Boiler service on a modern unit - worth it?

[Howard-]

Hi all,

Our new(ish) house has a Worcester combi which was installed in 2015. Everything appears to work fine, but I was wondering if it's worth having someone round to "service" it and give the system a general once-over?

I'm happy to spend the money but I'm wondering if it's truly necessary on newer boilers.

Thanks!

[Nicko_12345]

Is it still under warranty? mine came with 10 years? if it is I have to have the boiler serviced annually to keep the warranty

[Alucidnation]

Why wouldn't you?

Especially on a WB combi.

[megaphone]

There's nothing to service, all they do is check the gas and flue co and brush out the dust. If it's got a filter then they'll clean that out, but you can do that yourself in 10 mins.

[MJNewton]

In my view the only benefit to servicing a modern boiler is to maintain the warranty, and even then I'd think twice about it.

I don't get ours serviced and the amount I've saved over the last 10 years will be going a long way towards covering the cost of its replacement. Moreover, I don't believe servicing a boiler makes any difference to how long it lasts given what's actually done. The exception might be the addition of inhibitor but I'm not sure if that's even part of a normal service (bloody well ought to be) and besides which that is easy enough for most to do themselves.

I take more of a fix-it-if-it-breaks approach. Has always worked out well, including with the WB combi we had in our old house.

[jshell]

Howard- said:

Hi all,

Our new(ish) house has a Worcester combi which was installed in 2015. Everything appears to work fine, but I was wondering if it's worth having someone round to "service" it and give the system a general once-over?

I'm happy to spend the money but I'm wondering if it's truly necessary on newer boilers.

Thanks!

I would. Our new (2016) Worcester combi has a debris trap that had completely choked up. Service guy found that leaking water was corroding a structural plate and if we hadn't found it it would have compromised the whole bloody unit. I'm an engineer, he talked me through it and I could see he was correct!!

[Sheepshanks]

jshell said:

I would. Our new (2016) Worcester combi has a debris trap that had completely choked up. Service guy found that leaking water was corroding a structural plate and if we hadn't found it it would have compromised the whole bloody unit. I'm an engineer, he talked me through it and I could see he was correct!!

Is that to do with the condensate drain?

He did well - they don't normally even take the covers off - as someone said above, just a flue gas check. If there's a magnetic filter then that does need cleaning too, but in both houses where I keep an eye on things I always have to ask them to do this, they pretend not to have seen it.

[jshell]

Sheepshanks said:

jshell said:

I would. Our new (2016) Worcester combi has a debris trap that had completely choked up. Service guy found that leaking water was corroding a structural plate and if we hadn't found it it would have compromised the whole bloody unit. I'm an engineer, he talked me through it and I could see he was correct!!

Is that to do with the condensate drain?

He did well - they don't normally even take the covers off - as someone said above, just a flue gas check. If there's a magnetic filter then that does need cleaning too, but in both houses where I keep an eye on things I always have to ask them to do this, they pretend not to have seen it.

Yes, he spotted some condensation and whipped the front cover off. The drain was choked and thankfully we cleaned it out!

I'm a service man's nightmare, I want to know what they're doing, how it works, how to get access and what to do if it goes sideways. Saved my life with our John Guest underfloor heating system when I was told there were NO service guys in the whole of Scotland.

[agent006]

Boiler service is also a good way of keeping yourself 'on the books' for a local engineer, should it all pack up and need a callout. They would be more likely to get to a regular customer sooner than a cold call.

[jshell]

agent006 said:

Boiler service is also a good way of keeping yourself 'on the books' for a local engineer, should it all pack up and need a callout. They would be more likely to get to a regular customer sooner than a cold call.

Or get a bank account that does free emergency callouts! Costs, but peace of mind!

[a7x88]

I forgot to get my Worcester in my last house serviced (it had been around 2 years on a 7 year old boiler) and it started struggling to ignite. Turned out it was essentially running rich and a deposits had built up which meant it struggled to ignite. Luckily a good clean and an adjustment (i guess to a gas regulator or similar) resolved it

[LookAtMyCat]

agent006 said:

Boiler service is also a good way of keeping yourself 'on the books' for a local engineer, should it all pack up and need a callout. They would be more likely to get to a regular customer sooner than a cold call.

This is a good point. I didn't think about it myself but a lot of my regular customers who I see every year are like extended family and if they ever have a problem i'm round there as quick as I possibly can. I know their kids names, they know mine etc, definitely helps you out if you get a breakdown.

On the servicing side; with modern boilers we don't do a lot. Outside of the now very long warranties you get with boilers now (10 years on most) you aren't going to get that many benefits. It used to be that servicing would spot things before they happened and turned into major problems (a well known one was the leaking Vaillant diverter valves that slowly rotted the mild steel gas pipe which then blew the boiler up a couple of years later; wrote off a load of boilers that were only 3-5 years old) but with these mega warranties that isn't as important as it was.
The upside is with the warranties you have to get them done. I do a lot more than the manufacturers ask, but even doing that I could do most services in 10 minutes if I wanted to.

