Stop thinking about boiler problems
Stop thinking about boiler problems
Although you don’t have to worry about heating in the warmer months, everybody needs hot water for washing up, showers and so on, which is why you never want to be caught out with a broken central heating system. No one remembers about the gas boiler in their house until that day when it breaks down. And as soon as it stops working, everyone realises how essential it is and how expensive repairs can be.
Generally a tenant paying rent is not liable to repair a malfunctioning central heating boiler as the landlord is responsible for maintenance and repair of his premises. But if you’re a homeowner, you may want to think about putting a little aside to cover the costs should anything go wrong.
It is advisable to buy a new model rather than getting your ten year old heating boiler repaired, this will cut down the fuel costs too in future years. You can select a new central heating boiler type based on the size of your house, the number of family members and the current gas boiler type. For smaller homes with fewer people a combi gas boiler tends to be the most common choice, especially if you want instant hot water at mains pressure. In a combi gas boiler water is drawn through the mains and heated immediately eliminating the need of storage tanks. With a combi hot water is available instantly but if some one runs hot tap while you are having a hot shower be ready to jump out quickly as it turns cold.
A sealed system gas boiler 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. The benefit of using a system heating boiler is that it can be installed quickly and easily in a relatively small area. The drawback with this central heating system is that you cannot get hot water instantly as there is a storage tank which gets empty from time to time if a lot of hot water is used quickly.
If you live in an older home chances are that you have an open vent gas boiler system, which takes up more space with two water tanks which are in the loft and a storage cylinder which is usually in the airing cupboard. An open vent heating boiler provides plenty of hot water that can be used simultaneously, just like a sealed central heating system, but again here too heating takes time and the pressure is not as good as with a combi boiler.
The fifth type is a back gas 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. It is great if your new home has a back gas boiler already as this type of central heating boile costs less to install, if you need to replace your back gas boiler it is better to replace the old one with the same type rather than getting a new type of central heating system installed.
No matter what type of boiler you have, it’s maintenance costs can be high if it has problems. A heating boiler insurance policy can help a great deal by easing your repair costs in case your heating system fails at some point. A gas boiler insurance policy including coverage for yearly boiler inspections and emergency servicing for repairs will go a long way in reducing your annual gas boiler maintenance expenses.