What to seek in gas boiler cover policies
What to seek in gas boiler cover policies
Having a gas fired boiler revived after an unexpected problem can be very costly. If there is also a delay waiting for a boiler servicing engineer to arrive you could be without hot water for a significant period. Taking out heating boiler servicing contracts or heating insurance can help to avoid these problems.
You should check exactly what is covered before you buy one of these boiler servicing or central heating system care plans. You will be required to pay a regular fee and get access to the services of an engineer to call in an emergency. Most central heating insurance suppliers aim to do this within 24 hours of your call, remember this is a goal, no contracts will give a promise of a response time unless you pay a premium. Families with young children and elderly people are typically given priority without any extra payment. A boiler servicing appointment will normally be arranged 10 or so days in the future.
Boiler servicing policies can be extended to care plumbing, drains or even electrical circuits. You should expect in the regular charge to increase as you add in these extra options.
Your circumstances will dictate the right type of gas fired boiler care and boiler servicing plan for you. If your boiler heats both your water and your house, you might want to incorporate central heating with your insurance which will incorporate protection for your radiators. If you have aging drains you could want to incorporate drains care.
A 12 month central heating service is included within most plans. Irregardless of whether your central heating plan incorporates a twelve month service or not we recommend that you ensure one is carried out. There is no ambiguity here, you must have a 12 month central heating boiler service. Boiler servicing protects your family.
In addition to save operation, regular boiler servicing can help to identify issues early and reduce the likelihood of future central heating breakdowns. The heating boiler service can be a condition of offering gas boiler care.
There are some exclusions which you should look out for:
Sometimes your parts and labour cover will only extend to 1 hour. You will have extra bills with this type of cover if you have a serious breakdown.
Some heating boiler care providers will not offer insurance on older boilers. You need to check this in advance.
Often terms and conditions alter over the course of a year and you need to review these before you renew your care. Your insurance may cease once your boiler has gone past a certain age.
Although changing central heating insurance suppliers is relatively easy, it would be an advantage to have a boiler servicing policy that renews cover for the life-time of your gas fired boiler. The older your gas boiler the more likely you will need cover and less likely a new supplier will provide insurance.
The insurance in some policy only extends to two central heating system failures in any 12 months. Ensure that you have unlimited call outs if you have an older heating boiler.
Some boiler servicing policies have a call-out charge and they can then offer gas boiler cover at a lower monthly cost. This could be a good alternative if you have a comparatively new gas fired boiler.