With the hustle and bustle of daily life, as long as your home is warm, your boiler probably isn’t on your mind all that often. But boiler faults aren’t always obvious and, like most things, boilers do have a finite lifespan. To determine whether your boiler has reached the end of its road, here’s 5 signs it’s time for a change.

TOP 5 reason to replace your boiler

Yellow flame

Your boiler flame should burn bright blue. Blue flames are the hottest and therefore the most efficient flames, as they use the least amount of energy to produce heat. Whilst it follows that a yellow flame is therefore less efficient, the much more sinister implication of a yellow flame is its ability to leak carbon monoxide. More on this in our next point.

Bad smells

Bad smells are indicative of a boiler on its last legs. If your boiler is producing sulphurous, eggy smells, it’s highly likely this is due to a gas leak, which could suggest a carbon monoxide leak, too. Though carbon monoxide itself is odourless, this poisonous gas is created when your boiler burns fuel incompletely, and this incomplete combustion can be caused by a gas leak.

Carbon monoxide poisoning is extremely serious; high levels of carbon monoxide can kill a person within minutes. If you suspect a gas leak in your home or recognise any of the signs of a carbon monoxide leak, contact the National Gas Emergency Service line immediately on 0800 111 999. This number operates 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.

The common signs of a carbon monoxide leak include:

  • The boiler has been struggling to stay alight (due to a lack of sufficient oxygen to maintain the flame);
  • You have been noticing more condensation on your windows than usual;
  • You have been experiencing any of the physical symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, such as:
    • Headaches;
    • Dizziness and confusion;
    • Nausea;
    • Shortness of breath;
    • Loss of consciousness.

High energy bills

Old, inefficient boilers tend to burn more energy, causing your bills to creep up. Boiler efficiency is rated on a seven-point ErP colour scale with dark green, A-rated boilers being the most efficient and red, G-rated boilers being the least efficient. Replacing an old, G-rated boiler with a new, A-rated boiler could save you hundreds per year on your energy bills. Given the vast energy savings of a newer boiler, making the switch isn’t just kinder to your purse strings: it’s kinder to the environment, too.

Water leaks

Perhaps it goes without saying, but boilers should never leak water. This is a sign of an internal fault, such as a broken valve or seal. Leaks can create all kinds of nuisance: rust, corrosion, electrical short-circuits, even structural damage to your home. An engineer will be able to identify and address the cause of the water leak, but experiencing issues such as this is usually a strong sign it’s time to instal a new boiler.

Strange noises

It can be tricky to determine whether or not the noises your boiler is making are cause for concern. Some boiler noises, such as low hums and gentle whirs, are completely normal sounds to expect from your boiler. However, most other sounds will indicate some level of a break or fault in your boiler system, pointing towards a new boiler being on the cards for you. Namely, tapping sounds can suggest that sludge is building up in your central heating system, and banging, clunking, and whirring sounds may highlight an issue with your valves or heat pumps.