[Howard-]

LookAtMyCat said:

This is a good point. I didn't think about it myself but a lot of my regular customers who I see every year are like extended family and if they ever have a problem i'm round there as quick as I possibly can. I know their kids names, they know mine etc, definitely helps you out if you get a breakdown.

On the servicing side; with modern boilers we don't do a lot. Outside of the now very long warranties you get with boilers now (10 years on most) you aren't going to get that many benefits. It used to be that servicing would spot things before they happened and turned into major problems (a well known one was the leaking Vaillant diverter valves that slowly rotted the mild steel gas pipe which then blew the boiler up a couple of years later; wrote off a load of boilers that were only 3-5 years old) but with these mega warranties that isn't as important as it was.
The upside is with the warranties you have to get them done. I do a lot more than the manufacturers ask, but even doing that I could do most services in 10 minutes if I wanted to.

I don't have any record of any previous services done on the boiler before we moved in unfortunately. Is this going to spoil a warranty claim no matter how many services I have done from now on?

[Drumroll]

Why you not have a gas appliance serviced annually. I don't think I could live with myself if a member of my family died from carbon monoxide poisoning or a gas explosion (no matter how remote a chance it is) knowing I hadn't had the gas appliance serviced on an annual basis.

[drdel]

If you live in a 'hard' water area it might be wise and it will come as a free offer on most home care packages that will cover most of your plumbing needs except showers.

In a hard water area you can except the flow valves to stick unless plenty of inhibitor is kept on the system.

It is like all 'optional' insurances - a personal preference

[Geffg]

Even going back 20 odd years when I was an apprentice, I sometimes went out helping the heating engineers servicing. Cleaning out oil boilers and setting up etc but when it came to gas ones, most of the service tools needed was a rag and a tin of wd40 to clean the fronts! These where all commercial ones but if they looked like they where burning ok then nothing needed.

[LookAtMyCat]

Drumroll said:

Why you not have a gas appliance serviced annually. I don't think I could live with myself if a member of my family died from carbon monoxide poisoning or a gas explosion (no matter how remote a chance it is) knowing I hadn't had the gas appliance serviced on an annual basis.

You've got more chance of a modern boiler falling off the wall and killing you with a smack to your head than it has of gassing you. Most boilers you could chop the flue off and still run them and the worst thing you'll get is a major condensation problem.
Modern boilers are exceptionally safe. Gas explosions are exceptionally rare.

OP; most WBs out the box only had a 5-year warranty unless installed by a Worcester Accredited installer. If you have no record of the servicing (should be in the back of the installation manual) then the warranty wouldn't be valid anyway (although most repair engineers will not ask to see it).

[MJNewton]

Drumroll said:

Why you not have a gas appliance serviced annually. I don't think I could live with myself if a member of my family died from carbon monoxide poisoning or a gas explosion (no matter how remote a chance it is) knowing I hadn't had the gas appliance serviced on an annual basis.

How do you know the annual service would reduce that risk? If anything it might actually *increase* it given that the combustion chamber seals need disturbing every time. I can appreciate the peace of mind it evidently gives you, but I do wonder how valid it is from a risk assessment respective.

I also can't help but my mindful of the time I had someone round to repair our boiler... I could smell gas as he was leaving and so called him back in - he had a sniff around (literally) and found that the gas test nipple he undid wasn't tightened up. Rather than acknowledge he must've forgotten to do it back up he accused me of undoing it whilst he was putting his tools back in the van!

[Drumroll]

LookAtMyCat said:

Drumroll said:

Why you not have a gas appliance serviced annually. I don't think I could live with myself if a member of my family died from carbon monoxide poisoning or a gas explosion (no matter how remote a chance it is) knowing I hadn't had the gas appliance serviced on an annual basis.

You've got more chance of a modern boiler falling off the wall and killing you with a smack to your head than it has of gassing you. Most boilers you could chop the flue off and still run them and the worst thing you'll get is a major condensation problem.
Modern boilers are exceptionally safe. Gas explosions are exceptionally rare.

As i said, I know the chances are extremely small, but still, not I risk I am willing to take.

[megaphone]

Drumroll said:

LookAtMyCat said:

Drumroll said:

Why you not have a gas appliance serviced annually. I don't think I could live with myself if a member of my family died from carbon monoxide poisoning or a gas explosion (no matter how remote a chance it is) knowing I hadn't had the gas appliance serviced on an annual basis.

You've got more chance of a modern boiler falling off the wall and killing you with a smack to your head than it has of gassing you. Most boilers you could chop the flue off and still run them and the worst thing you'll get is a major condensation problem.
Modern boilers are exceptionally safe. Gas explosions are exceptionally rare.

As i said, I know the chances are extremely small, but still, not I risk I am willing to take.

Get a CO alarm, £15. It won't ever go off but at least you'll be able to sleep. And don't let any of you family go outside in case they have a accident.