The boiler is a must-have item for every home and commercial premises, especially in the colder parts of the world. These are meant to provide heat for your living area and hot water for your washrooms. Like any other home appliance, boilers need a certain level of maintenance. As the boilers deal with water and heat, they need a bit more care. If you live in an area where the water supplied to your home is hard, your boiler may be affected by the residual sedimentation.
Additionally, boilers comprise some moving parts, which are prone to develop faults so often. Then, the energy source, such as gas, coal, or oil, also plays a role in the durability of the boiler. All these factors collectively have an impact on the useful life of a boiler. Though regular and timely maintenance may enhance the life span of a boiler, ultimately, it has to be replaced after a certain period. But the question is when you have to replace it or, in other words, what is the appropriate time to do this?
Before we move on to the important question of when to replace a boiler, let’s try to understand how a boiler works and what the different types of boilers are. It will help you ascertain how the boiler is affected and when the appropriate time is to replace it with a new one.
Boilers heat the water. But that’s not as simple as it may sound. A boiler is mostly a part of an integrated heating system of a building. The heating system comprises various components such as pipework, radiators, and the main boiler unit.
Water from the main supply line enters into the main boiler unit, where it gets heated. Depending on the type of het boiler, this heated water is then transported to the radiators, either with the same pressure or with an enhanced pressure, using pumps and motors. Normally a boiler is capable of heating the water to 60 degrees Celsius or 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
When this heated water reaches the radiators, this heat is used to warm the living areas of the premises. In this process, the temperature of the water decreases and it is transported back to the main boiler unit for heating again. A part of the heated water is also transported to the washrooms and kitchens, where it is used to warm the tap water. This entire process has an impact on the durability of the boiler unit.
There are two main types of boilers: water tube and fire tube boilers.
Whatever the type of boiler, the heating process has a huge impact on the useful life of the main components of the boiler such as the heat exchanger and main heating chamber.
Boilers are also categorized based on energy sources, such as gas, coal, oil, or electric power. Amongst them, electric-powered boilers may last longer as compared to the other types. On the other hand, coal-powered boilers are more vulnerable to deterioration. However, the most common and popular type of boiler is a Gas Boiler. It is more efficient, more economical
When we say the useful life of a boiler, it refers to its efficiency and cost of maintenance. With the passage of time, every machine tends to deteriorate; hence you may need to incur more expenses on its maintenance. The same is true with the boilers. An aging boiler is likely to need heavy expenses for its maintenance. Additionally, frequent breakdowns may also occur.
So, that’s the time when you need to think about replacing your boiler. Under normal circumstances and with regular maintenance a boiler should ideally last for at least 8 to 10 years. Based on the maintenance level, this life span may even extend up to 15 years.
Under ideal conditions, a boiler should remain in service for 10 to 15 years, after which you may need to replace it with a new and upgraded model. Apart from that, you also need to closely monitor the performance and functioning of your boiler. There are various signs, a boiler may show, which indicate that it's the time to replace it.
Let’s have a look at these signs:
As discussed above, the age of a boiler is the prime indicator of its replacement. If a boiler is older than 10 years, you must think about its replacement. It may still be working but it is better to replace it with the latest model. However, if it is giving you a trouble-free service, you may continue with it for another couple of years but ultimately this has to be replaced.
Whatever the age of your boiler is, if it is not functioning as it has to, it may be time for you to replace it. Sometimes, a boiler may develop such an abnormality or fault that it may not be repairable despite incurring heavy expenses. It often happens when most of the components of a boiler get faulty.
Despite all required maintenance, your boiler breaks down so often. Every time you have to call the mechanic but the problem repeats frequently. If that’s happening with your boiler, think about its replacement at the earliest.
An unrealistic increase in gas bills is a clear sign of your boiler becoming redundant. But before you decide to replace it, have a look at the gas supply line. Sometimes a gas leak may also result in increased bills. However, if the gas bill persistently crosses the normal limits, you will have to replace your boiler.
A leaking boiler should be replaced instantly. Leakages occur when the water tank or other components of a boiler get rusty, eroded, or even broken. It often happens with the boilers getting a hard water supply. It may also be a result of frequent overheating. In any case, you need to think about replacing your boiler on an urgent basis.
If your boiler starts generating abnormal sounds or making too much noise, you need to get it checked by a qualified engineer. Normally, he should be able to remove the fault. But if the noise returns frequently, it may be due to the accumulation of salt and dirt sedimentation within the boiler body. The engineer may try to flush it out but if the boiler is older than 8 years, it may not work or even further damage the boiler system. So, the best option in this scenario is to replace your boiler.
With the passage of time and the increase in demand for hot water due to expansion in your family, your boiler may not be able to provide the required heat and hot water. It may be functioning efficiently but if your demand has increased, you may need to replace your existing boiler with one having more capacity.
Depending on the scope of work, the time required to replace the old boiler may vary considerably.
A boiler has to be functional for the entire winter season. It needs to be efficient and economical. Naturally, you expect that the boiler should not break down frequently, especially during the peak winters. Usually, a boiler meets all these expectations, provided it gets due attention whenever maintenance is required.
Despite all that, a boiler may get to a stage when it starts malfunctioning due to one reason or the other. The age of a boiler may be the key factor but there may be various other reasons behind this trouble. Replacing a boiler is a cumbersome task but you have to take this tough decision when your boiler is too old or starts giving frequent troubles. So, it is advisable to replace it at the earliest.
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