5 Signs You Need a New Boiler

One of the worst periods for a boiler to go bad is during the winter. The demand for such appliances and services increase during these periods. As such, you must always look out for early signs that show your boiler needs a replacement before it gets outrightly bad.

Sometimes, you may not be able to detect a faulty boiler until your water doesn't warm anymore.

Luckily, you don’t need to bite hard on your savings to pay for a new boiler. Boiler finance schemes allow you to get some of the best brands of boilers and pay in installments.

But before that, here are the 5 signs that indicate a faulty boiler.

5 Signs That You Need to Replace Your Boiler

1. Increasing Energy Bills

One of the benefits of new boilers is their low energy consumption rate. Old heating systems lose efficiency as they age, resulting in additional energy costs. One of the ways people assess boilers is the A- and G-rating, with the A-rating being more preferred. If you're using a G-rated boiler, it's high time you upgraded to an A-rated boiler. 

You can quickly determine your boiler's efficiency by looking at its ERP label. On the label, you'll see a color scale with seven colors – red to dim green. The latter indicates an A-rated boiler. But if you're still paying high energy bills after an upgrade, we recommend replacing your energy supplier.

2. Radiator Heating Sluggishly

Manufacturing companies now produce boilers with radiators that take a few seconds to some minutes to heat up. However, boilers with inferior designs may take some time before they heat up. But whatever the case, if the boiler’s radiator takes too long to heat up, it needs to be replaced.

In some cases, a slowly heating radiator may be due to bleeding. Also, sludge in the central heating system may result in sluggish heating. In that case, all you need may just be cleaning or some maintenance servicing by a heating engineer. So, before you change the boiler, be sure the above issues are not the reason for the slow heating.

3. Leaking Boilers

If you find water puddles around your boiler, it's high time you took some action. Sometimes, this could result from faulty connections in the water pipe, a damaged pump or valve, or a broken seal. Most commonly, it's caused by corrosion.

The first thing to do in this case is to detect the cause of the leak. If you can’t find one, contact an engineer to help you look it up. Once you identify the cause, make efforts to fix it in time. Allowing damages such as corroded parts to stay for long periods could result in extensive damage. In such scenarios, the only way out may be to get a new boiler.

4. Flames Turn Yellow

Once the flame from your boiler turns yellow, this isn’t always a good sign. Blue flames from your boiler are just normal. Most times, yellow flames appear when carbon monoxide is leaking from the boiler. While this gas may be odorless and colorless, it can be dangerous. 

Common symptoms of this gas exposure include headache, dizziness, nausea, and fatigue. Once you notice the yellow color, hiring an engineer for repairs is best. But if the damage can't be fixed, we advise that you get a new boiler to avoid the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning.

5. Need for Regular Repairs

It's a bad sign to repair your boiler every week or once every two weeks. Common signs include the pressure always being low, condensate pipe constantly freezing, unresponsiveness to the thermostat, the boiler switching off, poor heating, and leaks indicating a boiler change. 

Imagine constantly contacting an engineer to fix all of these and buying new parts over a year. Instead of all that, get a replacement as soon as possible.

Conclusion

The first sign you need to change that boiler is when you're spending more than necessary. Such spending could include high energy bills, frequent repairs, and part replacements. A faulty boiler may pose health hazards such as carbon monoxide poisoning.

So, please get a new boiler as soon as you notice any of the mentioned signs. Doing what is required early enough can help you avoid unnecessary extra costs.