When Should I Replace My Boiler
- Posted by:
- Admin
- Tags:
- Boiler, Replacement
- Posted date:
- 01-09-2021
As a homeowner, you may be asking: When Should I Replace My Boiler? We look at the signs that your central heating system is due for replacement and how much it will cost.
How Often Should a Boiler Be Replaced?
Have you ever thought about what you would do if hot water were not readily available in your home?
For example, could you go without the relaxing hot showers, central heating to keep you warm midwinter or hot water for washing the dishes after a family dinner?
It's how the majority of humanity lived throughout history, so there is no doubt it's possible, but what is the point of advancing civilisation and technology if not to eliminate discomfort and inconvenience from everyday life?
So if the idea of going back to cold showers and stove fires and having to heat water manually doesn't appeal to you, you should really consider replacing your boiler.
As the premier household gas appliance, keeping your boiler well maintained and cared for should be at the forefront of your mind, but things tend to go wrong even in a best-case scenario.
At the end of the day, your household combi boiler is just a machine and machines tend to break down at the least convenient times. Sometimes, they can't be fixed when this happens and then you need to replace your existing boiler.
That's why when you think your boiler needs replacing, it's important to know how and when and how to get a new one.
If you are a boiler virtuoso, you probably don't need to read much further than this as you no doubt have a sense of if your boiler may need replacing. Should you be a layperson when it comes to combi boilers, then please read on for advice on what you should be on the lookout for.
When should I replace my boiler?
Combi boilers are relatively simple machines, at least compared to some conventional boilers and other related gas and electric appliances.
But just because they aren't rocket science doesn't mean there aren't a million and one things that can go wrong with them.
Sometimes something was done wrong during the boiler installation and sometimes it's just deterioration. And so here are some common signs that it could be time to get a new boiler.
Nothing lasts forever. This is no less true for your boiler than it is for any other system or appliance made by humanity. Over the course of its life, your boiler will endure gradual wear and tear until it eventually stops being effective or stops working completely.
Your average combi boiler will last up to 15 years with proper care and maintenance. You need to get annual service checks by a Gas Safe certified engineer to make sure you get the most out of your old boiler and ensure the warranty stays valid.
That being said, it's worth considering just getting a completely new boiler once your old one has passed the 15-year mark rather than getting it serviced again. Even if the old boiler is chugging along just fine, it likely is only one bad day away from kicking the bucket. New boilers come with the added benefit of giving a new lease of life to the responsiveness of your house's central heating system too.
When a boiler gets older, it doesn't just break down more often, there is also a loss in the overall efficiency of its performance. In a practical sense, what this could mean is an increase in your monthly energy bills.
This is because in order for an inefficient boiler to do provice heating and hot water it ends up using more fuel to do so.
You can determine your boilers energy efficiency rating by looking over it for a sticker. Every boiler has an energy efficiency rating from A being the best to G being the worst. The most efficient A-rated boilers operate at 90% efficiency, while the lowest G-rated boilers sit at about 70% energy efficiency.
The difference between the two might not seem like much at a glance, but the amount of money you could be saving every month by replacing your inefficient boiler with a new A-rated model is often enough to have the new boiler pay for itself over time.
If your boiler flame turns yellow, it's essential that you call a Gas Safe engineer as soon as possible. There are a lot of reasons this problem can occur in a boiler but this seemingly benign change in colour is often symptomatic of a more insidious malfunction. In particular, a carbon monoxide leak.
Even if you aren't an expert on gas safety and boiler issues you have likely heard about the dangers of carbon monoxide.
An invisible, odourless gas, produced as a byproduct of combustion inside a boiler, this is a gas that can prove lethal in some circumstances and as such is treated with great severity.
Be sure then to pay attention to the colour of your boiler's flame so that you aren't caught unawares and can call for an engineer as soon as you notice a problem.
If your boiler flame turns yellow, it's essential that you call a Gas Safe engineer as soon as possible. There are a lot of reasons this problem can occur in a boiler but this seemingly benign change in colour is often symptomatic of a more insidious malfunction. In particular, a carbon monoxide leak.
