Telltale Signs You Need A New Boiler

One of the most used and most important appliances in your home is your boiler, but like many of the most important tools in our lives, we only tend to notice it when it goes wrong.

However, with a lot of discussions surrounding hydrogen boilers in the news as of late, as well as winter coming up, there is no better time than now to take a look at your boiler and ensure it is still in good working order.

Most boilers tend to be replaced every 15 years, primarily for efficiency reasons, but there are cases where a fault is so significant or so consistent that repairing the issue is merely throwing good money after bad.

Here are some telltale signs your boiler installation is in trouble and it may be worth investing in a new one.

 

The Boiler Smells Bad

Your boiler should not smell at all, but if it is giving off a bad odour, you need to call a professional right away, as there could be a carbon monoxide leak.

Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas that ordinarily gives off no smell nor taste, but can cause serious illness and death if inhaled in significant quantities.

Generally, this is caused by a leak causing the boiler not to burn properly, particularly if it uses natural gas.

If your boiler has a pilot light that keeps blowing out, burns yellow rather than blue or you notice dark soot stains, these can also be signs of carbon monoxide leaks.

 

Puddles Appear Around Your Boiler

Whilst this seems self-evident, generally, if a leak has become so prominent it has caused puddles to emerge around your home, it is generally a sign that your boiler is beyond repair with internal parts that are starting to disintegrate.

This should be fixed not only because of the damage to your boiler but because of the potential structural damage to your home, which can be considerably expensive to fix.

 

You Hear Banging, Clunking Or Whirring

Boilers aren’t completely silent, but the main noise you should hear from your boiler is a constant hum so low you have to focus on it to truly notice it.

Bangs and other odd noises tend to be a symptom of mechanical damage, although to what extent depends on the noise.

Switch the boiler off and call an engineer.