Frequently Asked Questions

Firstly let’s just address what a magnetic system filter does. A magnetic filter is typically installed on the return pipe of the central heating and is designed to pick up any magnetic debris in the system. In doing this it stops the magnetic debris from entering the heat exchanger of the boiler which would eventually cause damage. Magnetic filters are not a solution to all dirty systems as there is plenty of debris that is not magnetic which can also cause damage. However, a magnetic filter added to a system that has been properly flushed and cleaned, something we do on all of our boiler installations, is worth its weight in gold! If you can, definitely get one of these added to your central heating system or new boiler installation.

Why should you buy one? Well for one, recently some manufacturers including Worcester Bosch and Ideal are offering longer warranties on their boilers if you have their own branded magnetic filter installed, taking some warranties from 8 to 12 years! There’s also peace of mind that your boiler is fully protected, hopefully ensuring that it will live well beyond its warranty period.

All new central heating boilers now come with a manufacturers warranty and the length of these can vary wildly. From as little as one year up to a mammoth 15 years, the manufacturer of your boiler will cover all parts and labour required during the full length of the warranty. Please note you must have your boiler serviced annually to keep your warranty valid, something we currently offer for a very reasonable price, check our boiler servicing page for more info. Also note that manufacturers do have terms and conditions in place for their warranties, take a look at their websites for more info.

If you have a boiler that is under manufacturer warranty yes you will have to get your boiler serviced annually. This is required by the manufacturer to keep your warranty valid. Should you miss a service you can contact the manufacturer to reinstate your warranty (charges will apply).

If your boiler is out of warranty it is recommended that you have your boiler serviced every year. Primarily to ensure that your boiler is safe but also to check that it is running efficiently.

Warranty, Warranty and once more WARRANTY! Is in our opinion the only thing we would be seriously looking at when choosing a boiler. The reason we believe a long warranty is the most important is simple, a long warranty means the manufacturer is more than happy to cover all parts and labour for that amount of time so it must be a pretty good boiler! So, for example, you find two boilers, Boiler A is a well-known brand that has been recommended to you by a family member and it costs £2000 fully fitted with a 7-year warranty. Boiler B you haven’t heard of but it has similar stats as boiler A and comes in at £1700 with a 10-year warranty. The manufacturer of boiler B is willing to cover that boiler fully for an extra 3 years plus you’ll have an extra £300 in your pocket for that summer holiday, no brainer right?

If you find that one or more of your radiators are cold at the top there’s no need to panic, they simply need bleeding. To bleed a radiator you need only one tool and its a cheap one called a radiator bleed key and you can get one from any hardware store for around £1.

Once you have a radiator bleed key you can start bleeding the radiators following the below steps:

1. Check your boiler pressure if you have a pressurised system (combi boiler) and ensure your pressure is between 1 and 2, add pressure using the filling loop if needed. If you have a system boiler you can go straight to step 2.
2. Using your bleed key and a bit of tissue, open up each radiator bleed which will be either the top left or top right of each radiator downstairs in turn until water squirts out. Don’t worry if water squirts out straight away that just means it was already full.
3. Check the boiler pressure again as some or all pressure will have been lost and top up if necessary.
4. Move on to the same process upstairs until all radiators squirt water.
5. Finally, go back to your boiler and top the pressure back up to between 1 and 2 on the pressure gauge. You won’t have a pressure gauge if you have an open vent system with tanks in the loft, they will refill themselves.

Your system is now full and the cold spots will have disappeared. If they return within a few weeks or months you could have a leak on your system or require a system flush to clean your system water.

The role that we play for each customer is always slightly different and as such we get called many different titles. The older generation may use the terms gas fitter and Corgi engineer while the younger generation generally uses the term gas engineer. Whilst none of these terms are incorrect one is outdated and can show that a company is not legitimate if they are still using it. That title is Corgi engineer and Corgi was replaced by the Gas safe registration as the official body that governs all gas engineers in 2009. So please make sure anyone who you get in touch with for any work related to gas is gas safe registered. You can look up local gas safe registered companies here on their official site www.gassaferegister.co.uk

Choosing the right thermostat for your boiler can seem a little daunting, with literally hundreds of different brands, models and options available. Here we will put these into four categories; Wired, wireless, smart and manufacturer.

