How long should a service take to carry out?

At least 30 minutes but can take up to an hour in order to be thorough.

Why should I service my boiler regularly?

This keeps the warranty valid. The service details should be recorded in the boilers’ logbook. Just like with your car, every 10,000 miles or each year, you get your car checked over to make sure that it’s working at its best. The same applies to a boiler, as this is a working piece of machinery in the same way and needs to be checked out.

After the warranty period, annual services will extend the life of the boiler dramatically. Again, prevention is much cheaper than a cure.

What should they check for during a service?

Potential problems:

Rust – this can add to reduced efficiency and higher heating bills.

Leaks – can cause damage to your home and reduce efficiency.

Any externally visual damage – including checking for obstructions to external air vent.

Gas Pressure – for safety. This must not be too high or low.

Gas Consumption – so that the system is operating at its most efficient level and is safe.

Safety devices checked – these are physically checked to see if they function properly.

Emission Levels – these are accurately measured to check they are within the legal and safe limits.

We document everything in your boiler log book. Getting your boiler serviced regularly by a qualified gas fitter will save you money in the long run.

What boiler makes/models are good?

Some boiler fitters have had extra training with specific boiler manufactures. This can mean that they are experts with some particular type of boiler and in some cases can offer extended warranty. This is something to look out for.

Professional boiler installers will always be able to backup why they recommend certain boilers. Don’t be afraid to ask them about what they recommend. If they don’t appear to know much about the boiler they recommend, be weary. Remember a boiler should always be new and in a box. If it isn’t new, don’t accept it, there won’t be installation instructions and you could be compromising your safety as well as having no guarantee.

Whatever boiler you decide to go for, remember a good gas fitter should be fully capable of fitting any gas boiler no matter what the make. Also a well fitted boiler has a much longer life span than a poorly fitted one.

What checks will you carry out before commissioning the boiler?

This is very much like taking your car for a MOT. Once it’s up and running, the proper checks needs to be carried out to make sure that 1. The system is safe to be used and 2. It is working at its optimum thus saving unnecessary gas consumption.

The checks which they should carry out when commissioning a boiler are:

• Gas pressure from the main supply
• Gas pressure reaching the boiler
• Hot water flow rate and temperature
• Safety devices are physically checked i.e. Earth continuity (check the system is earthed),
  boiler lockout (shuts off the boiler if it gets too hot or there is a problem) and the Pressure Release Valve (PRV).

Once the checks have been carried out, they are logged in the boilers’ own benchmark logbook. You then keep this just like you would the documentation to your car. The boiler is then registered with building control.

Will there be much disruption and how long will it take?

A professional boiler fitter with the right experience knows exactly how long a job will take. On average they take 2‐3 days and you may be without a boiler for a night in most cases. Make sure to ask about this and express any concern if you cannot go without a boiler for a night prior to the job being started.

Please note: if you’re getting a boiler changed or are having a whole new central heating system installed, you should ALWAYS have mains cold water and gas for the night when the workman goes home. It is a simple job to cap off the gas and water pipes used in the work so that you can use them throughout the night.