Should I get a boiler repair contract?
Should I get a boiler maintenance contract?
If you are considering a gas fired boiler maintenance and repair plan you now have the choice of several suppliers. Whilst a central heating boiler service is often an optional extra these policies give you protective cover against unforeseen boiler breakdowns for a small monthly or annual charge. They come in a frustrating variety of names and styles, with a wide variety of costs and choices. Whilst, ostensibly, all these boiler maintenance policies appear different they essentially offer the same protective cover.
Central heating boiler maintenance and repairs
This type of boiler maintenance protection brings emergency assistance rather than a twelve month central heating boiler service – this gives you access to a trained heating engineer to quickly call and fix your unexpected gas boiler breakdown – there are many diverse service grades with this type of boiler protection as the service provider has the certainty of a twelve month contract and will wish to retain your custom. It is important for the company’s long-term growth you renew your boiler maintenance protection and they will be keen to encourage you to do so.
Check whether your insurance incorporates a no call out charge as these can be costly – plumbers found in the Yellow Pages will charge a large call out fee which could exceed the cost of your annual boiler maintenance service cover if only you had taken it out ahead, so this is a great advantage, all the more so if your gas fired boiler is starting to age. Parts and labour are also options for inclusion in a policy which can be very valuable. The cost of an unanticipated gas boiler breakdown are much higher than the typical annual contract.
Including an annual boiler service
You can usually add the option of a twelve month gas boiler service to your boiler maintenance contract at a cost effective rate. Including this option has the advantage on the same company both servicing and attending to any emergency central heating boiler problem. Setting Up the central heating boiler service in advance on the due date will often mean that you can schedule the appointment at a time that is more convenient to you. Some companies will completely take the heating boiler apart for the service, others use diagnostics to check it is functioning correctly.
Are boiler maintenance policies a waste of money?
This depends upon the amount of gas boiler problems you have in the future. One central heating boiler breakdown in a year and will typically cover the cost of the boiler maintenance contract. The worst-case situation is that you do not have a central heating boiler breakdown but that must be worth something in peace of mind alone. Certainly if you have a family to take care of or hate the problems of getting a good heating engineer when problems occur then you should consider taking out a boiler contract. In the extraordinary circumstance that your brother is a heating engineer you can ignore this advice.