Combi Boilers (Kombi) in Türkiye: Servicing, Repairs, Gas Safety and Running Costs (a Guide for Expats)

In most Turkish homes connected to natural gas, heating and hot water come from a combi boiler (kombi): a wall-hung gas unit that heats the radiators (petek) and supplies hot water on demand. This guide covers connection, servicing, gas safety, finding a technician and your warranty rights. It reflects the rules as of November 2026.

Key points

• Have the boiler serviced once a year, ideally before the heating season starts.
• Carbon monoxide (CO) has no colour or smell. Fit an audible CO alarm and never block ventilation openings.
• If you smell gas, ventilate, close the valves, leave and call 187 from a safe place.
• Any change to the gas installation must be done by a firm certified for that work and checked by your gas distributor.
• A new boiler has a warranty of at least two years. A repair under warranty should take no more than 20 working days.

This is general information, not legal or technical advice.

Step 1: Understand how gas reaches your home

Natural gas is delivered by a licensed distribution company for your area, such as İGDAŞ in Istanbul. Not every street or resort is connected, so ask the distributor or your estate agent before assuming a home can switch to gas.

Residential gas is priced on a tiered system. State energy company BOTAŞ sets a monthly consumption limit for each province, and gas used above it is charged at a higher price. See our report on BOTAŞ gas limits for November and December, including Istanbul, Antalya and Muğla.

Step 2: Open a gas subscription when you move in

Apply to the distributor with your identity document and the papers it asks for, such as your title deed or rental contract. If you rent, our guide to renting a home in Turkey as a foreigner explains the wider process.

What to expect under the energy regulator EPDK’s rules, as amended in February 2026:

• Installation check. For a new subscription at an address that already has gas, the distributor checks the internal installation within four working days of the contract and opens the gas if it passes. If faults are found, they must be fixed first.
• Deposit (güvence bedeli). Distributors may take a deposit only from customers with a mechanical meter. Customers with a prepaid card meter do not pay one. EPDK set the 2026 residential deposit at 4,097 lira per kombi. You can pay it in one go or by credit card in at least six equal instalments without interest.
• Exemptions. Households receiving certain regular social assistance are exempt, including those where the subscriber is 65 or older and receives such a benefit.
• Refund. When the contract ends and all bills are paid, the regulation says the deposit is refunded within 15 days, with cash deposits updated under the applicable rules.

Step 3: Service the boiler every year

Istanbul’s distributor İGDAŞ has advised households to have the boiler serviced and the chimney cleaned every autumn, using the appliance’s authorised service and chimney firms authorised by the fire brigade. A public health information note from Hacettepe University’s Faculty of Medicine also says gas appliances such as boilers and water heaters should be maintained every year.

According to one major manufacturer, its authorised service checks for water leaks, tests safety functions such as the ignition system’s gas shut-off, inspects and cleans the heat exchanger, burner, filters and fan, checks the expansion tank pressure and replaces faulty parts with original ones.

Ask your technician for a written list of what was checked and replaced. Radiator flushing (petek temizliği) is usually a separate job, so ask whether it is included.

Book early. Technicians are busiest when the first cold days arrive.

Check the pressure yourself. Boiler makers advise keeping the gauge at roughly 1 to 2 bar, with about 1.5 bar a common target. Follow your manual to top up or bleed radiators. If the pressure keeps dropping, call a technician, as there may be a leak.

Step 4: Stay safe from gas leaks and carbon monoxide

If you smell gas, the gas distributors’ association GAZBİR advises:

• open doors and windows;
• close the meter and appliance valves;
• do not touch electrical switches and do not use a phone near the leak;
• keep flames and cigarettes away;
• call 187 once you are somewhere free of gas.

