Boilers have become an indispensable part of our daily life in the UK. As it makes us feel warm and comfortable in winter, it also helps us by providing hot water throughout the year. So, we are all aware of the trouble we face when it goes wrong. A faulty boiler can consume more fuel, can provide you with inferior performance, and can also break down at any time. But that’s not just what you need to worry about. At times, it can also make you face certain threats of health hazards and explosions.
Most of the boilers in the UK run on gas and oil, where this fuel gives out a lot of greenhouse gas. Moreover, a malfunctioning boiler can have incomplete combustion of fuel, which can even produce poisonous CO gas. A yearly checkup of your boiler by an experienced gas engineer is, therefore, necessary to make you sure about your boiler.
So in a scenario when your boiler is aged and not functioning right, you need to be aware of the dangers of using a faulty boiler:
Not all faulty boilers are dangerous, though some of them can be. Most of the boilers, that turn defective might require a little reset or some repair to get it functioning alright. So, in such a scenario, a dip in performance and a hefty fuel bill are all that you have to worry about until it gets fixed.
However, it’s very crucial to have a knowledge of the various signs of a faulty boiler.
Noise: Boilers are supposed to work almost silently. But if you notice them making some noise, that’s hurting your ears, you can consider that as an indication of some boiler issue. You can often find boilers with a kettling or whistling sound. Boilers are also found to make sounds like gurgling or banging. Such noises in your boiler indicate that something is hindering your boiler process, which can be excess air or sludge deposits inside it.
Smell: Fossil fuel-run gas boilers can emit carbon monoxide gas, which is dangerous. However, this silent killer gas has no odour or colour, which can help you to detect it. But there are few gas companies who add some gas odorants, which helps to detect such leakage. And, also, at times, we have other gases, leaking out of the system, which might give out some smell. So, anyways, if you make out anything like rotten eggs or of sulphur, coming from your boiler, it’s something alarming that needs a gas engineer to look into the matter.
Boiler Overheated: With reduced efficiency, your boiler might take a longer time to heat up the water inside. But, while it is doing so, it might be burning the boiler metal. Boiler overheating is very dangerous, as it melts the boiler components, causing toxic smoke, that can be harmful for the inhabitants. Mainly, limescale formation in the heat exchangers and pumps is the main reason for such boiler overheating, which can even damage your boiler’s built-in safety features.
Leakages: Your boiler can start leaking for many reasons. Boiler Corrosion and freezing of pipes are found to be the most common. Even, at times, a faulty boiler installation can also cause your boiler to spill out. Though, whatever the reason, leakages should not be ignored. Water, leaking out of the system can get the boiler pressure to go down and make it underperform. However, if left unattended, even it can start releasing fuel gas. That can be as alarming as causing fire explosions, and also deaths from fatal CO poisoning.
Black Spillage: Black spots in your boiler are an indication of some malfunction with your appliance. Mostly, this happens when the impurities present in your boiler, such as ferrous components react with the water and air to form a stubborn black deposit called the sludge. Such a formation mainly hinders the boiler process and can cause it to break down.
Black Smoke: Again, inadequate fuel combustion is mainly responsible for your boiler to give out black smoke. So, if this is happening to you, you are not only shelling out more money on your fuel bills, it is also causing a threat to the gas safety of your house.
Pilot Light: Most modern boilers don’t have a pilot light. But if you are using an old-fashioned boiler, it should have one. Now, the colour of the pilot light flame can be a good way to understand your boiler condition. Not just the pilot lights, even the burners, should always have a blue flame. A change in its colour to a yellow flame mainly indicates incomplete combustion of fuel and carbon monoxide emission. An immediate diagnosis by a gas-safe registered engineer is required in such an instance.
Health issues: Boilers, turning sick does not just mean less hot water supply and inadequate heating. If your boiler is not doing its job properly and also bringing you high bills, it also means that it is not burning its fuel properly. thereby, causing you the risk of dangerous CO gas emissions.local plumber