An unexpected boiler malfunction is one of the most costly and disruptive domestic incidents that can happen in the home, sometimes leading to potentially catastrophic damage to the entire plumbing system.  Of course, forewarned is forearmed but can we really predict the likelihood that your boiler might break down based simply on the part of the country you call home?

Where are you most at risk?

Over the course of a year, homes in London suffered the most boiler breakdowns with 6.08% of repairs happening in the capital.  This was followed closely with 6.04% of boilers in the West Midlands and 5.58% of boilers in the North East of the country experiencing break down over the same period.

Just 4.4% of boilers in Yorkshire and the Humber failed over the course of a year, with Scotland and the South West of England following closely behind.

But can simple geography really account for such a discrepancy in boiler breakdowns?

There are a number of factors that help London top the charts – age of properties and therefore plumbing systems, high volumes of people using limited resources which increases pressure on the system and a significantly higher proportion of rental properties (a trend reflected in the West Midlands and the North East).

Where the landlord rather than the tenant is responsible for paying for any repair or replacement, maintenance of the overall system tends to be neglected with tenants seemingly reluctant to raise any smaller issues that may happen with the boiler before it breaks down entirely – there’s no opportunity to intervene and make a repair.

How much can a boiler breakdown cost you?

Caught quickly, a boiler repair can be relatively reasonable but if, as in the circumstances outlined above, a fault leads to system failure or burst pipes the insurance claim can be in excess of £10,000.  Not to mention the inconvenience and disruption.

When is your boiler most likely to fail?

It should come as no surprise that most emergency plumber call outs to resolve a boiler breakdown (or subsequent system failure) occur in the coldest months of the year with over a quarter of all annual call outs happening in December and January.

Our heating systems are used a lot more during those winter and early Spring months, putting extra pressure on the system leading to a higher occurrence of failure – that increased usage will cause any unnoticed issues or small bits of wear and tear to push the system over the edge.

The other big reason for increased boiler failure in those colder months is the drop in outside temperatures.  Frozen water in the pipes, boiler itself or condensate pipe can create a blockage in the system which will ultimately cause it to fail at the worst possible time.

There is a simple fix to protect your boiler throughout those winter months: try the FrostSentry.

FrostSentry is a simple device that works to warm your condensate pipe, keeping it above freezing no matter what the weather is doing outside.  It kicks in at 2.5 C and continues to gently heat the water in the pipe as the external temperature drops (to a maximum of -20C). Once it is installed, you can simply forget about the FrostSentry and relax knowing your boiler is protected throughout the coldest part of the year.

Find out more about the FrostSentry here https://teddingtonheating.com/product/frostsentry/