Boiler Service - Herts Boilers®

We offer boiler service in St Albans, Harpenden, Radlett, Watford, Hemel Hempstead, Hatfield, Welwyn Garden City and surrounding west Hertfordshire areas.

If you need a boiler repair please call us to make a repair appointment. Actually we don't charge for a boiler repair callout (first visit, if it is purely a diagnosis visit), and we also treat a boiler repair job as a matter of emergency, ie, we will turn up quickly.

Standard efficiency boilers:

For standard efficiency boilers (SE and non condensing boilers) a service is pretty straightforward. We charge £70 all inclusive for a service.

This type of boilers was installed before 2005. The efficiency of them are between 55% and 80%. As they are simple and reliable, a significant amount of them are still in operation.

We normally don't need to replace seals etc for SE boilers while servicing, and their combustion chambers are ready accessible.

Boiler service checking List - standard efficiency type

Back boilers:

A back boiler service is also involved in its front fire service, the combined price is £110.

We love back boilers! They are simple and long lasting, as long as they get serviced on a regular basis, they will run much longer than modern new boilers, which have about life span of 10 to 15 years.

Back boilers indeed need servicing on a regular basis due to the nature of their operation. They are supposed to be clean off dust for a safe and efficient operation. 

Modern high efficiency boilers:

For modern high efficiency boilers (we call this type of boilers as with pre-mix burners, most being installed from 2005) there are two types of boiler servicing.

Defined Scope: This should be done on an annual basis which is generally a safety check and some "top ups" and cleaning on hydraulic parts, the price is for £70. It comprises of a limited procedure, focusing on a visual inspection, flue gas analysis, and the mandatory safety checks laid down in the Gas Safety Regulations (Reg 26/29).

Defined scope service will not include in-depth cleaning on combustion chamber (main heat exchanger) which is the job of Full Scope service.

Checking List - Defined Scope

Full Scope: This is a full strip-down service for modern condensing boilers which is carried out according to manufacturer requirements in every a couple of years, or having evidence that boiler's operation being deteriorated. On a full strip-down service we need to clean the pre-mixed burner, combustion chamber and main heat exchanger which will normally need more labour and parts (burner seals etc), so the price for this level of boiler services is subject to the boiler model, typically at £110 excluding seals and materials etc.

Checking List - Full Scope

The full scope service fee for a Worcester Greenstar i junior boiler, the most popular boiler installed, is about £125 all inclusive. On other hand at an extreme example, a good full scope service for a Powermax boiler needs a couple of hundred pounds!

Top tips to provide a good service

Boiler servicing checklist from Which?

What is the major difference between a Defined Scope service and a Full Scope service on a modern condensing boiler?

The only difference is the work on combustion chamber. Only full scope service will open and clean the burner, combustion chamber and main heat exchanger, in which the combustion door seal might also need to replace.

What should and what shouldn't do in a boiler service?

As when you request a boiler service, your boiler is still working, you might not know the difference before and after a boiler service, and don't know what should a boiler service do and what are not included. The rule is very simple: boiler engineers should carry out boiler service procedures by following manufacturer instructions.  

What is the purpose of a boiler service?

To check and maintain its working status of a boiler. It is always good to have a boiler service regularly, but a boiler service is not just a cleaning procedure by using a hoover, it involves mainly on combustion chamber - 1. heat exchanger, main burner, pilot injector, and fan cleaning; 2. checking burner pressure, gas rate etc, plus combustion gas measurement for modern condensing boilers; 3. Condensate path and trap check and clean; 4. Expansion vessel's top up. The aim of a boiler service is to make sure the boiler is working as it is supposed.

When should I have my boiler serviced?

In our opinion modern boilers don't need full strip down service in first three years. So why do boiler manufacturers require boiler annual services to valid their warranty? If you read their service instructions you will know any service within first three years might just be a checking not to strip boiler down to clean and re-adjustment. For obvious reasons boiler manufacturers never said you don't need boiler services.

Will a boiler service prolong my boiler life expectation?

Partially yes and normally no. A boiler consists of many different parts. A typical boiler life expectation is about 15 years. Ideally all the parts on a boiler should work within first 15 years, then in 16th year all parts failed. In practice this is impossible, one or more parts on a boiler will be failed before its 15th year, so you have a boiler breakdown. In most cases, these breakdown parts, eg. fans, pumps and PCBs, were not dealt with on previous service. If a boiler is beyond economical repair then it reaches its end of life.

Will a boiler service prevent boiler future breakdown?

It is always sad to get a call from a client to report his or her boiler breakdown not long after we serviced it. So will a boiler service prevent boiler future breakdown? Partially yes but normally no.

Boiler breakdowns are caused by failed parts which are affected by many factors - boiler quality, intensive use, being properly installed, maintained and protected etc. A boiler service is mainly for safety check and combustion performance maintaining, not involved in component replacements for precaution purpose. Theoretically a boiler service has little effect on preventing boiler breakdown.

The most being replaced parts on boiler repairs are fans, PCBs, pumps and diverter valves(if it is a combi boiler), but a boiler service dose very little for them which are in fact not serviceable.

On other hand, a boiler service will definitely have good effects on boiler operation, eg, properly adjusted combustion, clean flue way and condensation path, plus re-pressured expansion vessel.