How do I ensure my boiler runs reliably & efficiently?

Want to make your boiler run efficiently and reliably? Follow these tips from our director, Richard Gross.

How do you ensure your boiler runs efficiently? This is a good question and one that isn’t asked enough. The short answer is to make sure that it is installed properly, on a clean heating system and that it is serviced regularly.

Customers are often caught out by unexpected bills when their boilers break down and need to be repaired. More often than not, these unexpected bills could have been prolonged or even completely avoided if the boiler and system is looked after as it should be.

Treat your boiler better than your car

Think about it this way: someone might spend £20-30,000 on a car. They’ll have it serviced annually. They’ll change brake pads and tyres periodically. The oil and filters will be replaced every couple of years. And they’ll accept that it is likely to breakdown at some point every few years.

Boilers, however, are often thrown into a home as cheaply as possible, and then not looked at for years or until they breakdown. All this, despite the fact that we use our boiler far more than we use our car. When you turn on the tap to do the washing up, your boiler has to do the hard work. When you run that bath or take a shower, the boiler is there, ensuring your water is as steamy as you like it. When the cold sets in in winter, you need your boiler to keep you warm – it genuinely keeps you alive.

Ultimately, your boiler should be seen as, if not more, essential and important as your car. Treating your boiler like the critical appliance that it is will go some way to ensuring it runs efficiently and reliably.

Invest early on

The phrase “buy cheap, buy twice” is one that we are all too familiar with in the heating industry. With boilers and heating systems, it’s often too true. I personally have lost count of the number of times we’ve had to replace a boiler prematurely due to bad installation by another company, or inadequate maintenance. You can avoid this by investing in an excellent system – such as Viessmann – early on. It might set you back a significant amount of money, and it certainly isn’t as sexy a purchase as a car or kitchen, but you’ll reap the most rewards from a good boiler.

Have it serviced regularly

The best way to look after your boiler is to have it serviced annually, report any faults or system leaks (no matter how small) immediately, and to take steps to ensure the system is clean and protected from sludge (by cleaning the system and installing filters to protect the boiler).

If you’d like further advice on how to keep your boiler and heating system running efficiently and reliably, give us a call on 07864 892 643.

Got more plumbing questions? Read through our FAQs here, or give our expert engineers a call to find out how we can help you.