People with gas or solid fuel boilers should have the equipment checked regularly. Doing so will contribute to the proper functioning and can also mean significant savings.
According to Pavel Grochal, Innogy’s most prominent gas supplier spokesman, a well-maintained and adequately adjusted boiler can save up to several thousand crowns a year due to lower consumption.
Families with solid-fuel boilers must have them inspected every three years, but families with gas boilers are not obliged to do so.
In addition to the boilers themselves, their owners must also have their chimneys or flues professionally inspected. In the case of solid fuel boilers with an output of up to 50 kW, it is obligatory to clean the duct three times a year or twice in the case of seasonal operation. Cleaning can be carried out on your own, but there is always an obligation to carry out a flue inspection once a year, which can only be carried out by a professional.
In the case of gas boilers, there is an obligation to carry out an annual professional inspection and flue cleaning, which is carried out by a chimney sweep, not a heating engineer.
Prices for the inspection range between CZK 1,000 and CZK 1,500. The decree sets the so-called reference financial limit at CZK 1,585 without VAT for stationary combustion sources without a control unit, i.e., mainly older types of boilers, or CZK 1,848 without VAT for stationary combustion sources with a control unit, i.e., modern gasification and automatic boilers.
The amount also includes the approximate cost of a 50-kilometer journey.
Up to 20,000 Kč in fines
Suppose a household fails to carry out the mandatory inspection and fails to present proof of the source inspection at the request of the municipal authority of the municipality with extended jurisdiction.
In that case, it is an offense for which households can be fined up to CZK 20,000. The municipal authorities of the municipality carry out inspections with extended competence. It is important to note that the data from the inspection document is reported electronically to the ISPOP database, which officials have access to.
The inspection can reveal several problems, such as insufficient air supply to the boiler, poorly performed exchanger cleaning, which reduces boiler efficiency and leaking boiler doors or combustion dampers.
Missing or incorrectly wired safety features are widespread deficiencies that can lead to dangerous accidents. Carbon monoxide poisoning can occur if flue gases are not adequately vented into the chimney, and several problems can lead to an increased risk of fire.
The life of the boiler will be extended.
“If you don’t have an inspection certificate, the insurance company may shorten the benefit or even not pay anything if the chimney is in deplorable condition. However, it always depends on the individual assessment of each situation,” confirmed Michal Kozub from the insurance company Direct.
According to Grochála from Innogy, the interest in boiler inspections is not decreasing even nowadays, when people are starting to save money due to the dramatic price increase.
Annual maintenance of the gas boiler by an authorized service technician is also a condition for new appliances to maintain the warranty.
Regular servicing prolongs the boiler’s life, ensures lower gas consumption, and prevents significant breakdowns that can be costly to repair.