Boiler Repair

Boiler breakdowns can result from many things, but they almost always happen because something has failed, and that failure can usually be traced back to either lack of maintenance or plain old age. When a boiler gets long in the tooth, it's finished in terms of working well and will experience more and more failures as time goes on. Professional maintenance, done annually, can find potential failures before they actually fail. Such maintenance keeps the working parts working, lubricated, and clean, which reduces the chance of surprise breakdowns between scheduled maintenance.

Having a professional see to the servicing of your boiler at least once a year is strongly recommended by experts; and with good reason. The service they provide can catch many problems before they have a chance to turn disastrous—cleaning is a good preventive measure in many contexts, and in a boiler, it may be essential to efficiency and safety.A service technician will inspect key parts, clean the boiler, check for leaks, and make sure all of the safety mechanisms are functioning. They can also make adjustments that can save you serious cash over the span of a year.

Your boiler may require repair if it exhibits any of the following key symptoms—banging or whistling sounds that are out of the ordinary, inconsistent heating, or, heaven forbid, visible leaks or other signs of water damage. You might also see your energy bills taking a steep upward trajectory. These are all indicators that your boiler isn't functioning properly. Any of them could serve as the basis for a telephone call to a local plumbing and heating outfit, and for a tune-up and inspection of possible underlying issues.

The expenses incurred for fixing a boiler can be quite disparate, resulting from the specific malfunction of the boiler and its particular model and make. You might pay anywhere from $100 to $500 for simple repairs to get your boiler back in working order. If the issue is more complex and the boiler more advanced, you might find yourself paying between $500 and $1,500. Some problems are so severe that fixing them could cost as much as the entire boiler—like replacing a heat exchanger. Your best bet to avoid these expenses? Perform regular maintenance and catch small issues before they balloon.

Homeowners can handle some small maintenance tasks, but for the most part, boiler repairs should be done by professionals. The reason for this is, of course, safety. Boilers are complex systems, and many of the components are potentially dangerous—connections for gas, for example, or systems that work under very high pressure. If something goes wrong during a repair attempt, the risks are formidable. Licensed technicians have the training and the tools to do the work safely. They also have the experience to get it done without further damage to the system—and, very often, to the house.

A boiler's average lifespan is usually around 10 to 15 years, but this depends largely on the type of boiler and the quality of its maintenance. Servicing a boiler in a timely fashion, making repairs as needed, and using the right kind of substances can help push the machine's life nearer to that 15-year frontier. Water that is low in quality (high in minerals, etc.), use of the boiler on a nearly continuous basis, a poor maintenance history, and low initial (manufacturing) quality can curtail the lifespan. If a boiler is around the 10-year mark or older, it is probably more cost-effective to replace it than to keep on fixing it.

Several problems can lead to a boiler leak, such as corrosion, bad seals, pressure relief valve malfunctions, or internal damage. However, the most common cause—and the problem that virtually all leaking boilers share—is poor boiler maintenance and neglect. Over the years, this problem can forge tiny holes or cracks in the structure of the boiler that can lead to water leaking out. Excessive pressure in the system can also cause the seals to fail and create leaks. A professional technician can diagnose the exact cause and recommend the most appropriate repair tactic.

Should your boiler cease to function, first ensure that the power supply is intact and that the thermostat is set to the appropriate level. Confirm that the pilot light is lit and that there are no apparent signs of damage or leaks. If you have performed basic troubleshooting and the boiler is still not working, call a qualified heating technician to come and look at the unit. Do not attempt to make any complex repairs yourself; you could very well cause additional damage or create a safety hazard.

Begin with routine professional maintenance and annual servicing performed by a qualified technician. Your heating system must be clean, with no sediment buildup and all components working as they should, and a qualified technician can ensure these conditions exist. Even with these good conditions, however, a heating system can have some pretty severe efficiency problems that can, in effect, defeat the benefits you've gained.