Why do I need to have my boiler serviced?
What should I expect to be done as part of the boiler service?
Should I also have my flue or chimney cleaned?
Can I service my boiler and sweep the flue myself?
Why do I need to have my boiler serviced?
French law imposes an obligation upon property owners and tenants to have their heating boiler regularly maintained, along with its associated chimney or flue. The legal requirement under which this obligation exists has existed for over 30 years and is contained in a list of public health regulations known as the 'Règlement Sanitaire Départmental' (RSD). This requirement states that space and water heating equipment must be checked, cleaned and regulated at least once every year. Although this regulation was primarily aimed at reducing CO2 emissions, the RSD regulations have recently been reinforced by a law which was introduced in June 2009 which specifies the annual maintenance requirement of boiler plant in greater detail. This new law requires that all boilers which are fuelled by either combustible gases, liquid or solid fuel and having a rating of between 4 and 400 kW must be serviced by a qualified and registered artisan at least once every year.
In addition to the legal aspects of servicing your boiler, a competent boiler service should also increase the operating efficiency of your boiler which will reduce the consumption of fuel and also prolong the life of the equipment.
What should I expect to be done as part of the boiler service?
The boiler service schedule will be different for each type of boiler. For an atmospheric gas fired boiler you should expect that the burner bars will be cleaned and the gas flow rate/pressure be checked and regulated. An oil fired boiler should have the combustion chamber cleaned, the burner nozzle replaced and all of the burner settings should be checked and regulated. A wood burner should generally be cleaned and inspected. The safety systems should be checked and verified for each type of appliance following which a full combustion analysis should be undertaken. Results of the combustion analysis and details of any remedial actions necessary must be provided to the property owner or tenant in the form of a Service Certificate which details all of the necessary legal indications.
Should I also have my flue or chimney cleaned?
The basic legal requirement which covers the cleaning of flues, chimneys and ventilation pipes in France is set out in Article 31 of the 'Règlement Sanitaire Départmental' (RSD). These regulations should be considered to be the minimum legal requirement and may be supplemented by a more specific local requirement in some areas. The national regulations stipulate that your chimney, flue and ventilation pipes should be cleaned at least once every year. For a wood or solid fuel burning appliance the requirement is to have the flue or chimney cleaned twice per year, one of these being undertaken during the period in which the appliance is in use.
The regulations require that a professional chimney sweep (ramoneur) be used to undertake the work, who must provide the owner or tenant with a 'Certificat de Ramonage' upon completion of the work.
For flues which are used solely for the purpose of ventilation from a cooker hood there is an obligation to ensure that the flue is cleaned at least once every three years.
Can I service my boiler and sweep the flue myself?
It is unlikely that a property owner or tenant would have the knowledge or equipment available to allow them to undertake their own boiler service. Likewise, although chemical products are widely available which claim to adequately clean your flue or chimney, these are intended to be used as a complement to normal professional cleaning of the chimney and not to replace such a task. There is generally a legal obligation to produce certification of boiler servicing and flue cleaning and in the event of any mishap it is likely that the property insurer will require these certificates to be produced before a claim is considered.