How often should a boiler be serviced, and what actually happens?

Once a year, every year

Manufacturers require an annual service by a Gas Safe engineer to keep the warranty valid, and landlords must have a gas safety check every 12 months anyway. Autumn is ideal, before the heating season.

What we do in a 45-minute service

• Visual inspection of the boiler, flue and pipework
• Flue gas analysis to check combustion is clean and safe
• Gas pressure and gas rate check
• Inspection of the burner, heat exchanger, seals and electrodes
• Check of the expansion vessel pressure and safety devices
• Clean the condensate trap
• Run the system and check controls
• Written service record for your warranty file

Signs you should not wait

Yellow or floppy flame, soot marks, a smell, pilot light going out, or the carbon monoxide alarm sounding. Turn the boiler off and call the National Gas Emergency line on 0800 111 999 if you smell gas.