Carbon monoxide is a colourless, odourless gas produced when fuel burns incompletely, for example in a faulty boiler or a blocked flue (baca). The Hacettepe information note says:

• symptoms such as headache, dizziness and nausea can be mistaken for flu;
• if you suspect CO poisoning, get everyone into fresh air at once and call 112;
• keep an audible CO detector in high-risk areas, especially bedrooms, and test battery models regularly;
• never block the ventilation openings (menfez) in the room where the appliance is installed;
• boilers and water heaters must not be connected to a flue used by a kitchen extractor fan;
• cracked or broken flue pipes should be replaced, never patched;
• strong south-westerly winds (lodos) can reverse the draught in a flue, so take extra care in these periods.

Step 5: Use a certified firm for any change to the installation

Under EPDK’s distribution and customer services regulation, the internal gas installation (iç tesisat) must be designed and built by a certified firm (sertifikalı firma), and work cannot start until the distributor has approved the project. Any change to an approved project is treated as a project amendment.

• Replacing a boiler with one of the same type, in the same place and of the same capacity does not need a project amendment, but the certified firm must fill in a replacement form, a distributor official checks it, and you keep a copy.
• Moving the boiler, adding appliances or changing capacity needs a project amendment, and gas is supplied again only after the distributor inspects and approves the work.
• Unapproved changes can lead to back-billing based on the capacity of the added appliances.

An independent technician can service or repair the boiler itself, but pipework and appliance changes belong to a certified firm. Ask to see the firm’s certificate and the distributor paperwork.

Step 6: Find and vet a technician

Authorised service first while under warranty. The manufacturer or importer must list its authorised service points (yetkili servis) in the user manual. At least one manufacturer warns that work by unauthorised technicians can take a boiler outside warranty cover, so check your warranty terms before you book anyone else.

Independent technicians for older boilers. Once the warranty has expired, an experienced independent technician (özel servis) is a common choice. Ask whether they can get parts for your boiler and guarantee them.

Ask people you trust. Neighbours, your building manager (yönetici), your estate agent and local expat groups know who does a careful job. Our guide on how to find a reliable tradesman in Turkey covers general vetting.

Use directories to build a shortlist. Online directories help when you are new to an area. You can browse boiler service listings on ilan.com.tr, which group firms by province and district with user reviews. Treat any listing as a starting point, not a recommendation.

Before you agree:

• read recent reviews and ask neighbours;
• ask whether radiator flushing is included;
• get a written quote and an invoice (fatura);
• for pipework, ask for the certified firm documents.

What does a service cost? Prices vary by city, firm and scope of work. According to price data compiled by ilan.com.tr for November 2026, a routine boiler service typically costs around 400 to 1,600 lira from an independent technician and 1,000 to 2,500 lira from an authorised service. In Istanbul, you can compare firms by district on the Istanbul kombi service directory on ilan.com.tr. Our home services price guide for November 2026 covers other common jobs.

Step 7: Know your warranty and repair rights

Consumer Protection Law No. 6502 and the Ministry of Trade’s after-sales services regulation set the rules:

• Warranty: at least two years from the day the boiler is delivered to you.
• Repair time: the maximum repair time for boilers is 20 working days. Under warranty, it runs from the day you report the fault to the authorised service or the seller.
• If the repair takes too long, you can use your other rights: a refund, a price reduction or replacement where possible.
• Service life: the manufacturer or importer must provide after-sales service and spare parts for 10 years for boilers.

If the seller or service will not cooperate, apply to the Consumer Arbitration Committee (Tüketici Hakem Heyeti) online through e-Devlet. In 2026, disputes up to 186,000 lira go there; larger claims go to the consumer court.

Step 8: Keep running costs down

A UK government factsheet on heating controls explains:

• a room thermostat switches the heating off when the room goes above the temperature you set;
• thermostatic radiator valves let you set a different temperature in each room and turn off heating in rooms you do not use;
• a timer that heats the home when you are in and switches off when you are out is better than leaving the heating on low all the time.

It suggests keeping the room thermostat between 18°C and 21°C. Also track your monthly use against the BOTAŞ limit for your province.