Even if you aren't an expert on gas safety and boiler issues you have likely heard about the dangers of carbon monoxide.
An invisible, odourless gas, produced as a byproduct of combustion inside a boiler, this is a gas that can prove lethal in some circumstances and as such is treated with great severity.
Be sure then to pay attention to the colour of your boiler's flame so that you aren't caught unawares and can call for an engineer as soon as you notice a problem.
A leaky boiler is one of the signs that your boiler is probably getting a bit old and may outlive its usefulness soon.
While one or two leaks here or there don't pose too much of an issue so long as you get an engineer to fix them promptly, if a boiler keeps frequently developing leaks despite your attempts at constant repairs, it can cause some problems.
The main issues that come with leaks are rust, corrosion and mould. Simply put, while water is considered by most to be a relatively benign substance, it can do an obscene amount of structural damage to your home by eating through things like wood and metal piping over long periods of time.
Furthermore, if somewhere like a ceiling corner remains damp for a long enough time due to a leak causing water to start condensing, it can be an excellent environment for potentially dangerous species of mould to grow.
So to avoid playing whack-a-mole with your leaky boiler, it may be wiser to have it replaced entirely.
Knowing that you can always just turn the central heating on whenever you are cold at home is a comforting feeling. That's why it sucks even more when you turn the heating on and end up sitting there for an hour waiting for the radiators to heat up.
There are a number of reasons your radiators could take longer to heat up than they should. It's possible that some part of the central heating system is broken or malfunctioning and getting that repaired might fix it.
There is also a good chance that your boiler is simply not running efficiently due to old age. If it's the latter case and you would very much like to have a properly working and responsive central heating system, then getting it replaced should do the trick.
If your boiler smells terrible, then take comfort in the fact that at least it's not carbon monoxide that's leaking. Probably. Then immediately call for an engineer because even if whatever gas is leaking from your boiler isn't going to silently kill you, it's still not a good idea to just let it happen.
Any potential gas leak is a dangerous gas leak and as such your first response should be to turn the boiler off and ventilate the room so the gas doesn't fill it up. Then immediately call the Gas Emergency Services line.
Having an A-grade boiler isn't about having the latest machine with all the bells and whistles, it's about saving money and not wasting gas.
Even if your old G-grade boiler may not broken, it's still an excellent money-saving idea to replace it with an A-grade boiler. This is because the longer you use an inefficient boiler, the more money you are spending on your energy bills.
When you compare the amount of money you could save over a 15 year period to the price of getting an A-grade boiler, you will see that not only will the savings cover the costs of the boiler but you could end up with potentially hundreds of pounds in your pocket for free that otherwise would have been spent on heating bills every year.
One thing that can happen, particularly with older models of boilers, is that their parts are outdated and are a nightmare to find.
This means that when they break down and need a part replaced, it is likely going to cost you a lot more than it should as the company ends up needing to hunt down and buy a rarer part.
Not only is this going to cost you more, but outdated boiler parts are probably not going to even work as well as more modern boilers.
How much does it cost to replace a boiler?
Installing a replacement boiler is not free, but the cost of getting new one installed is worth it. There are a couple of key factors that are considered when deciding the replacement boiler cost.
These factors are; the type of boiler and what size it is, the type of property it's being fitted into and how large or small that is, how much the engineers charge for installation.
When considering these main factors, the cost of a boiler replacement can range anywhere from £600 with an added £600 at the cheaper end to £3500 with an added £1000+ for the more expensive end.
There are other factors that contribute to how much you pay, such as how complex the installation process will be, where you need a new boiler replacement to be put, and whether any other work needs to be done, such as a power flush.
Do you need to replace a boiler in Uppingham, Oakham, Stamford or Rutland? Robert Cliff Ltd has been working in the plumbing and heating service since 1847. There have been five generations of the Cliffs running the business since then.
We offer services to both domestic and commercial customers. Our charges are highly competitive and realistic. Do you want to find out more about boiler installations in Uppingham, Rutland or Oakham? Please follow the link below.