What should I do to protect against a heating boiler failure
What should I do to protect against a heating boiler failure
The heating boiler in your home is generally ignored in the summertime when warmth is plentiful, but if it does suddenly stop working, you may be stuck with measly kettle fulls of hot water and chilly cold showers everyday. No one remembers about the gas boiler in their house until that day when it breaks down. Suddenly it becomes a very important and rather expensive piece of essential equipment.
Generally a tenant paying rent is not liable to repair a malfunctioning boiler as the landlord is responsible for maintenance and repair of his premises. However things are different if you own the house, you then need to keep aside some money for getting the central heating system fixed in case it breaks down, unless you take out a central heating maintenance and repair plan.
If your central heating system is over ten years old, it might be worth investing in a new model; this can cut your fuel costs down considerably, especially if you get a high-efficiency model. Your choice of a gas boiler should be determined by the capacity required (based on family needs), the space available for the gas boiler and the existing heating system. If you have a compact family and need hot water at short notice, a combi heating boiler is a better choice. Unlike a storage central heating boiler, a combi gas boiler warms the water directly at the mains, thus eliminating the tank section. With such a combi boiler, a hot shower is instantly available; however if another hot outlet is opened, your share of warm water will quickly run out and you shower could be a cold one.
The other option is to have a sealed system boiler which uses a storage tank, which allows bigger families to use different water outlets at the same time without affecting the water pressure or temperature. The system central heating system is quick and easy to install, and doesn’t take up too much space. The drawback with this gas boiler is that you cannot get hot water instantly as there is a storage tank which gets empty from time to time if a lot of hot water is used quickly.
However the heating boiler which is most commonly used in older homes is the open vent boiler, it occupies huge space and consists of a storage cylinder and two water tanks. Though it does not give the best pressure and takes a while to heat, it is very like a sealed system that can provide hot water to several outlets.
Finally, a back boiler can allow multiple outlets of hot water at the same time, without loss of pressure; but they can take up a lot of space. Usually back boilers are kept in chimney breasts, but it is generally considered unwise to switch to a back central heating boiler if you don’t already have one due to the higher installation costs. It is great if your new home has a back central heating boiler already as this type of boiler costs less to install, if you need to replace your back gas boiler it is better to replace the old one with the same type rather than getting a new type of central heating system installed.
No matter what type of heating boiler you have, it’s maintenance costs can be high if it has problems. You can get some peace of mind if you take central heating insurance because if any thing goes wrong with your heating system your costs will be covered by the insurance supplier or utility company. Buy an insurance plan that includes an annual maintenance contract and emergency house calls and repairs when needed; you will save some extra money and mean you never have to shiver in your shower again.