Do I need a central heating boiler service contract?
Do I need a central heating boiler service contract?
The central heating boiler service and repair cover market place has flourished and now has many leading suppliers. For a limited monthly fee you get cover against the cost of unanticipated gas fired boiler failures and sometimes they also include a twelve month gas fired boiler service. They come in a frustrating assortment of names and choices, with a wide variety of costs and choices. At first you may be confused by the choice but on further investigation you will see that many of these policies offer like-minded services.
Emergency boiler cover and Repairs
This type of cover brings emergency assistance rather than a twelve month heating boiler service – a plan like this will mean that you can callout an experience heating plumber to deal with emergency heating boiler breakdowns – expect to see various service level options available with this type of contract. It is important for the company’s long-term growth you renew your protection and they will be keen to encourage you to do so.
No charge emergency callout costs are one alternative to check for – plumbers found in the Yellow Pages will charge a large callout cost which could exceed the cost of your annual service cover if only you had taken it out in advance, incorporating the no callout cost is a very good option in a contract, particularly if your system is starting to have problems. Including boiler parts and labour in the contract gives you certainty that you will only be paying the monthly fee even if you have a gas boiler breakdown. Unexpected boiler breakdown costs can be very high and easily outstrip the cost of this annual policy many times over.
Taking the annual gas fired boiler service option
Adding in the option of an annual boiler service should cost less than taking this as a separate service from a local heating engineer. Ensuring that the same company services and looks after your gas fired boiler in an emergency can be advantageous. Most companies providing the annual service will remind you that it is now due long in advance of the end date so that the service can be scheduled at the time that is convenient to you. Sometimes the service involves taking the boiler apart, most times it involves the use of diagnostic testing on the heating boiler when operating to check that it is functioning correctly.
Are there rewards in having a boiler service contract?
The value of the investment will depend upon whether you have a heating boiler breakdown or not. The cost of the contract will be much smaller than the cost of one gas boiler breakdown on average. The worst-case situation is that you do not have a boiler breakdown but that must be worth something in peace of mind alone. If you do not have access to an experienced heating engineer to call at a instant’s notice you should consider taking out a central heating boiler contract. If your father is a plumber you could in all probability do without one.