A gas boiler is used to heat water that flows through pipes that run through rooms in the house with either a steel radiator or a cast iron radiator. If you are not sure which one you have, keep in mind that newer homes typically have a steel radiator while older homes will have the heavier and clunky cast iron version unless of course the home owners have had it switched. There is also the option of a baseboard convector which is often typically found in newer homes and works by heating the water and then returning it back to the boiler and reheating again. This is a continuous loop.

Boilers can be fuelled by natural gas, propane or fuel-oil also known as oil-fired. While gas boilers are fairly complex as far as the components go, they are typically reliable and require very little to no gas service. It is important to note that while boilers are still in use, they are mainly found in Europe and northern America and are often not found in the southern United States who uses the typical electric heaters.

As previously noted, boilers do not require much maintenance but typically when something does happen, it will be one of the following issues; boiler produces no heat, poor heating performance, excess water, inadequate air and water leakage to name a few. In order to prevent these problems from occurring, regular annual gas boiler service should be scheduled. Due to the complexity of the system, it is always best to have a qualified and registered heating engineer to perform the maintenance.

What does a gas boiler service include? They will check to make sure that the heating system has been installed properly and by the standard regulations. They will also run tests to make sure that before they leave, the boiler is operating correctly and safely per the manufacturer’s instructions. Gas service does not typically include gas safety check and this should be handled by the home owner or landlord. The length of the service call can take anywhere from 30 minutes to over an hour but, this will be determined by how much work needs to be done at the time of the gas service.

When searching for an engineer, you may want to get in contact with the manufacturer. They can most likely point you to a gas boiler service engineer with the proper qualifications. Keep in mind that each country has their own servicing guidelines so it is always best to follow those to ensure that your boiler is properly maintained. Also, because boilers are used in the coldest months of the year typically starting in October, it is often advised to schedule the routine maintenance for earlier in the year because many people tend to wait until late in the season and between regular maintenance and emergency calls, a wait list tends to build up and without heat running through the house or building major problems can occur! Also by doing the maintenance earlier in the year, you could enjoy a discount whereas in the winter, you could be paying a higher than average cost because the engineers are on demand.