Boiler service tips and advice

[Knappers]

Hi guys,
looking for some advice on servicing as im a bit behind and tend to take a more holistic approach to it (although im sure thats not detailed in and regs).
I'm looking for real world talk here not regurgitated textbook paragraphs.

I'll start.
I do my tightness test then my letby without disturbing valve or dropping pressure to 0mb.
I set my letby pressure by sound, there's a clear drop in tone from test nipples at around 10/11mb...
That's my tip.

I'm getting a bit confused these days about what I should be doing on a boiler service/safety check and the difference between the two.
This isn't helped by the fact that I don't actually differentiate between the two but now with water testing, CO alarms and efficiency advice I feel the need to have a difference.

What do we recon is the minimum requirement for a quick contract 'safety check' and what should we all be doing on a proper service?

I'll level with you, at the risk of being reprimanded.
I haven't got round to routine water testing.
I haven't actually read the new CO alarm requirement properly.
I rarely do a gasrate outside initial commissioning.

 

[Deleted member 120897]

A safety check is very basic, checking the appliance is safe - we do slightly more as a housing landlord, but no TT is actually required by law.

Think of a car - MOT (safety check)
Full service - replacing components where required, eg burner door seals.

On a safety check or service the CO alarms need to be present, located correctly (some of ours are positioned on to of boilers ffs), in date and tested to ensure it sounds correct - I’ve had some where the alarm is feeble.

What you should be doing on a safety check: (others may add here)

• FGA and Flue integrity check
• Gas rate appliance
• Check safety devices, so Ffd’s, flame rectifiction, but not cooker safety shutoff
• VRA customers own appliances, but still the flues owned by the landlord
• Check if there are CO alarms fitted for each fuel burning appliance in date and tested
• Check Earth bonding is needed and raise a job if it’s not there and is needed - obtain some Earth bonding labels

For servicing it‘s the above and more including following mi’s, water quality checks may be required

 

[Knappers]

So CO alarm thing only came in a couple of months ago.
Requirement as far as I see is to make landlords aware that they're required and to fit on new domestic installs.
Weirdly cookers are excluded, I would have thought these are highest risk in most homes?
And why the within 1m thing?

I would do:-

• visual inspection, inc full flue (loft if req) and cooker pipework/shutoff.
• functional check (ffds etc - inc cookers)
• clean condense & flush pipe
• clean primary filter
• FGA and integrity check
• check ventilation/clearance
• working pressure & burner pressure
• tightness test (earth etc)

I'd only do a gas rate on +ve pressure gas valve
How likely is it that gasrate be off on a modern boiler if combustion and WP are good?
I'm sure I'm just wrong but that aside - what's the point?

I know on safety check I don't need to do a few things but I just can't not check condense, primary filter and do tightness.

My understanding is that we're supposed to be testing water on a service now?...

 

[ShaunCorbs]

I do two services stnd and a 5 yearly strip down

Stnd I do

Local tt eg boiler only unless I see fishy stuff
Inspect boiler
Clean condy trap
Check around burner seals eg vaillant g10 and Worcester red
Fga and tweek depending on fan pressure
Then retest with case on
Gas rate
And finish off with paper work and new battery’s in stat

Full service I do

Full tt
Inspect boiler
Clean condy trap
Strip burner down and clean eg replace nrv
Clean heat exchanger
Drain heating and renew schrader valve and re pressurise to 1 bar
Hope I remember where everything came from and put back together
Check around burner seals eg vaillant g10 and Worcester red
Fga and tweek mix
Then retest with case on
Gas rate
And finish off with paper work and new battery’s in stat

But most fga and gas rate and lie about the figures If off