Comprehensive Guide to Boiler Inspection, Maintenance, and Safety Compliance
Boiler repair maintenance and servicing are the exclusive responsibility of qualified technicians, authorized to perform cleaning and flue gas inspections and issue the necessary documentation certifying its legal operation. Let’s look at the first of the two operations, namely routine maintenance.
Boiler Repair vs. Flue Gas Inspections
It involves a visual inspection of the appliance and a check of the various operating parameters. Specifically, the qualified technician will perform a series of tasks, such as:
- cleaning the burner and heat exchanger
- checking the seals and filters
- checking the flue gas draft
- evaluating the ventilation of the room where the boiler is located.
Maintenance also includes cleaning the boiler, inspecting the system components most at risk of wear (such as gaskets, combustion chamber, fans, and electrodes), and performing a performance test.
Boiler Repair : Is It Mandatory?
While routine maintenance is not mandatory according to specific schedules, boiler inspections are mandatory and apply to all heating or cooling systems:
- Electric boilers
- Hybrid boilers;
- Biomass boilers;
- Gas boilers;
- Heat pumps.
Boiler repair : how often should it be performed?
Inspections must be performed periodically according to the technical instructions contained in the use and maintenance manual issued by the installer and mandatory since 2016. In general, it is advisable to follow the frequency (usually once a year) established by UNI and CEI regulations. High-efficiency boilers are an exception, as maintenance is required every two years.Once maintenance is complete, the maintenance technician must issue a report of the inspections and complete the system logbook.
Frequency of Flue Gas Inspections
Differences between routine maintenance and flow gas inspections
Unlike maintenance, boiler flue gas inspections are required by law. This involves verifying the appliance’s energy efficiency by measuring the smoke level and analyzing emissions and the concentration of pollutants in exhaust gases, such as carbon monoxide. A specialized technician samples the combustion products and measures their compliance with legal limits. This allows them to identify any discrepancies between actual emissions and the values specified in the technical data sheet and regulations.
Blue and Green Boiler Stickers
- The frequency of inspections (annual, biennial, or quadrennial) varies based on the boiler’s power output and the type of fuel used. Blue and Green Boiler Sticker
- Upon completion of the inspection, a sticker containing a unique numeric code will be issued to affix to the boiler documentation, certifying that the flue gas control test has been passed. The sticker comes in two different colors:
- Blue sticker for heating systems with a capacity of less than 35 kW
- Green sticker for heat generators from 35 to 350 kW
Risk for Failure to Perform Boiler Repair
Boiler maintenance costs vary depending on the work to be performed and the type of boiler. The average cost for routine maintenance of a gas boiler is between €70 and €120, while for flue gas inspections, the cost for the same type of system is approximately €40 to €80. Boiler maintenance costs can vary significantly from region to region and even from city to city. It’s also possible that licensed technicians operating in the same area may charge different prices for the same type of work. Finally, the complexity of the operations performed also impacts the cost: if replacements and repairs are necessary, the cost will be higher.
Contact Us
Calling in a maintenance technician allows for the early detection of malfunctions that could pose a significant risk to the property and its occupants. This is the case, for example, of a gas leak that can cause harmful emissions inside and outside the home, abnormal consumption that increases the bill and, in the worst cases, fires and explosions.
The technicians we collaborate with: