What should I do to protect against a central heating boiler failure
What should I do to protect against a central heating boiler failure
It’s easy to heat up your home during summers however you can meet a lot of problems if your central heating boiler stops working as winter approaches unless you are used to talking cold showers. It is strange though that the heating boiler is never considered to be an important piece of equipment until it stops working. Right away it comes to the front of the agenda with a recognition of its importance and the costly nature of its maintenance.
Generally a tenant paying rent is not liable to repair a malfunctioning central heating system as the landlord is responsible for maintenance and repair of his premises. But if you own your home, a little money kept aside every month as an emergency fund will come in handy in such a boiler failure if you do not decide to invest in central heating system insurance.
Instead of repairing a ten year old gas boiler, consider installing a newer and more efficient system which could significantly cut down your utility bills and pay for itself in a number of years. The type of boiler that you should buy would depend upon your existing central heating system type, the size of your family and the amount of space in your home. If you have a compact family and need hot water at short notice, a combi central heating boiler is a better choice. A combi heating boiler draws water and heats it through the mains, doing away with the need for a storage tank. Hot water will be available instantaneously on demand, but if a hot tap is opened by someone else while you are enjoying your shower, you better jump out fast unless you like cold showers!.
A sealed system central heating system uses a single storage tank, usually in an airing cupboard, and enables a large family to have several taps or showers on the go at once, without compromising hot water or water pressure. It is quite easy to install the system boiler and it can also easily fit into your home. But hot water can get exhausted fast and not replaced quickly if used frequently because of the storage tank feature of the central heating boiler system.
The most space is taken , two water tanks in the attic and a storage cylinder in the upstairs airing cupboard, by a open vent gas boiler normally found in older houses. This has similar advantages and drawbacks to the sealed systems as it enables several taps to be used at once, but you will have to wait for the water to heat and pressure is sometimes an issue.
The fifth type is a back heating boiler which is bulkier, but can deliver hot water to several outlets under good pressure. Usually back boilers are kept in chimney breasts, but it is generally considered unwise to switch to a back central heating boiler if you don’t already have one due to the higher installation costs. However, if you do already have a back gas boiler system installed in your home and it needs replacing, rather than getting a completely new system, it would be more sensible to get a new back gas boiler installed.
But, no matter what kind of central heating boiler you have in your home it can be very expensive to repair. You can get some peace of mind if you take central heating insurance because if any thing goes wrong with your heating system your costs will be covered by the insurance supplier or utility company. Buy a good gas boiler breakdown policy which not only covers the labour, repair costs and also provides annual inspections with no call out charge.