I had a new Potterton Suprima installed in February 2004. It has operated faultlessly ever since and I'm reluctant to have it serviced using the principle "If it ain't broke don't fix it". The burner flames look the same as when the boiler was new (blue with small red flickers at the top). Bearing in mind that natural gas is extremely clean, is there really any need for frequent routine maintenance? I'm not bothered by the cost but concerned that careless maintence might to more harm than good. Any comments?
I've serviced my own boiler and it hadn't been done in at least ten years. There seemed to be nothing wrong with it and it appeared to make no difference to the operation. My current boiler will only get opened up if something goes wrong.
Indeed. Servicing suggests replacing certain parts routinely - like filters - and cleaning where needed, adjustment etc. Once upon a time this was a yearly job - cleaning the heat exchanger of the soot brought about by burning town gas. But for the past 40 years or so we haven't used town gas but the far cleaner burning natural variety.
So it comes down really to an inspection of the system rather than an actual service or any maintenance. And in most cases the costs of an annual inspection would be better put into a fund for repairs if the system breaks down.
FWIW we had an Ideal Mexico 2 installed in May 1997 and my nerve has given out at last so it's just had it's first service. The engineer said it was just about due for cleaning but not overdue by a long way. I know you said cost wasn't relevant to you, but it might be to other readers, so I'll add that it took him about an hour and a half and the cost was £35. It might have cost more except that he didn't have a new thermocouple to fit (he said they tend to burn out and replacing an old one was a worth-while investment), but he said he'll pop back with one.
In my experience the life span of a thermocouple is quite variable. Obviously the pilot flame should be the right size and if it's too big and heats the tip so it's red hot that will shorten its life.
Boilers with thermocouples and permanent pilots cost many times the cost of a thermocouple each year in wasted gas.
My parents have a Potterton Suprima installed in 2000. I have checked the CO/CO2 ratio a few times, but it's miles off needing a service from that point of view -- in 3 years it's increased only from 0.00064 to 0.00077.
When my Potterton Profile got to at least 7 years since servicing (and probably longer as I have no record of when the previous owners had it done), I decided to open and clean it even though it was not showing any need for it. There was no visible dirt inside other than the odd insect which had been drawn into the air intake and setting harmlessly out of the way. The cleaning took the CO/CO2 ratio from 0.00029 down to 0.00026, and by any stretch of the imagination, wasn't worth doing verses the risk of damaging something in the process.
Under British Gas's operation procedures, neither of these boilers would have been serviced following an annual check at these CO/CO2 ratios. Unless you have the ability to measure the CO/CO2 ratio, you can't tell this though. When a boiler starts burning poorly, it will deteriorate very quickly -- the final stage isn't linear.
It is very important that open-flued boilers are serviced annually, as the consequences of poor combustion, particularly if caused by poor flue draw, are likely to be fatal.
I use a Kane 250. You have to do the ratio calculation yourself. (I believe the Kane 400 does it for you).
For just looking after your own boiler, buying a flue gas analyser isn't going to be worth it -- they're too expensive. Also bare in mind that you'll have to spend about £200 every 2 years to keep it working and calibrated.
You can hire them.
Actually, just to add to my earlier post, I also look after a condensing boiler -- a Keston Celcius 25. This does need more attention than the non-condensing boilers. This falls into 2 categories: extra complexity such as a condensate drain to become blocked or a flue pipe which isn't waterproof, and newer technology teething problems, such as melting ignition electrodes. I think there's much less chance you could run a condensing boiler problem-free for 10 years without servicing. Also its CO2 levels drift more between servicing than conventional boilers, although I somehow doubt many CORGI service engineers would go to the same lengths I do to adjust that for optimal operation.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.