Useful Turkish phrases

• Kombim çalışmıyor. My boiler is not working.
• Kombi bakımı yaptırmak istiyorum. I would like to have my boiler serviced.
• Petek temizliği dahil mi? Is radiator flushing included?
• Gaz kokusu var. There is a smell of gas.

Frequently asked questions

Q: How often should a kombi be serviced?

A: Once a year. Istanbul’s gas distributor İGDAŞ advises servicing and chimney cleaning every autumn, and a public health note from Hacettepe University also recommends yearly maintenance.

Q: How much is the natural gas deposit in 2026?

A: EPDK set the 2026 residential deposit at 4,097 lira per kombi. It applies only to mechanical meters, can be paid in at least six interest-free instalments, and is refunded when the contract ends.

Q: Can any technician move or replace my boiler?

A: No. Changes to the internal gas installation must be made by a firm certified for the work and checked by the gas distributor. A like-for-like replacement still needs the certified firm’s form and a distributor check.

Q: What number do I call if I smell gas?

A: Call 187, the natural gas emergency line, after you have ventilated the home, closed the valves and moved somewhere safe. For suspected carbon monoxide poisoning, get into fresh air and call 112.

Planning to buy a home in Türkiye? Download our free property guide for a step-by-step checklist.

Sources

• İGDAŞ: annual autumn boiler servicing and chimney cleaning; use authorised service and fire-brigade-authorised chimney firms (memurlar.net)
• Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Public Health: carbon monoxide information note 2025/2026 (symptoms, 112, annual appliance maintenance, menfez, extractor-fan flue, flue pipe replacement, CO alarms in bedrooms, lodos)
• GAZBİR: 187 natural gas emergency line and what to do when you smell gas
• Doğal Gaz Piyasası Dağıtım ve Müşteri Hizmetleri Yönetmeliği amendment 2022: certified firms, project approval, like-for-like boiler replacement form, project amendments, back-billing for unapproved appliances, deposit refund within 15 days (Alomaliye copy)
• EPDK regulation amendment, Official Gazette 21 Feb 2026: installation check within 4 working days, deposit only for mechanical meters, at least 6 interest-free instalments, exemptions (Alomaliye)
• Doğal gaz aboneliğinde değişiklikler Resmi Gazete’de yayımlandı (Evrensel, 21 Feb 2026)
• EPDK: 65+ households receiving social assistance exempt from deposit; 6 instalments (GZT, 21 Feb 2026)
• EPDK Board Decision 14104 (25 Dec 2025): 2026 residential güvence bedeli, kombi 4,097 TL (Lexpera)
• BOTAŞ monthly residential consumption limits, November-December 2026
• Manufacturer description of authorised periodic boiler maintenance; yearly; unauthorised work may affect warranty (Bosch Home Comfort Türkiye)
• Manufacturer FAQ: boiler pressure 1 to 2 bar, about 1.5 bar (Arçelik)
• Manufacturer guide: operating pressure 1.2-2.0 bar, bleed radiators, call service if pressure keeps dropping (Bosch Home Comfort Türkiye)
• ilan.com.tr: boiler and radiator service directory with November 2026 typical prices (independent 400-1,600 TL, authorised 1,000-2,500 TL)
• Satış Sonrası Hizmetler Yönetmeliği, Annex: kombiler 10-year service life, 20 working days maximum repair time (Ministry of Trade)
• Satış sonrası hizmetler hakkında bilgilendirme: repair time start date, service duties (Ministry of Trade)
• Law 6502 on Consumer Protection, Art. 11 remedies (Ministry of Trade compilation)
• Ministry of Trade consumer FAQ: warranty minimum two years from delivery (Alomaliye copy)
• Consumer Arbitration Committees: 186,000 lira limit for 2026, e-Devlet applications (Ministry of Trade)
• UK government (DECC) factsheet Keeping cosy and warm for less: room thermostat, TRVs, timer, 18-21°C

Photo: Turbojet / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons