What should I do to protect against a central heating boiler problem
What should I do to protect against a central heating boiler problem
It’s easy to heat up your home during summers however you can meet a lot of problems if your gas boiler stops working as winter approaches unless you are used to talking cold showers. The boiler is a part of the home which is rarely, if ever, thought of, until it stops working. Suddenly it becomes a very important and rather expensive piece of essential equipment.
For those of you who are renting, of course you don’t have to worry about repairs and maintenance as the responsibility lies with your landlord and they probably will have landlords central heating system cover. However things are different if you own the house, you then need to keep aside some money for getting the gas boiler fixed in case it breaks down, unless you take out a central heating maintenance and repair plan.
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. The type of central heating boiler that you should buy would depend upon your existing boiler type, the size of your family and the amount of space in your home. The most common type is the combi gas boiler, it is perfect for small homes and for people who want hot water quickly. In a combi gas boiler water is drawn through the mains and heated immediately eliminating the need of storage tanks. With such a combi gas boiler, a hot shower is instantly available; however if another hot outlet is opened, your share of warm water will quickly run out and you shower could be a cold one.
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. The system heating boiler needs not much space and it is quick and easy to install. But hot water can get exhausted fast and not replaced quickly if used frequently because of the storage tank feature of the boiler system.
If you live in an older home chances are that you have an open vent central heating 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. Like the sealed system, this type of boiler can allow multiple outlets to draw hot water a the same time, but can also take a while to heat and doesn’t give the best water pressure.
Finally, a back boiler can allow multiple outlets of hot water at the same time, without loss of pressure; but they can take up a lot of space. Traditionally back boilers are stored in a chimney breast, but unless you already have one, it’s probably not worth switching to one. It would save you a lot of money on installation of a new boiler if a back heating boiler is already installed in your home when you moved in, as it is cheaper to replace an old back gas boiler rather than install a completely new heating system.
No matter what type of gas boiler you have, it’s maintenance costs can be high if it has problems. 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 an insurance plan that includes an annual breakdown contract and emergency house calls and repairs when needed; you will save some extra money and mean you never have to shiver in your shower again.