With the cold weather starting to set in, people are already beginning to turn their heating back on. As a result, the industry is expecting the typical requirement for call outs and maintenance to increase during the months ahead, in addition to routinely servicing domestic boilers as usual.

Asif Ali, Commercial Manager for Baxi Genuine Parts, commented: “To ensure no homes are left without vital heating and hot water during what is expected to be a particularly cold winter, it makes perfect sense for installers to plan in advance and order supplies now. Any increased need for repair work could mean the availability of spares is pushed to the limit this year, particularly as some areas of the industry have been facing supply chain difficulties.

“While we haven’t yet experienced any issues with our own stock of genuine spares, global supply chain challenges impacting future trends can be difficult to predict. To ensure there are no delays in completing essential maintenance work, installers are therefore advised to start building up their own supply of more commonly needed parts now, to reduce time spent sourcing spares further on down the line.”

Baxi is also keen to emphasise the importance of selecting genuine spares. Ali explained: “A large proportion of breakdowns occur when a non-genuine part, which has not been rigorously tested to the same standards as ours, becomes defective. As a result, we would encourage heating engineers to check what they are buying, especially when ordering online. Even if items are said to be ‘compatible’, they are likely to be inferior to genuine parts, which are produced by manufacturers. 

"For this reason, fitting genuine spares ahead of cheaper alternatives, is arguably the best way to keep boilers and complete heating systems running efficiently when temperatures drop."