Boiler review: how often should it be done and how much does it cost

Boiler maintenance and butane gas inspection are essential to keep our facilities safe. Although gas checks have a cost, if you do not do them, you can face serious safety problems when using this fuel.

If you have a natural gas, butane gas or any other gas installation at home, it is essential to keep it in perfect condition. Poor maintenance of gas installations poses a serious risk to the safety of your home, since, if the boiler, heater or installation is in poor condition or has leaks, they can end up causing a fire or an explosion.

For this reason, the legislation establishes the obligatory revision of the gas, depending on the power of the boiler and other characteristics of the installation. However, this field has also become fertile ground for fraud . There are many scammers who have created a fraudulent natural gas technical service, with which to carry out non-existent repairs and revisions that do not comply with the rule, which not only represent an economic disaster for their victims, but can also increase the risk of facility security. To avoid these problems and know exactly what to expect from the gas installation review, we will tell you everything you need to know about it.

When should the boiler be checked?

According to current legislation, natural gas boilers must be reviewed every two years , provided that their power is less than 70 kilowatts. For its part, the periodic inspection of the gas for those with more than this power is monthly, justified by its high demand for energy.

Regarding the heaters, these must be reviewed every 5 years if their power is less than 24.4 kilowatts, while if the power goes from 24.4 to 70 kilowatts, then the review must be carried out every two years. Some brands recommend an annual review, although this is not essential either.

How much does a gas check cost?

The revision of natural gas, as well as that of butane gas, is a service that does not have a fixed price. Therefore, depending on where you live and the company that performs the service, this cost is variable. This is precisely the basis of the fraud that we mentioned in the introduction, given that many companies are dedicated to looking for customers and extracting as much money as possible from them with the excuse of complying with the mandatory gas review.

As a reference, the price of a gas revision is usually around 100 euros , which increases if there are breakdowns or many parts to change. It is important to know that the revision should never be paid in cash to the technician who performs it, but that amount will be included in the invoice following the billing date. On the other hand, those who have a boiler maintenance contract will not have to pay anything for the service, since this revision is already included in the maintenance.

Who can check the boiler

In order for the review to be carried out in accordance with the provisions of current legislation, it is essential to choose an authorized company in accordance with the royal decree and that has all the papers in order to proceed. This leaves us with three different options to choose from.

The first, and the most recommended, is to resort to the company that distributes the gas or that brings us the butane. This company is the most appropriate, since it is the one that knows the installation and, probably, the one that carried out the assembly at the time. So resorting to the marketer is always a good idea to avoid problems.

Another interesting option is to resort to the boiler manufacturer ‘s technical service , which will also offer us these periodic review services. Since these technicians are the ones who best know the product that we have installed, they are also a good option to leave our installation as new.

As a last option, we can resort to an authorized company. However, it is important to choose a company with all the legal permits, to avoid problems with that installation and that the technician who comes to check the installation leaves it worse than it was.

What does the boiler inspection consist of?

The process of reviewing the boiler and the corresponding maintenance of natural gas and its facilities consist of the analysis of different elements and the performance of tests of its proper functioning. Among them, is the verification of tightness, which checks that there are no leaks. The burners and the fan are also cleaned and the chimney is checked for cleanliness. Likewise, the pressure of the gas boiler is measured, checking its performance.

Another common step is to analyze the combustion and verify that it is adequate, as well as checking that no combustion gases return to the interior of the system. Throughout this process, the different elements of the boiler and heater are adjusted, replacing those that need to be replaced. Precisely for this reason, the amount of the revision is variable.

And if I don’t check the boiler

Due to the type of products we are talking about, if the boiler is not checked, breakdowns may occur, such as those derived from incorrect combustion, fuel leaks or even more serious risks, such as explosion or gas accumulation. toxic. In addition, it is important to know that if you do not have the boiler checks up to date and an accident occurs, your home insurance will not be responsible for the damage. Therefore, it is essential to have the boiler up to date, for your own safety and that of your family.