Insuring against gas boiler failure
Insuring against gas boiler failure
Heating your home isn’t that much of a problem in the summertime, but unless you’re in the strange habit of only taking cold showers and boiling the kettle every time you wash up, you could be left high and dry if your central heating boiler breaks down. Boilers are one of those things in life that we rarely think think of, until they stop working that is. All of a sudden, following an unexpected problem, it becomes an essential and prominent piece of equipment but rather expensive to repair.
Most of the repairs of your rented home are covered by your landlord including your central heating system repairs so you could be lucky. But if you’re a homeowner, you may want to think about putting a little aside to cover the costs should anything go wrong.
It is advisable to buy a new model rather than getting your ten year old central heating system repaired, this will cut down the fuel costs too in future years. The type of gas boiler that you should buy would depend upon your existing boiler type, the size of your family and the amount of space in your home. If you have a small home with few people and do not want to wait for hot water then a combi heating boiler is your best option. A combi heating boiler draws water and heats it through the mains, doing away with the need for a storage tank. Hot water will be available instantaneously on demand, but if a hot tap is opened by someone else while you are enjoying your shower, you better jump out fast unless you like cold showers!.
A single storage tank is used in a sealed system central heating boiler usually placed in an upstairs airing cupboard enabling a large number of people to have multiple showers and taps on the go at once, without compromising hot water accessibility or water pressure. The system central heating boiler needs not much space and it is quick and easy to install. But hot water can get exhausted fast and not replaced quickly if used frequently because of the storage tank feature of the boiler system.
If you live in an older home chances are that you have an open vent heating boiler system, which takes up more space with two water tanks which are in the loft and a storage cylinder which is usually in the airing cupboard. Though it does not give the best pressure and takes a while to heat, it is very like a sealed system that can provide hot water to several outlets.
Lastly, what’s known as a back central heating boiler gives simultaneous access to hot water from several outlets with sustained pressure; but it may need a large area for installation. Back boilers are usually stored in the chimney breast but if you do not have this type of heating boiler installed you will find that it is not worth shifting over to this form of heating. However, if you do already have a back heating boiler system installed in your home and it needs replacing, rather than getting a completely new system, it would be more sensible to get a new back gas boiler installed.
It is costly to repair a boiler which ever type your home has. A gas boiler insurance policy can help a great deal by easing your repair costs in case your heating system fails at some point. Buy an insurance plan that includes an annual maintenance contract and emergency house calls and repairs when needed; you will save some extra money and mean you never have to shiver in your shower again.
