maintenance obligation also applies to a heat pump and heater with ventilation. Maintenance must be done by a heating engineer. In the absence of maintenance, the landlord may withhold the amount of the maintenance from the security deposit. Your insurer may refuse to compensate in the event of a claim.

More than 4000 people go to emergency departments each year with carbon monoxide poisoning, and because the symptoms (headaches, dizziness, nausea, breathlessness, collapsing and a loss of consciousness) can easily be assumed to be due to other common illnesses, it’s crucial that you have your boiler checked on a regular basis. Servicing your boiler can give you peace of mind that your family are safe - or it’ll let you know that you need to carry out repairs before a faulty boiler seriously affects your health. All fossil fuels give off carbon monoxide. 

This includes OIL, WOOD, COAL AND PELLETS.

If you’re worried your boiler isn’t working properly, you might want to consider a boiler repair instead. This way you can get the fault diagnosed and sorted straight away.

Note: For an engineer to carry out a boiler service the boiler must function. If the boiler is in breakdown request a repair not a service as this helps the engineer allocate the required amount of time to the job. A service will not repair. They can sometimes be done on the same visit but the repair must be done first.

A good engineer will really get under the hood of your boiler to check how it’s working.

You’ll need to be at home, so that you can show them where the boiler is and the location of anything else they might want to inspect. Most services then follow a similar checklist approach, To start, a visual examination of how the boiler has been installed, adequate ventilation for combustion , controls, safety devices and combustion analysis. That it’s still functioning correctly, and any signs of damage or corrosion. 

Then they’ll remove the boiler casing to look inside the boiler – and check all the components are working as they should. Remove any dirt or debris whilst checking for any other possible defects such as seals which may affect its performance.

Finally checking the products of combustion and issuing you the required certificate.

Generally you have to pay extra for any repairs that need doing as part of the service – along with the new parts and labour cost to install them.

An oil boiler service is usually more expensive than a gas boiler service – especially as the engineer is spending more time at your property. So the oil boiler service cost would generally be higher than a gas boiler

Your price may vary down to a number of factors – like your location, the time of year you’re getting a service (aim for the summer when engineers aren’t as busy), and the size and type of oil boiler and whether it has been serviced annually.