# Boiler / caldera inspection rip off



## skip o (Aug 1, 2011)

I recently had a company replace the old boiler in my apartment with a new Viessmann boiler. The company that installed it offers an annual inspection for 116 euro (but 163 euro if I want parts included). Of course, they recommend that the boiler is inspected every year.

Does anyone get their boiler inspected annually? This sounds expensive and unnecessary. In the US I could easily go 10-15 years without a technician looking at either my furnace or water heater.


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

I don't know this make of boiler so it's hard to comment. Is it gas, oil, electric or ....

If it's oil or gas, then you should really get it checked for safety reasons (CO or CO2 poisoning), if electric then it should run untouched for a very long time.


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## Trubrit (Nov 24, 2010)

I have been in my rented house for 3 years and my landlord paid for the initial inspection but nobody has been here since.


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Just this week I have fitted a new water heater, electric, it needs to be periodically drained, for which there is a drain tap, other than that no inspection needed. Cost 110 €.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

skip o said:


> I recently had a company replace the old boiler in my apartment with a new Viessmann boiler. The company that installed it offers an annual inspection for 116 euro (but 163 euro if I want parts included). Of course, they recommend that the boiler is inspected every year.
> 
> Does anyone get their boiler inspected annually? This sounds expensive and unnecessary. In the US I could easily go 10-15 years without a technician looking at either my furnace or water heater.


If it is gas by bombona, it will be inspected every five years by the gas people (Repsol, Cepsa, etc.) and will cost you about 45€ (per our last bill). Do not be conned by other cowboys who will come round uninvited and charge you upwards of 99€. Repsol et al will always make an appointment in advance to inspect.


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

baldilocks said:


> If it is gas by bombona, it will be inspected every five years by the gas people (Repsol, Cepsa, etc.) and will cost you about 45€ (per our last bill). Do not be conned by other cowboys who will come round uninvited and charge you upwards of 99€. Repsol et al will always make an appointment in advance to inspect.


We don't use gas, but the gas men call every now and again to inspect………nurds


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## skip o (Aug 1, 2011)

Thanks everyone. It is a gas boiler, and the old boiler had a sticker that indicated that someone from the government inspected it every five years.

Again, the gas furnace and gas water heater in my big house in the US never needed inspections. The idea of an annual inspection of a high end, pretty expensive boiler for apartment seems strange to me.

The inspection has nothing to do with draining the system.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

skip o said:


> Thanks everyone. It is a gas boiler, and the old boiler had a sticker that indicated that someone from the government inspected it every five years.
> 
> Again, the gas furnace and gas water heater in my big house in the US never needed inspections. The idea of an annual inspection of a high end, pretty expensive boiler for apartment seems strange to me.
> 
> The inspection has nothing to do with draining the system.


If it is the quinquennial inspection by Repsol/Cepsa/... which is part of the governments requirement, they will check for leaks, any flexible tubing over five years old will be replaced and they will check for sufficient ventilation wherever gas is being burnt in a fixed installation (boiler, gas stove, etc.) Personally, I have no problems with that since it is my safety that is being preserved.

An unregulated problem arises with those portable gas stoves which can eat up the oxygen and cause a build up of fumes in poorly- or un-ventilated areas.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

We always had our gas boiler for the central heating system/water heating serviced annually when we lived in the UK, so the idea seems quite normal to me.

Perhaps these people considered it a rip-off, too.


British couple dead in Cyprus after 'breathing gas from faulty heater' | Daily Mail Online


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## portygirl (May 12, 2013)

Lynn R said:


> We always had our gas boiler for the central heating system/water heating serviced annually when we lived in the UK, so the idea seems quite normal to me.
> 
> Perhaps these people considered it a rip-off, too.
> 
> ...


I would never take risks with gas appliances and we still have an annual service of our gas boiler. Risking a break down in our cold Winter is not worth it. Apart from the safety aspect the service prolongs the life of the boiler. It's interesting that it's much cheaper here than the price quoted for Spain.


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## SandraP (Apr 23, 2014)

my husband is a heating technician & said your make of boiler Skipo does not have a lot in it to go wrong and most services just involve cleaning out the housing.

I personally never had an annual service on my boiler before I met my own personal service engineer  

Seriously, it is up to you, but he wouldn't service it yearly if it was his boiler.


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## TeeMyob (Jan 6, 2013)

Hi,

I do not find that fee expensive for peace of mind fifty cents a day tops?.

We all have to earn a living. 21% of that cost goes to the IVA!

TM


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## Madliz (Feb 4, 2011)

I always had an annual service on my gas boiler in the UK and do the same here. My maintenance contract costs around €150 a year and I can call them out if there is any problem. My boiler used to run on propane gas from a large tank in the garden, and was converted to natural gas when the pipeline arrived some ten years ago. The boiler is now 24 years old and still going strong.


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