Boiler Service & Repair

You can expect to pay from £150 for a minor boiler repair, up to £400 for major boiler repairs, such as replacing a heat exchanger. At the bottom end of the scale you might find faults with valves, PCBs and fans; at the top end, you might find more expensive components like the heat exchanger. It tends to be more difficult to find the right parts for older boilers and this is typically reflected in the price. Where you live will also affect the cost; for example, if you live in London, you may have to pay more.

Most home insurance policies will often not extend to covering boiler repairs. Breakdown in boilers is common, especially in cases where maintenance is neglected. Thus insurers are wary about covering them. You might find that you can extend your policy so that it does cover the boiler.  However, it is possible to take out a policy with a national service, such as your electricity or gas supplier, that will cover boiler repairs and maintenance.

A boiler service will cost from £60 to £120 and, ideally, will not cost anything in extra parts. A Gas Safe Engineer might charge less for a boiler service if you are getting other work done at the same time.

A boiler service should take around half an hour, though this will depend on the brand and model of the boiler being serviced.

The engineer will check the boiler to see how well it is performing. If any components are showing signs of wear and tear, the engineer may recommend a replacement. They will be able to provide you with paperwork proving that you have had the boiler service done, which may be a condition of your warranty.

When debris accumulates in your central heating system, it will start to cause problems. Those tiny particles will turn into a sludge that will find its way into your boiler, drive up pressure and create cold spots in your radiators.

You can solve this problem by flushing the system with a pressurized chemical. The amount you might pay to have this done will depend on the size and complexity of your system, but you can expect to pay from £300 to £550 , depending on where you live in the UK.

Gas boilers need to be serviced annually. Gas leaks are always a possibility if the system is allowed to deteriorate. Given how lethal carbon monoxide fumes are, it is essential that your home is also equipped with a carbon monoxide alarm. That way, problems can be identified before they have a chance to cause considerable harm.

Similarly, OFTEC recommends that all oil-fired boilers are serviced once a year. If the fuel is contaminated, the system may gradually lose its efficiency and become unreliable.

While combi boilers are modern and more reliable than their modular counterparts, they are still vulnerable to breakdown. Consequently, they should be serviced at least once a year.

Boilers are highly intricate and potentially dangerous devices. As such they should only be repaired by qualified personnel. This means an OFTEC or Gas Safe registered engineer.