Tip top boiler tips

One of the things about boilers - an inescapable fact, if you will - is that they're one of the unsung heroes of the household. Just compare the boiler to me: I pretty much expect a 'perfect dad' medal for emptying the dishwasher, and operating what pretty much amounts to a one-man minicab hire what with all the running around I have to do in the motor, and so on. But if called upon to keep an entire house warm over the winter - all those hot baths, hot showers, cosy rooms, heated towel rails, and so on? Well, I'm only human.

So spare a thought for your boiler - hidden away in the airing cupboard day after week after year, until the inevitable day that something goes wrong. Poor little boiler gets noticed then alright!

In the event of something going wrong with your boiler, what you don't want is to be paying megabucks for an emegency call-out charge if you're left heating and hot water-less in the middle of winter. So here's some stuff you need to bear in mind about boiler cover:

There are different types of insurance available for the householder looking to cover their boiler.(One small tip - it's been pointed out to me that you'd be well to check whether insuring the boiler is your responsibility - for instance if you're a homeowner then yes, it's your call - but if you're a tenant then the chances are that it's your landlord or social housing provider's responsibility to get the boiler fixed if it goes down).

Another thing to note is that boiler servicing is essential. Imagine your boiler was covered against breakdown - but said breakdown happened because your boiler hadn't had the appropriate attention, then it's unlikely that your policy would cover the breakdown. So a service is really a bit like an M.O.T. really.Some insurance will include the price of an annual service - which is an option well worth considering.

Different types of cover exist including policies that will cover your boiler and controls - or you can get cover for your central heating system as well as boiler and controls. Just decide which is best for you and off you go.

See, there's really not that much to boiler cover - a bit like the boiler itself, it's something that you're only going to think about occasionally - but if anything goes wrong you'll be glad you did!

Is your boiler keeping you up at night?

If your boiler is doing its best to keep you up at night, then it’s best to approach this problem straight away. Because if you boiler is making noises it shouldn’t be then the longer you leave it the worse the problem will get.

Now a word of warning – Fixing your boiler is not something that we would ever suggest fixing yourself, in fact we would always recommend claiming your boiler cover or getting a fully qualified Gas Safe Register engineer.

However there are a number of safe and easy checks you can carry out without endangering yourself or your neighbours.

Scale in the heating system
If your system starts to develop a build up of scale it can start to cause ‘hot spots’ which in turn cause steam bubbles can make a loud bang when burst. The good news is that this problem is easily treated by using a chemical de-scaler that you should be able to find in any good DIY store.

This process will require the following steps:
1.    Shut down your heating system.
2.    Add your de-scaler to the feed and expansion tank.
3.    Leave the de-scaler to work for a couple of days.
4.    Drain, flush and refill your system.

The Boiler thermostat is set too high or is faulty
The easiest way to check this is to try turning down the boiler thermostat. Now the thing worth noting here is that whilst the noise may stop the temperature of your radiators will also lower. If there are any faults with the thermostat your will need to activate your boiler cover or call out a Gas Safe Register engineer.

The boiler is not receiving enough water
Well there are a couple of reasons that can result in this problem, so to try and figure it out we would recommend checking the following:

•    Check the water flow rate
With today’s, wall mounted, light-weight gas boilers, the water flow rate is really important. Check to ensure that the mains water is turned on. If it is, next thing to check is your feed and expansion tank these are usually found in the attic/loft..

•    Other causes
1.    First things first, shut down the central heating boiler.
2.    Find your tanks and double check that the float valve isn't stuck. If you find it is stuck, then you'll have to move its metal arm in order to release it.
3.    Another common cause of a noisy boiler is that the open safety-vent pipe is not correctly installed. If this is the case, air often gets into the system, causing noise in the boiler. If this is the cause, then you'll need to enlist the help of a professional heating engineer.

Boiler problems and how to avoid them...

The majority of boilers have a number of controls that are aimed at making it as easy as possible for you get heat and hot water when you need it. Because of the sensitive nature of these controls if there are any faults it can end up costing you quite a lot of money in excess heating etc.

Because of this it is thoroughly recommended that you regularly check your thermostat, time switches and the programming facility.

It is extremely important that you never attempt to undertake any type of servicing or repair work on your boiler or heating system aside from that mentioned above. You should always look to get someone approved by the Gas Safe Register to come out and do any repairs or maintenance for your system.

