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How Much is a Boiler Service?

Boilers are crucial yet often overlooked. Having your heating system serviced once a year helps to avoid unexpected breakdowns and keep it performing at its best.
Installer servicing a Vaillant ecoTEC plus boiler

What is a gas boiler service?

Boilers require regular maintenance and servicing to maintain peak performance to ensure you have heating and hot water whenever you need it. However, some homeowners neglect their heating systems until they eventually break and need urgent repair.

In fact, a lack of service during summer months means every winter thousands of homeowners are left without heating and hot water. Nevertheless, these problems can be avoided by taking proper care of the boiler and arranging regular boiler servicing.

A boiler service ensures that your boiler remains efficient and safe and must be carried out by a Gas Safe Registered engineer. The engineer will look at the full list of boiler components and carry out the necessary tweaks, replacements and cleaning.

View of a kitchen from a wooden worktop with Vaillant ecoTEC plus in the background

Boiler service checklist

Below is a list of the typical checks a heating engineer will make during a boiler service:

  • Checking the flue system inside and outside the boiler
  • Checking the boiler flame
  • Removing the boiler casing to verify that the burner, heat exchanger, and spark electrode are working correctly
  • Checking that the case seal is effective
  • Checking the water-level control, low-water cutoff, and safety valves all work as they should.
  • Firing the boiler up safely to spot any faults.
  • Checking to see if the expansion vessel is regulating boiler pressure correctly
  • Cleaning parts of the boiler if necessary

There is a comprehensive list of checks in the servicing and maintenance section of the installation manual, which your installer should have left with you.

Why is it important?

Much like servicing a vehicle, a boiler should be serviced regularly and preferably once a year. Many choose to avoid paying for servicing, however, because of the short-term cost. Nevertheless, small problems that could have been spotted and resolved become much more serious problems over time and cost hundreds to repair.

It is also worth noting that homeowners stand to save money by keeping their boiler system running as efficiently as possible and keeping energy bills low, while also extending the lifespan of their system by a few years.

Additionally, boilers often come installed with 5-10 year guarantees but these manufacturers guarantees are dependent on the boiler being serviced and maintained, at least annually.

How much does it cost?

An annual boiler service typically costs between £70-120 depending on the provider. One-off boiler services are often more expensive, while signing up to an annual boiler service plan is more cost-effective.

Image of a laundry room with a woman, back to camera, and a Vaillant ecoTEC plus in centre of frame

Boiler maintenance tips

A sign of a problem is if your boiler pressure fluctuates erratically or remains above the recommended level throughout the day. This suggests that there is a problem with your expansion vessel and you should call an engineer immediately. Also call an engineer if your boiler makes strange ticking noises on a regular basis or when starting up.

One of the most common problems that modern boilers face is the condensate pipe freezing during the colder months. If the pipe carrying the condensate leaves the boiler, is routed through a wall, and terminates externally into a drain outside, then this pipe should have been insulated by your installer.

If your boiler condensate pipe freezes, your boiler will stop working. You can fix this issue easily yourself by pouring hot water over the pipe to thaw the ice. We have also written a guide with additional detail on how to thaw a frozen condensate pipe.

However, please note that any more extensive boiler maintenance must be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer. It is illegal for homeowners to maintain, service or permanently adjust a gas appliance in the UK unless properly qualified.

How often should I get my boiler serviced?

Boiler servicing should be carried out once a year to ensure that a boiler is properly maintained, supported and in good working order. Your manufacturer's guarantee requires that your boiler is to be serviced once a year, so it is essential to do so if you want simple fixes and replacements to be covered under wear and tear.

Summary

  • Boilers need regular servicing to perform efficiently. It is recommended that a boiler is serviced at least once a year.
  • Regular servicing keeps a boiler working to full capacity, making it more cost efficient in the long-term.
  • Boiler servicing typically costs between £70-£120.

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