When you need a spare part for a boiler, you could be forgiven for thinking of price over quality. David Willetts explains the real cost of buying parts not produced by the boiler manufacturer.
Despite an array of rules and regulations surrounding the heating industry, there is still one product area that can significantly impact the quality of heating installations yet continues to slip through the safety net – spare parts.
Unfortunately, while there are legal responsibilities on both manufacturers and service/repair engineers relating to heating parts, there is little enforcement because – generally-speaking – industry organisations just aren’t in a position to monitor what is actually happening on a day-to-day basis.
The issue is one of a lack of quality control. Typically, low cost spares are manufactured from poor quality materials and manufactured to low standards to keep costs down, thus implicating the design strength of the product. A such, while a visual comparison will reveal very little difference, a poor quality spare can carry massive implications for the integrity of a heating installation.
In addition to the various safety and installation repercussions, there is also the question of liability. Should poor quality products be to blame for a system failure – or, worst case scenario, an accident – the ultimate responsibility lies with the service and repair engineer rather than a product that was poorly chosen for the application. Of course, this is not a good recipe for business success in an industry where reputation means everything.
Moreover, there are also return visits for maintenance for the service and repair engineer to factor in and the inconvenience inflicted upon the customer. Worse still, should a non-geninue spare be found to be the root of any issue, the customer could end up losing their warranty – costing them hundreds if not thousands of pounds.
The recommendation then is simple – always choose parts that are produced by the boiler’s manufacturer, who will have manufactured every spare to the highest specification and done all the rigorous testing beforehand to ensure it is indeed fit for the job.
As an industry, we must take a more serious approach to spares. All boiler parts form part of a system and the wrong choice of product can result in a whole system failing – not to mention the incalculable damage to a service/repair engineer’s reputation and the cost of repair. Only by choosing from a reputable manufacturer can installers rest assured that they are getting the genuine article and confidently guarantee the quality of their work.
