The Importance of Routine Maintenance

We change the oil and air filter in our cars, even the spark plugs, but what about our heating systems?

Unlike a furnace, which has little to routinely check and maintain, boilers require routine inspections and maintenance. Contrary to popular belief, this means looking inside the heat exchanger, cleaning it out, and replacing the ‘consumable’ items such as the front and back refractories (target wall and door cover refractory), the igniter, and the flame sensor.

It is important to keep these items fresh and new to reduce nuisance error codes and loss of service. When these items are overlooked, it adds stress to other components like the control board and reduces efficiency, output, and greatly reduces the lifespan of the equipment. For tankless and combi units, this means de-scaling the domestic heat exchanger as well. Depending on the demand your boiler sees, ‘routine’ means annually to bi-annually at the longest.

Some early warning signs of lack of maintenance can include ignition failing on the first or even second attempt, louder than typical operation or other error codes that need to be reset more often. Before you get into a situation where you see loss of performance or error codes and you get left without service, we recommend scheduling routine inspections and maintenance of your unit to be sure you stay warm and keep your hot water flowing all year long.

With the Winter months quickly approaching, your boiler and your family will thank you!