It’s also worth bearing in mind that a good habit to get into is having your boiler and heating system checked regularly by an approved engineer. In fact annual boiler servicing is great way to prevent any major problems and expensive callouts.

Thermostats
It is important to keep a close eye on your thermostat as when they start to get a bit older they can lose some of their accuracy. Now whilst your engineer is able to clean up and even recalibrate your thermostat controls it is often a better idea just to purchase new ones from a DIY store as you will get more use and they can often be more energy efficient.

Programmers and time switches
This is simply a case of checking that the timer is working correctly otherwise you will find the heating going on at the wrong times etc.

Electronic programmers
You need to check that the LCD display and circuit board are all still functioning correctly, fortunately most boilers have a standard universal back plate behind the electronic one so it’s easy enough to purchase and fit a replacement.

Radiator valve
It is a good idea just to check that the valves on your radiators are working, depending on the type of valve you can do different tests; if it is a thermostatic valve then simply turn it up. If it is the standard shield valve then just remove the cover and adjust the setting.
If you don’t notice any change in the temperature then it’s time to call out an engineer to have a look at the problem.

Condensate pipe
The condensate pipe is used to carry the condensation from your boiler to the outside drain. Problems can arise during particularly cold whether when the pipe can freeze and possibly cause a block stopping the flow of condensation away from the boiler and thus forcing the boiler to shut down.

There are numerous ways to tell if the condensate pipe has frozen, the LCD display may show a fault code/warning light or they may be bubbling sounds coming from the unit itself.

Signs that the condensate pipe may have frozen include your boiler's display showing a 'fault code' or warning light as well as gurgling or bubbling sounds coming from the boiler or the condensate pipe.

Gas safety for landlords...

I started thinking about this post when one of my friends recently asked me what the requirements were for a landlord regarding gas appliances and boilers. So I did a bit of research and it's all pretty straight forward but extremely important.

If you are the landlord of a property then there are a number of legal requirements that you must adhere to:

• You are wholly responsible for the gas safety of the property.
• Therefore you must maintain gas boilers and any other gas equipment to a satisfactory standard. This translates as an annual service of all the gas appliances including boiler servicing.
• It is absolutely imperative that you have a valid gas safety certificate in place.
• You need to ensure that you give your tenants a copy of the gas safety certificate within 28 days of its start date.
• It is also necessary for you to ensure that your tenants know how to turn off the gas in the event of a leak.

This is a simple guide to ensure that you are staying within the law when it comes to gas and your property. However if you are looking for any more information or a more in-depth guide then check out the Health and Safety Executive website.

Carers could have heating bills reduced

The Scottish Government has announced that a new scheme could help reduce the heating bills of up to 7000 carers in the country.

The energy assistance package, which currently helps the elderly and vulnerable people, is being altered to include those recieving a carers' allowance, said Infrastructure and Capital Investment Secretary Alex Neil. This will mean that carers may be eligable to have a boiler or heating system fitted at a reduced prices, or even get free or discount home insulation improved.

This will no doubt be welcome to carers who may have to stay at home to look after a friend or family member and are not able to take up full time employment.

200,000 people have recieved home heating advice through the energy assistance package since it's launch in 2009, and 21,000 have had access to discount heating or free insulation. This new alteration to the package is designed to help a further 7000 people in Scotland, and further prevent vulnerable groups from getting heating bills they cannot afford.

The Gas Safe Register

The Gas Safe Register is the replacement for the CORGI accreditation which is no longer in use. The Register came into force on the 1^st of April 2009 and is a national database of central heating engineers who are qualified to work with gas appliances like boilers.

All engineers who are on the Gas Safe Register should be carrying a Gas Safe Register identity card. The engineer must show you this card if you ask them to.

However if the engineer doesn't have the card or claims to have forgotten it etc, then don't let them anywhere near your boiler as chances are they’re not on the register and therefore not qualified to work with your boiler. In fact there is a very good chance they could damage your central heating, making it even more dangerous than before.

What other information is on the Gas Safe register card?

The card shall state specifically what types of work the engineer is actually qualified to do. These details are located on the back of the card. Be sure to have a check that they actually know what they’re doing.

This may sound a bit extreme but gas appliances are can be dangerous so it's best to make sure that the engineer inspecting your boiler is actually a suitably qualified and fully registered gas engineer, before you go letting them anywhere near your central heating/boiler.

For more information about Gas Safety regulation and the associated engineer accreditation scheme check out the Gas Safe Register website.