A heating boiler is not as common as a furnace. But they are generally considered to be the most efficient way to heat your home.
However, whether or not your heating boiler lives up to that reputation is entirely dependent on you, the homeowner.
Do you know what regular maintenance your heating boiler needs to keep your winter heating bills low?
Are you aware of the warning signs of a heating boiler that is about to stop working?
You will be after reading this post!
Heating Boiler Preventative Maintenance to Keep Your Energy Bills Low
Heating boiler preventative maintenance is an important part of keeping your home safe and warm.
In many cases, taking time each week to conduct a simple visual inspection of your heating boiler can alert you to small problems before they become big outages.
When you inspect your heating boiler, look for warning signs, such as small drips or leaks, noises like clicking or rumbling, error codes or messages on the display, abnormal pressure or temperature readings and any external corrosion or discolouration.
Call your Shipton’s HVAC service technician right away if you notice anything unusual in your boiler’s operation!
Once per year, it is important to schedule a professional preventative maintenance service, tune-up and safety inspection for your heating boiler. And, ideally, this should be done before temperatures really drop in late fall.
During your professional heating boiler preventative maintenance service, your Shipton’s HVAC technician will tend to all of the following:
- Complete visual inspection and cleaning of all internal and external components.
- Inspection, cleaning and testing of the heat exchanger system.
- Thermostat check and calibration (if needed).
- Water pH check and adjustment (if needed).
- Inspection and cleaning of pilot light, sensors, burners, ignitors (as applicable).
- Inspection and securing of boiler connections and wires.
- Inspection, cleaning and clearing of inlets, vents, pipes and valves.
- Cleaning and flushing of boiler tank and condensate system (if applicable).
- Checking and testing all controls, sensors, settings and safety systems.
In addition, if you have noticed any minor issues with your heating boiler operation, your Shipton’s HVAC technician will investigate these during your annual preventative maintenance service call.
Heating Boiler Repairs and Warning Signs You need to Watch Out For
If you are brand new to owning and caring for a heating boiler, this is the section you really need to read and bookmark for future reference.
Heating boilers work differently than other common types of heating systems. In some ways, a heating boiler’s repair issues can seem like they have more in common with a tank hot water heater than with a gas furnace or heat pump!
So let’s take a look at four of the most common major heating boiler repairs, their warning signs and what to do to fix each.
1. Your boiler is leaking.
A water leak is never a good thing. A small drip may not always turn into a big flood, but when it does you can be looking at major water damage in addition to a boiler outage.
So let’s talk about the three main types of boiler leaks, which can happen at the tank, at the pump or at the pressure relief valve.
A tank leak is serious and often requires a full replacement.
A pump leak can be serious if the pump has interior corrosion.
In most cases, however, a pressure relief valve leak can be fixed by replacing the valve mechanism.
2. Your boiler is kettling.
The term “kettling” refers to the sound a boiler makes when mineral deposits build up inside the unit and impact the interior pressure.
If you hear your boiler start to make a loud banging, clanging or rumbling that sounds like a symphony percussionist has moved into your tank, it is time to call your Shipton’s HVAC technician.
Tempted to wait? Don’t. The sound might not be unbearable, but it is your early warning sign to stave off a major water leak or, worse, a dangerous internal explosion.
3. Your boiler is having pilot problems.
Boilers from different eras have different types of ignition systems. Older boilers may still have an old school pilot light that must remain on whether the boiler is in use or not.
Newer boilers often have an electric ignition mechanism that powers the boiler as needed. In either case, if you are having trouble with the boiler’s pilot system, you may hear a ticking or clicking noise. This is the pilot trying to light or ignite.
4. Your boiler isn’t heating.
A boiler that is simply failing to produce heat output is the most complicated problem to diagnose and fix. This is because so many types of malfunctions could cause a total outage.
Newer boilers typically have a series of safety shutdown features built in to detect malfunctions and shut down the boiler. Low pressure, internal corrosion, valve failure, fuel line blockage, ignition issues, a tripped fuse, a broken pump – all of these and more could cause an outage.
Save $25 on Heating Boiler Repair
Shipton’s is currently running our popular Fall for Savings annual event!
Right now, save $25 on repairs for your heating boiler, furnace or gas fireplace.
In the market for a new HVAC system? You can save up to $1,200 on select furnace and air conditioner combo units!
Contact Shipton’s Heating & Cooling for Heating Boiler Maintenance & Repairs
Shipton’s is your local, family owned, one-stop shop for all your residential and commercial heating and air conditioning needs.
We are proud to have nearly 100 years of serving our customers in Hamilton, Ontario, and surrounding areas. Our highly trained and experienced HVAC service technicians can install, maintain and repair all makes and models of heating boilers, furnaces, heat pumps and HVAC systems.
Give us a call at 1-905-549-4616 or visit us online to schedule your heating boiler’s pre-winter preventative maintenance service. Need a new boiler or boiler repairs? We’ll give you a free contactless quote!
