If a boiler is not working properly, it’s important that it be fixed as quickly and efficiently as possible. Boilers that are allowed to malfunction can be dangerous. Those stories of a boiler blasting through a house like a Titan rocket are true! Though boilers are tasked with providing heat for the home, their repair is really plumbing work.
Though there are some small repairs that a homeowner can do, it’s best that a professional, qualified plumber take care of large boiler repairs as well as boiler inspection and boiler installation. Among the work that a plumber should do are cleaning the boiler’s heating surfaces and flushing the boiler. Boilers are flushed when the water inside it has too much debris like rust, which can impair the boiler’s operation. To do this, the plumber needs to shut off the power and automatic feed, attach hoses to the boiler, let the dirty water run out and refill the boiler. He or she might need to do this more than once until the water is clear.
The plumber might also need to fix any leaks in the boiler. Leaks can be serious and might not be able to be fixed. In that case, the boiler will need to be replaced. A qualified plumber can recommend a new boiler for his or her customer that runs more efficiently than the old one. It’s best if the new boiler is the same type as the old one. A steam boiler and a hot water boiler use different components. A hot water boiler, for example, has an expansion tank. The two types of boilers may also have different piping systems.
Another common boiler repair job involves noisy pipes. Noisy pipes might not interfere with the overall functioning of the boiler, but they can be a bit maddening. They can be caused because the pitch of the returns isn’t correct. Pipes need to slope back toward the boiler or they might trap water. This is what causes the noise. A plumber can adjust the slant of the pipes.
A malfunctioning thermostat can cause a boiler to stop working altogether. A boiler that’s also not working at all might simply not have enough water. When this happens in newer model boilers, the entire system is shut down so that the boiler doesn’t overheat and blow up.
Lastly, a homeowner should also know the number of a fast response plumber just in case the boiler stops on weekends or in the middle of the night.
