Got a question about your boiler? Here are the ones we’re asked most often. Can’t find your answer? Get in touch.
Who should service my boiler?
Your boiler should be serviced regularly by a qualified, experienced service engineer. For gas boilers, that must be a Registered Gas Installer (RGI) — it’s an offence for anyone else to carry out domestic gas work in Ireland.
Why should I service my boiler?
An annual service makes sure your boiler is working safely and to the manufacturer’s specification. It helps prolong the life of the boiler and reduces the risk of faults and expensive repairs.
Boiler efficiency drops with use — soot coats the heat exchanger and the air-to-fuel ratio drifts as parts wear. A service removes the soot and re-establishes optimum combustion. It also checks safety controls, looks for gas or oil leaks, tests start-up performance and picks up noises that give early warning of component failure.
What should I expect when the engineer arrives?
A typical service takes around an hour and causes little disruption to your day. The engineer will run a number of tests depending on the fuel and boiler type, clean and adjust the boiler, and leave you with a safe, efficiently running appliance.
Is there really a benefit to servicing my boiler?
Yes. Savings vary from house to house, but as an example, servicing a kerosene (oil) boiler that hasn’t been serviced for 3 years typically brings an immediate fuel saving of around 5% — as well as better reliability and safety.
How often should I service my boiler?
Most manufacturers recommend an annual service, mainly for safety but also for reliability. Oil boilers in particular benefit from yearly servicing because soot build-up significantly increases oil consumption. Gas burns cleaner, but an annual service is still recommended.
My boiler is more than 15 years old — what should I do?
A boiler over 15 years old was probably less than 80% efficient when new, and after years of wear is unlikely to be above 70% today. Modern boilers are over 90% efficient — a real fuel saving of more than 25%, or roughly a quarter off your heating bills.
It’s also likely you’ll need to replace it on reliability grounds in the next few years anyway. Planning the change now — rather than having it forced on you when it breaks down in winter — lets you get competitive quotes and start saving straight away.
Oil or gas — what’s the best replacement boiler for me?
Generally, replace your boiler with one that uses the same fuel. If you have a natural gas supply, gas is usually the lowest-cost option for both installation and running costs. If you’re not on the gas network, the main choices are oil, LPG or wood pellet boilers.
Should I install a condensing boiler?
Where possible, yes — condensing boilers are far more efficient than non-condensing models. Under the Building Regulations (Part L), a replacement oil or gas boiler must be a condensing boiler where practical. There are some rare situations where it isn’t feasible, and we’ll advise you if that applies.
What is a condensing boiler and how does it work?
Oil and gas both contain hydrogen. When they burn, the hydrogen combines with oxygen to form water vapour, which carries heat away up the flue. A condensing boiler has a larger heat exchanger that cools the flue gases enough to condense that vapour and recover the heat, which would otherwise be lost to the atmosphere. The result: less fuel used and lower running costs.