How to Dispose of Your Old Boiler

Like all other appliances and gadgets, the efficiency of a boiler tends to decrease with time. With excessive usage, especially during the colder months, it starts developing faults, despite being regularly serviced and maintained. At this point, running the old boiler might be uneconomical, as the cost of repair and maintenance tends to increase manifold. So, that’s the stage when it becomes necessary to replace it with a new one.

When replacing your old boiler is essential, its proper disposal becomes even more critical. Disposal of an old boiler involves many considerations, such as convenience, safety, and compliance with regulatory and legal requirements. As a responsible citizen, you have obligations towards environmental protection. Old boilers have different components, which may include metallic and electrical parts. Above that, it may even contain various hazardous materials, such as asbestos, especially in very old models. The presence of all such materials and components necessitates that an old boiler be handled with extra care, while fulfilling your legal and environmental responsibilities. 

Let us explore how homeowners and businesses can safely dispose of an old boiler while complying with legal requirements.

When to Replace an Old Boiler 

The useful life of a boiler is often considered to be 10 to 15 years. However, a boiler would need replacement, irrespective of its age, if it is no longer safe and has lost its efficient performance. Another crucial aspect is the cost of repair. As a general rule, a boiler should be replaced when its overall repair cost exceeds half of the price of a replacement unit. 

Replacing an old boiler can be a considerable expense, but it can significantly improve the energy efficiency of your home or business. Hence, it is crucial to consider replacing an old boiler in the presence of one or more of the following conditions:

• Boiler’s age – The Age of a boiler is the prime factor that indicates whether it needs replacement or not. When a boiler reaches more than 10 years of life, it is time to start thinking about its replacement. If it is older than 15 years, it must be replaced immediately.
• Consistent Breakdowns – Irrespective of the age of a boiler, uninterrupted performance is also an important factor. If a boiler starts developing faults, persistently, and needs frequent repairs and maintenance, it is an indication that it might need replacement. If the overall cost of repairs exceeds half of the replacement unit, it is the perfect time to dispose of the old boiler.
• Abnormal Energy Bills – An abnormal increase in energy bills is a clear indication that your boiler has lost its efficiency. Replacing it with a new version may increase its efficiency, hence reducing the energy bill. The energy efficiency of new boilers is often more than 90%, whereas it is less than 70% in the case of old boilers.
• Poor Performance and Uneven Heating – If the radiators take an unusually long time to provide heat, it is yet another sign that your boiler is not performing as usual. In such a situation, your property may experience uneven heating across different rooms. In that scenario, do consider replacing the old boiler.
• Ab Normal Sounds – When a boiler starts generating abnormal sounds, such as gurgling, banging, or whistling, it is an indication of the accumulation of limescale. It may also be a sign of pump failure or internal damage. Although in some cases, a fault can be fixed, it is important to get the boiler thoroughly inspected to see whether it needs replacement.
• Non-Availability of Safety Features – If your boiler does not have up-to-date safety features, as is the case with many older models, you must think about replacing it with the newer versions. 
• Failed Gas Safety Inspection – If the boiler fails the annual gas safety inspection, it has to be repaired or may need replacement. Consider the repair cost and compare it with the cost of a new boiler to decide whether you should go for replacement. 
• Discontinuation of Manufacturer’s Support – In some cases, the repair and maintenance support of your boiler might be discontinued by its manufacturer. In this case, you should immediately go for a replacement.

Disposing of the Old Boiler

Old boilers come under the category of WEEE, "Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment". Accordingly, the disposal of old boilers must be done while complying with the relevant disposal and recycling regulations. Improper disposal may lead to a violation of environmental laws. If not disposed of properly, the chemicals and refrigerants, which might be present in it, may cause environmental pollution. Additionally, if not handled according to the prevailing regulations, it may attract penalties. More importantly, a boiler has many parts, made up of precious metals such as copper and steel. These parts can be recycled, but if disposed of carelessly, they may be lost. 

Hence, it is crucial for homeowners and businesses to ensure proper disposal of their old boilers. 

Best Disposal Options for an Old Boiler

Some of the best options for the disposal of an old boiler are summarized here for ready reference.

• Hire a Gas Safe Registered Engineer

Always engage a Gas Safe Registered Engineer to work on your boilers. It is also a compulsion under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. When installing a new or replacement boiler, you must hire the services of a gas safe registered installer, as they are qualified and sufficiently experienced to do this job. Hence, the removal and disposal of the old boiler by them is the safest and most convenient way of handling this important responsibility. 

Disposal of an old boiler is often a part of their job. While hiring them, make sure that the cost of installation of the new unit also includes the removal and disposal of the old one. It is also important to make sure to obtain a Waste Transfer Note from them once the old boiler is removed and taken away. 

The best part of handling this job by the Gas Safe installer is that they are aware of the rules and regulations and are supposed to dispose of the old boiler strictly according to the regulatory requirements. Hence, it is a tension-free transition for homeowners and businesses.

• Use Council Collection Services

The second option available to homeowners and businesses for the disposal of old boilers is the "Bulky Waste Collection Services" offered by the local councils. Disposal of an old boiler is often included in such services in most parts of the UK. However, some of the local councils may not accept boilers under this package. You need to confirm this from the local council if you intend to dispose of your old boiler using this option. 

Contact the local council through their website and book your request for Bulky Waste Collection. They provide this service on payment of their prescribed fee, which may range somewhere between £20 and £50. However, each local council may have a different fee structure. Once the fee is paid, you will be informed of the date and time of picking up your boiler. 

Disposing of your old boiler through this option is quite safe and secure. 

• Use Local Recycling Center

The third possibility of a safe disposal of your old boiler is to use the services provided by the Local Recycling Centers. This service is available in most parts of the UK. The centers are commonly known as "Household Waste Recycling Centre" (HWRC).  

Using this service for the disposal of old boilers is easy, but you need some extra work. You will have to take your old boiler yourself to any of these centers. For this purpose, you will need a reasonably large transport vehicle, which can accommodate your old boiler. Another prerequisite for using this service is proof of address, in the shape of a Utility Bill or a Driving License. Most importantly, you need to get permission to drop your old boiler in any of these centers, for which you may also need advance booking. You will have to drop your old boiler on the allotted date and time. 

• Use a Licensed Waste Carrier

Some Licensed Waste Carriers also offer Waste Disposal Services. Before hiring any of them for the disposal of your old boiler, you must check that the relevant Environment Agency registers them. Don't forget to obtain a Waste Transfer Note from them once the old boiler is removed. 

Important

• Never sell or give away your old boiler, especially if it is non-compliant or damaged.
• Do not fly-tip your old boiler. It is straightaway an illegal act, which may result in fines up to £50,000 or imprisonment of up to 12 months. 
• Never try to remove or dismantle your old boiler yourself; it might be risky. 
• Preserve the Waste Transfer Note for at least two years for future reference. 
• Make sure that the disposal of the old boiler is compliant with “Duty of Care Regulations” under the “Environmental Protection Act 1990”.
• Recyclable material in an old boiler needs to be preserved, which includes:
  • Copper pipes and wiring.
  • Heat exchangers are made up of Aluminum.
  • Steel Casings.
  • Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs)

Conclusion

Disposal of an old boiler is a simple yet important task. It contains some important and useful parts, which can be recycled. More importantly, it may contain some hazardous materials, such as asbestos or some chemicals, which need careful handling when disposing of an old boiler. At the same time, the disposal of an old boiler has to be in compliance with the relevant regulatory responsibilities. All these factors make it a highly sensitive task. Accordingly, it needs to be handled carefully and correctly, for which the best option is to get it done by a registered Gas Safe installer.