The boiler is an absolutely crucial component in most modern homes today. Without your boiler, you wouldn’t be able to access instant hot water in your home, and you would struggle to stay warm in the winter using your central heating system.
However, a faulty boiler could pose a greater danger to your health and the health and safety of your family than you think.
A faulty boiler can not only be less efficient to operate and expensive to fix, it can even be life threatening.
The good news is that most boiler failures are not dangerous and can be easily repaired, but it’s still important to keep a close eye on your boiler to make sure it doesn’t pose a health hazard.
Night light color
A healthy, well-functioning boiler should burn with a blue flame.
A yellow pilot light is an obvious cause for concern, as it usually indicates that your boiler’s gas-to-air ratio is off, which usually results in carbon monoxide leaking out of the boiler and into your home.
Since this dangerous gas is colorless and odorless, it may be all too easy for the effects to take hold in your family before you even realize the damage has been done.
And, if left untreated, carbon monoxide poisoning (see more) can be very dangerous, even fatal. Some of the first signs and symptoms to look out for include sickness, fatigue, and headaches.
Carbon monoxide detector
One of the easiest ways to keep an eye on your boiler and ensure it poses no risk to your family is to install a carbon monoxide detector in your home.
This should be placed near the boiler and you can get them inexpensively at most good hardware and homeware stores.
If your boiler has a carbon monoxide leak, the detector will alert you to the situation as soon as possible so that you can act quickly before any real damage occurs.
Don’t ignore a carbon monoxide detector – if you’ve gotten an alert, keep everyone out of the house and call an engineer to take a look urgently.
Black marks and soot
If you can see soot around the area where the boiler is kept or if there are inexplicable black marks on your boiler, it could be a sign of a very dangerous problem.
If you’ve noticed this, it could be a sign of fire or other electrical issues that are causing your boiler to burn and could put your home at greater risk of fire.
Prevention is better than cure; if you notice this problem, turn off your boiler and have it checked by an engineer. It could also be a sign of a carbon monoxide leak.
Smell of gas or smoke
Carbon monoxide is naturally odorless, but many companies add an odor to it to make it easier to find a leak in your home and keep you and your family safe.
If you smell a strong smell of sulfur or gas near your boiler, turn it off immediately and call a technician.
Don’t ignore the smell of gas coming from anywhere in your home; even if it is not coming from the immediate area around your boiler, there could be a gas leak in your central heating system which can be extremely dangerous and will need to be repaired immediately.
You experience physical symptoms
For households that do not have a carbon monoxide alarm, one of the first signs of a carbon monoxide leak is the physical symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning.
If you have noticed that you have a lot of headaches, feel sick and feel more tired than usual, especially when your boiler is running, these symptoms may be caused by the boiler .
It’s worth visiting a doctor, but get someone to examine the boiler as well – it could save your life.
What to do next
If you have noticed any of the above signs and suspect that your boiler may be faulty in a dangerous way, it is important to act quickly.
The longer you leave your boiler running and wait for an expert to come and examine it, the greater the risk to your health.
If you are unable to turn off your boiler, you must leave the house until an engineer is able to investigate and give you the all-clear.
Under certain circumstances, a faulty boiler is better to be replaced than repaired.
And if your boiler is over a decade old, prone to a lot of breakdowns, and lacking in energy efficiency compared to today’s newer, more modern models, there are plenty of benefits to investing in a replacement.
Not only will your home be completely safe again, but you will also be able to save money and manage your heating much easier with modern smart controls.
The Paris 9 boiler installation price is often worth it compared to the amount you will spend to repair an old faulty boiler over time.
Don’t miss this boiler price guide from Boiler Central to learn more about what you can expect from boiler replacement cost for your home and learn more about the typical Combi boiler cost and more.