How to Extend the Lifespan of Your Boiler

How long should a boiler last? The average lifespan of a central heating system is around 15 years, but it all depends on how well it’s looked after. You can help your boiler last longer by keeping it regularly serviced and well maintained, so these short-term costs can help you enjoy long-term gains.

In this blog post, we’ll explain the ways you can maximise the life of your gas boiler and highlight the issues that mean it may be time to trade in an ageing central heating appliance. You’ll also find advice on ways to extend your boiler’s lifespan, including installing magnetic system filters and power flushing your system.

Treat Your Boiler to an Annual Service

One of the most simple and important ways you can take care of your boiler is making sure it receives a service at least once a year. A Gas Safe-registered boiler engineer will carry out essential checks to help make sure your boiler keeps going no matter what the weather.

Not only does an annual service mean your boiler will keep working safely and efficiently, it also makes sure your warranty is protected. With boilers coming with generous warranties of up to 12 years, including the Ideal Heating Vogue Max Combi, it makes sense to protect your investment (and your warranty) by booking in that service.

A Boiler’s Not Just for Winter

Whether the sun’s shining brightly or it resembles a snow globe outside your bedroom window, it’s always important to think about the health of your boiler. It’s all too easy to forget about your central heating in the summer months, especially when barely a day goes by that you have to reach for the thermostat.

At Ideal Heating, we’ve got you covered for all seasons, with blogs that feature tips for preparing your home for winter including insulating your loft space, bleeding your radiators and draught-proofing your home. We’ve also highlighted the importance of summer boiler maintenance, with guidance on how often you should run your boiler in the summer and whether it’s a good time to book a service.

How a Magnetic Filter Helps Your Boiler

With your boiler working hard almost every day to keep your home warm and the hot water flowing, all sorts of debris can build up over the years. One way this happens is the gradual creation of iron compounds as water passes through your central heating system, including radiators that are made of steel or iron. 

When this happens, the debris affects the efficiency of your boiler and means the appliance has to work harder just to keep you as warm and cosy. This in turn means it uses more energy, which leads to higher utility bills for your household.

One way of dealing with the built-up debris is fitting your boiler with a magnetic system filter. This handy device helps your boiler operate to its full potential, getting rid of any impurities from the water that runs through your central heating system. A magnetic filter cannot only help your boiler last longer, it can also provide short-term cost benefits by boosting its efficiency too.

When to Flush a Central Heating System

In addition to magnetic filters, there are a few other ways of removing the debris that can build up in your central heating system. One of those methods is using a chemical cleaner, which will get rid of the sludge and dirt in your system to help boost the efficiency of your boiler.

A second option for cleaning out a central heating system that’s become less efficient because of debris is a power flush. This involves sending high-pressure water through the system to clean out all of the different elements, including your radiators. 

We generally recommend leaving these tricky tasks to professional central heating engineers. To find out more about methods of cleaning out your central heating system, take a look at our Tips & Advice page Radiator Cold at the Bottom? Possible Causes and Solutions.

How Do I Know If I Need a New Boiler?

A boiler engineer can help you decide if it’s time for you to replace your boiler with a new model. Some of the warning signs that it’s approaching the end of its lifespan are it making unusual noises, regularly losing pressure, or your hot water taps running slowly or failing to heat up. Although these problems can often be fixed, you may reach a point where it would be more cost efficient to buy a new system than keep paying out for repairs. 

If your boiler is getting closer to the average lifespan of 15 years, it’s very unlikely that it’ll be running as efficiently as it once did. Newer models will be packed with new features and the progression that’s been made in boiler efficiency means they’re both more environmentally friendly and cheaper to run.

We have plenty of information available if you’d like to learn a little more about replacing your old boiler. You can also get in touch with on the phone or in an email our experts will be happy to help with whatever questions you might have.

You’ll find further advice on central heating, servicing and boiler care in our FAQs, as well as more in-depth guides on the Ideal Heating blog.