There are a variety of reasons to replace your boiler, including for efficiency or potential health threats. Boiler replacements are not the cheapest, which means they are a long term investment and should be maintained well to maximise the lifespan of the boiler. If you are unsure why your boiler should be serviced, check out our blog explaining the benefits of servicing your boiler here. Below are a few indicators that you should look out for to know when to replace your boiler.
Age
If your boiler is getting old, you should be considering replacement in the future. Your boiler will start to become less inefficient and unreliable, which will affect your energy bills and how quickly your house warms up. Due to the efficiently decreasing overtime, boiler repair costs will increase, which could be more financially straining than replacing the boiler.
Frequent breakdowns
If your boiler keeps breaking down regardless of any issues being fixed, you should stop paying for new parts or repair, and instead buy a replacement boiler. Long term, this will be cheaper than paying for boiler damages more than once a year. A good analogy for this scenario is an old car. At a certain point, an old car will just keep having issues when it goes in for it’s MOT or servicing, and eventually it will then no longer become viable to keep the car due to the cost of maintaining it. You would then rightly start the process of looking for a replacement. This is how you should see your boiler; you should consider whether financially it is worth paying for the repairs, or whether it is worth replacing your boiler.
Sounds
During the normal operation of a boiler, it will make sounds, but should not create loud, regular clunking, hissing or humming noises. If this is the case, you should get Bradford Boiler Installation Company to come and look at your boiler and find the issue. If the problem persists, you should consider replacing your boiler.
Flame colour and soot
A boiler producing a blue flame is perfectly normal for a working boiler. If the blue flame turns yellow, you should call Bradford Boiler Installation Company urgently for an appointment to come and inspect your boiler. A yellow flame is caused through the process of incomplete combustion of natural gas. Large amounts of carbon monoxide will be produced whilst your boiler is running, which can be fatal if exposed to. Black soot marks around the boiler can also be a sign of a carbon monoxide leak, so it is essential to contact a boiler repair expert and replace your boiler if you see signs of a carbon monoxide leak. To see the full list of signs of a carbon monoxide leak, please click here.
Temperature
If your house or radiators are a lot colder than the normal temperature, or take longer to heat up, this could be caused by the inefficiency of the boiler. If this is the case, you should replace your boiler. Not only will this normalise the temperature in your house, this will also reduce energy bills as it will take less time to heat up.
Lack of parts
As a boiler becomes older and newer models are released, parts can become discontinued, which makes it harder to replace the older parts of your boiler for newer ones. This means it is often safe to replace your boiler as parts become more scarce to prevent an unfixable boiler.
Energy bills
One reason why energy bills increase overtime without an explanation is due to the efficiency of the boiler. As the boiler gets older, it becomes less effective at heating up a home, which means the homeowners have to pay more to heat the home. Long term, the additional money paid in energy bills could be used to help replace the inefficient boiler.
Leaks
A leak from a boiler may not require a replacement, but will require a boiler repair expert to analyse the damage and suggest how to fix it. Leaks can lead to corrosion and rusting, so it is best to fix the problem as soon as it is identified. If this becomes a regular occurrence, it is recommended to get a replacement boiler.
Bad odours
This mainly applies to gas boilers, but if a bad odour is lingering from the boiler, you should contact a boiler repair expert immediately as this could be a dangerous leak. If this problem persists, it is essential to replace your boiler.
Corrosion
If there is visible corrosion on the boiler, then it is best to replace your boiler. Corrosion in boilers is often caused by broken valves and leaks, or caused by the reaction between the heat exchanger and burners. Corrosion can occur at any point, but is more common the more the boiler is used.
Additional Considerations
These suggestions do not require you specifically to replace your boiler, but may influence your decision:
–Space/sizing – Older boilers tend to be larger and take up more space in comparison to more recent models. Replacing your boiler with a newer model may provide you with more space.
–Control – Some newer models allow you to control the temperature and the time the boiler starts heating. This is very convenient for homeowners who are out of the house a lot and only need the boiler heating at certain times of the day.
–Energy efficiency rating – Newer boilers are rated based on their energy efficiency from A – G, with A being the most efficient boilers at over 90% efficiency, and G being the least efficient boilers at less than 70% efficiency. If your boiler is lower on the energy efficiency scale, you may consider replacing your boiler with a more energy efficient one to save money on bills.
–Safety – If the boiler is very old, there is a chance that it may not meet newer safety guidelines. It is essential to check whether your current boiler matches the newer regulations.
If you have any concerns regarding your boiler or would like to replace your boiler, please contact us at info@bradfordboilercompany.co.uk or at 01274 317169.
