I generally work on the principle that if it's not broke you don't fix it unless, like a car engine, for example, it clearly needs some TLC like an oil change from time-to-time.
So how often does a boiler *need* to be serviced?
Mostly the service interval is every 12 months.
That doesn't answer the question though. Unfortunately the best one can say in general is that "it depends".
If the boiler is in a position to get clean dust free air and is well designed it can probably go years without service safely. As all new boilers are room sealed you could probably argue that they could all be left until the break down BUT our boiler had a faulty seal on the combustion chamber that would have been replaced at a service (had we had one).
Despite it being (in my opinion) a "safety critical" fault, there was no recall (or customer notification) as it was a part that would have been replaced during a service.
So, unless you can get boiler specific advice, I think an occasional service *before* a breakdown probably isn't a bad idea.
Tim
That's how often it is usually done, That doesn't answer the question.
My W-B is in its 3rd winter from new with no servicing. I did have the cover off to make some wires for monitoring and noticed that the condensate syphon did have some gritty looking crap in the bottom so it there is some in there then there is possibly some in the sump of the burner too so maybe that indicates I ought to service it sometime next year perhaps?
Ours, too, is in its third winter since the cover was last off and someone who knew what he was looking at pronounced it 'OK'.
Perhaps I ought to get him round again soon...
If it is a newish Worcester-Bosch, then every 12 months so that it complies with the warranty (5 or 7 years).
Our WB hadn't been touched for nearly 4 years. Then it failed.
Turned out a seal had failed and fried the wiring harness. And a few other things. The guy ended up replacing most of the innards, bar the wet bits.
Luckily it was a prearranged fixed price repair...
Mine had to wait 5 years for its first service. Doesn't seem to have done it any harm. Going to get it done yearly from now on, though.
but "why"?
My flat is now about 8 years old
I would stake my annual salary that the previous occupant did not get the boiler serviced during her 5 years of ownership (as a 20 something girly she probably didn't know it needed doing)
and when I moved in, whilst it was on my list of things to do on the "it aint broke so don't fix it" basis I kept on putting it off until last summer.
When the guy came all he did was sick his measuring devices in the appropriate places, fiddled with the controls for a bit, and after about an hour declared it OK, filled in a form and gave me the top copy.
All he said was that the length of the run of the exhaust/air intake pipe was a bit marginal. But as a flat there is no way that it could be changed even if it were wrong.
Calling this a "service" is a gross exaggeration IMHO and the idea that it needs to be performed annually ridiculous
tim
Not actually convinced regular servicing makes any difference to the number of breakdowns. It might make more sense to wait for a breakdown and have a 'service' then. But it makes sense for the owner to do regular inspections to check for water leaks or anything obviously amiss, like a change in performance.
Thing is would that seal have been replaced during routine yearly servicing?
Had my WB for 7 years, never been serviced. At 5 years it stopped working, called an engineer out (not WB), syphon blocked, common problem, he cleaned, cost £60. I watched him do it, easy, next tile I'll DIY it. OK, an annual service (probably) would have found this, but cost of 5 annual services vs one off £60 - no brainer. Boilder failed again a couple of months back during that really cold spell (as they do). Called same engineer, transformer burnt out and took out the pcb, I watched him take out the bits and could smell it (and no, it wasn't due to a leaking seal). £260 this time, but that wouldn't have been picked up by service either.
I installed my boiler in 1988. I have cleaned it out a couple of times and it's had a few new thermocouples. Otherwise it works.
Glad to see I'm not alone. I installed a Potterton Netaheat about 1989, and it's heating the house as I write. It's also been cleaned out only every three or four years. One replacement PCB (£50) and one earth electrode (£2.50) is all that I've spent on it - so the fact that it is probably deemed to be inefficient doesn't really come into it. Changing it will be a hassle as the gas supply to the boiler will need upgrading to 22mm - not an easy run. But will have to be done at some time as I'm told that the gas valve is no longer available, nor is there a suitable alternative.
Peter
I've kept a boiler going via eBay. many gas engineers, or their partners, seem to offload a lot of the freely gotten gains.
Does your Netheat also have a mercury filled water thermostat?
If a boiler isn't room sealed, I would say annual service is essential because of the danager of carbon monoxide.
For modern room sealed boilers, most don't need an annual service, but you need to know the boiler well (and how it's used) to know what it does need.
All gas appliances need an annual safety check in rented properties, but that's not the same as a service.
I can't answer for a Worcester-Bosch as I don't service any.
I do service a variety of boilers around the family. I've done Potterton Profile and Suprema about every 7 years, although the rise in CO in the flue gasses (co/co2 ratio) hasn't got significant in that period. (The CO/CO2 ratio should be checked every year or two, to see if a service is needed more frequently.) However, you will find a layer of dead insects to vaccum out below the burners, and I take out the burners and blow out any dust from the jets and air mixing tubes. I have also tried cleaning the flue paths through the heat exchangers, but found nothing there to clean off. (This builds up very quickly if burner air paths start to get blocked with dust, and then with the resulting soot debris which forms in the heat exchanger, some of which falls into the burners and makes it much worse.) You can recheck burner pressures, although I have never found them to change once initially set.
As mentioned in another thread, I also look after a Keston Celcius 25 condensing boiler, and this needs more attention. At least once a year, I take the cover off and inspect it carefully whilst operating (which is safe with this boiler, but not with many). Various of the seals fail and you can see this when it's starting to happen, before it does damage, Same with the rubber internal flue pipe. About once every
3 years, I open the heat exchanger and clean it out - a fine grey dust slowly collects on the surface of the corregated stainless steel water tubes which can be vacuumed or rinsed off. Also, debris collects in the bottom of the heat exchanger, and on a couple of occasions this blocked the condensate drain, causing the heat exchanger to start filling with condensate until it blocked the flue exit and the burner would no longer stay alight. I found this is easily avoided by pouring a couple of litres of water into the exhaust flue to wash out the debris before it builds up, once or twice a year, which is much easier than opening up the heat exchanger this often.I also service an instant gas water heater, and this needs cleaning annually, as dust and dead insects build up in it. Again, it's vacuuming it out, and using compressed air to clean the jets and air mixing tubes, and checking the room seal.
If you're going to do this, you need to understand fully how the appliance works, how safety features such as room seals work, and you will need a flue gas analyser, which has a regular ongoing maintenance cost itself (the oxygen sensors only last 24 months, and they need recalibrating). This will cost more than getting one boiler serviced. You can hire them too, e.g. for a weekend.
You might find that the 10-year warranty on new W-B boilers requires regular servicing on the manufacturer's schedule. OOps!
Is it still under warrany (maybe 10 years for W-B)? If so stick to the manufacurer's recommendation for servicing.
I'd want to work out if the costs of 'servicing' are less than paying for a repair outside a normal warranty. My guess is they will be very much higher.
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