How Can I Make My Boiler Live Longer?

A boiler is the heart and soul of the home, warming up your radiators and heating your water for everything from washing the dishes to enjoying a nice, relaxing bath. If yours were to break down or reach the end of its lifetime, our Gas Safe engineers are always on hand to carry out repairs or install a new boiler. However, the best course of action is to put in place simple measures that will help your boiler to live for as long as possible, with few to no problems along the way. If this sounds like a good idea to you, make sure to follow the tips below.

Annual service

The absolute minimum you can do is book an annual boiler service. Whilst this will allow one of our engineers to thoroughly check the boiler and pinpoint any issues, it’s also a requirement put in place by the manufacturer. Missing even one annual service will invalidate the boiler’s warranty, which means that you won’t be able to claim if it breaks down within its guarantee.

An annual service is a fast, affordable and stress-free process, as we can book one in to suit your schedule and our engineers always turn up when they’re supposed to.

Bleed your radiators

Over time, air can become trapped in your radiators. This causes them to heat sporadically, such as only the bottom of the radiators being warm or some working better than others, plus it puts strain on the boiler itself.

Bleeding a radiator is a very quick and easy job, as all you need is a radiator key and a cloth to catch any drips. Slowly turn the radiator valve with the key to release any air – as soon as there’s none left inside, water will begin to seep out, at which point close the valve and the job is complete.

Choose a pleasant temperature

It can be easy to leave your house to become very chilly, then turn on the heating full blast. As time goes by, this can put unnecessary pressure on your boiler, potentially causing problems to arise and generally reducing its overall lifespan. Instead, try to keep your home at a pleasant temperature throughout the day and increase it by only a few degrees when you want to feel toasty.

Switch on the heating during summer

Summertime can get very hot and humid, resulting in a boiler being very rarely used for almost half a year. In the same way that a car should be regularly started up even when not in use, your boiler should be turned on once a month for about 15 minutes. This way it can stay active and be ready for when you need it to work hard in the autumn and winter months.

Install a magnetic filter

ProTech offers a range of solutions from both Fernox and Adey, two of the finest manufacturers of magnetic filters. This practical piece of equipment will attract metallic elements that build up in the system, preventing them from causing clogs, rust and corrosion. Many of our customers are amazed at how effective a magnetic filter can be, as it also plays a role in reducing your energy usage, which benefits both your utility bills and the environment.

Book a power flush

A boiler can give a variety of warning signs when there’s something affecting its system. These can include cold spots at the bottom of radiators, small leaks, the need to regularly restart the boiler, and a slow and/or noisy heating process. If any of these are affecting your boiler, it could be that the system has a heavy build-up of deposits and sludge and requires a power flush.

Being a very technical process, a power flush should only be carried out by a Gas Safe engineer. If you think you need one, get in touch and we’ll assess the system to work out whether a power flush is the best course of action. If it is, it will thoroughly clean the system and help to extend the boiler’s lifetime.

Start your boiler cover today

By taking out boiler cover with ProTech, you’ll receive an annual service and have a Gas Safe engineer ready to fix faults whenever required. To get started, contact us today on 01482 352643 or fill in our online form.