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What Happens If You Don’t Service Your Boiler?

October 31st, 2018

Last updated: August 5th, 2022

In today’s financial climate businesses are always looking for ways to save money. It is a natural and prudent thing to do at any time, but every cost the business faces has to be balanced against a justification, and assessed in terms of the consequences of ignoring that cost.

Maintenance costs regularly come under this microscope and a business will have to assess what are essential and non-essential costs. In terms of machinery and equipment, these are the lifeblood of the business and essential services are also vital in keeping the business running. So against this background, the costs of not maintaining your boiler need to be considered and you will very quickly conclude that the consequences of potential breakdown fully justify the costs of servicing your boiler.

Boiler Breakdown

A boiler contains many vital components, all of which work in tandem with each other. So if one component fails, or stops working effectively, this quickly leads to others failing also. A commercial boiler breakdown may require emergency repairs which can also be very costly.

In a typical boiler, if you are carrying out no service or maintenance, then internal components can rust or corrode, leaks can occur, debris can accumulate, standing water in the condensate pipe can freeze in cold weather and mechanical failure can lead to gas problems, burners not working or gas being burnt inefficiently, leading to your bills getting higher. Regularly servicing your commercial boiler will in the long run help your business thrive.

Quite apart from the obvious breakdown scenarios that can occur if you neglect to service and maintain your boiler – ie. production downtime, health and safety issues for employees, poor morale amongst staff – there are the following consequences:

Dangerous emissions: A faulty boiler can emit dangerous levels of carbon monoxide, which can hospitalise or even kill a person unwittingly. A boiler service will check and fix any leaks to prevent this.

Energy bills can rise: Boilers work harder in cold weather, but sometimes they are working harder to compensate for leaks, blockages or damaged components. A service will ensure the boiler is running efficiently to reduce your energy bills and also your carbon footprint.

Higher maintenance costs: While there is a cost to servicing a boiler, this is a ‘known’ cost that can be budgeted for. If you ignore this then you will likely be faced with breakdown costs which will be higher and which you haven’t budgeted for.

Reduced boiler lifespan: If you don’t look after a boiler, it is much more likely that it will break and need replacing before it has reached the potential lifespan it could reach. Well looked after, a boiler might get you over 20 years of use.

Invalid insurance: Business insurance usually includes a requirement for your boiler to be functioning and safe to use, and this can be invalidated if you don’t have the boiler serviced.

Legal implications: It is a legal requirement of the Health & Safety at Work Act (1974), Workplace (Health, Safety & Welfare) Regulations 1992 and Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 for businesses to ensure gas appliances are maintained and safe to use on their premises, and a business could face substantial penalties if problems subsequently occur.

How Often Should I Get My Commercial Boiler Serviced?

We recommend annual servicing as a minimum, and sometimes you may even wish to get the boiler serviced more frequently than that. As well as helping to mitigate the risks above, this also helps you to ensure that it is operating at its maximum potential, and that you can extend the lifespan of your boiler.

Do I Need a Boiler Risk Assessment?

In the majority of instances, a specific boiler risk assessment may not be required, though it may be a consideration in other risk assessments within the building, such as a fire risk assessment.

At Robinsons Facilities Services we have put together many different boiler service plans which are designed to suit the individual business and the equipment they have on site. We help businesses to create planned preventative maintenance schedules, which can help you to ensure that crucial aspects of maintenance such as servicing and maintenance are never ignored.

A commercial boiler maintenance schedule also means peace of mind, knowing that the most important parts of your maintenance are delegated to the professionals, rather than having to take this on yourself. This leaves you to focus on running your business. To talk to us about your maintenance needs today on 01423 226578.

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