Annual boiler service checks

What checks should an annual boiler service contain?

At a minimum the heating engineering giving your boiler its annual check and service should contain the following work:

• review of the overall installation and location of the boiler, pipework and ventilation.
• replace boiler parts that look to be worn or on their last legs.
• check the boiler outflow flue to see the composition of the outlet gases.
• check that the boiler is properly ventilated.
• take apart the key parts of your boiler to check for damage - before putting the boiler back together again.
• check the boiler gas pressure and flow rate.
• prepare a written report and point out to you what you need to do to keep your boiler in good condition.

Some companies try to sell you reduced boiler inspections. These are sometimes dressed up with fancy terms such as an

• Interim boiler service;
• Annual safety check;
• Part service; or
• Summer boiler check up.

Our advice is not to bother with these reduced scope boiler service packages. They may seem like the cheapest way to keep your central heating system in good working order, but they are a false economy.

By the time you've paid for the central heating engineer to visit your home, you might as well get the benefit of a thorough boiler check up.

And you should definitely not rely on them as a way of getting dirt cheap boiler servicing - they are no substitute for full boiler servicing.

As well as the obvious gas safety aspect, cutting boiler maintenance costs greatly increases the chance of your boiler needing expensive repairs later on.