Wired thermostats – These are generally the most basic of thermostats consisting of one small box, usually located fairly close to the boiler. This little box will sense the temperature of the surrounding area as well as allow you to set heating times and temperatures. As the name suggests, this box is linked to the boiler via a cable which can be a little unsightly if added to an existing system. These thermostats and the most basic available and as such usually the cheapest.

Wireless thermostats – Wireless thermostats are very similar to wired thermostats, with a couple of perks added in. Wireless thermostats can be either wall mounted or placed on a stand, ideally in the room you use the most. The benefit of this is that you can move it around to find a perfect location, you could, for example, if you are off work sick, take the thermostat into your bedroom to avoid having to move around when you should be recovering. With a wireless thermostat, a small receiver will be installed next to the boiler to receive the wireless signal from the stat.

Smart thermostats – Smart thermostats are designed to both save you money (in the long run) and give you ultimate control over your heating system. Smart stats can be wired or wireless but almost always have an added mobile phone app connected, you can control your heating and hot water from anywhere giving you ultimate control. A great use for this is setting your heating to come on 15 minutes before you are due to arrive home from work. These stats are generally quite expensive, however due to the levels of control plus their ability to “learn” about your routines and the efficiency of your property to hold in heat, they do save you money on heating bills over time.

Manufacturer thermostats – Almost all boiler manufacturers now have their own thermostats, some of which are brilliant whilst others still need a little work. The benefit of these thermostats is that they are usually covered by your manufacturers warranty, giving you peace of mind that the extra £200 for your thermostat is covered by the manufacturer for up to 12 years!

As with most things boiler related it comes down to your own preference and budget but with this new wave of energy efficiency and climate activism, we will always advise on a smart or manufacturer thermostat. Doing your bit for the planet as well as your pocket….. eventually.

Here we will run through a typical boiler installation from start to finish.

•  Arrival at your property around 8-9am unless otherwise requested.
• Introductions to the team with a full walkthrough of everything you have chosen, where it will be fitted and any visible alterations we need to do to your property.
• Cup of tea/coffee, maybe even a biscuit 😉
• Dust sheet wherever we will be working, fill up buckets to flush the toilet and of course fill the kettle before the water is turned off.
• Installation begins including accessing all rooms (sorry we will have to wake any sleeping teenagers) to drain radiators.
• During the day you will be kept informed on our progress including estimated time for water to be switched back on.
• Once the new boiler is up and running we will go through how to use your boiler and thermostat plus all associated paperwork.
• Another cup of tea whilst we wait for the system cleaner to do its job, during this time especially during the summer your property will get pretty warm.
• Final drain down of the system plus a flush to ensure your radiator water is nice and clean.
• Removal of all tools, waste and materials
• Full clean of all areas we have worked
• Finally we say our goodbyes, politely ask for a review and hopefully leave our customers with a warm home, head full of knowledge and a happy smile.

TRV stands for Thermostatic Radiator Valve and it is a device which fits to one side of a radiator. Usually either white or chrome this device commonly has a rotating head with numbers from 0 to 5 along its edge.

The purpose of this device is to sense the temperature in a room and shut off the flow of hot water through a radiator when the room is at the desired temperature.

1 = 10 degrees, 2 = 15 degrees, 3 = 20 degrees, 4 = 25 degrees and 5 = 30 degrees.

You would use the TRVs to control the temperature of each individual room in your home whilst your boiler thermostat would control the temperature of the room where it is based.

Typically one radiator, usually the bathroom radiator, is not fitted with a TRV. This is to ensure that if all TRVs should close at the same time, the boiler will still be able to circulate its excess heat without causing harm to its working parts.

Installing a gas cooker is one of the simpler jobs that a gas fitter can undertake but still comes with many rules and regulations. Here we will run through a typical gas cooker installation from start to finish.

• Firstly a gas tightness test is completed to ensure your property has no gas leaks.
• We will then remove your old cooker if there is one in place.
• If an older cooker is removed we will re-use the gas hose which connected it to the gas supply on your new cooker.
• After connecting your new cooker to the gas supply and also connecting an electrical supply we will once again test the gas tightness.
• A chain will be added to the wall if not already in place. This is to ensure the cooker cannot be tipped over by small children and is a very important safety regulation.
• The cooker will then be levelled
• Finally we will test the cooker for safety and efficiency including gas use and flame picture before providing the customer with an installation certificate.

Carbon monoxide is an odourless and colourless gas produced when a fuel like wood, petrol, coal, propane, natural gas, and heating oil doesn’t burn completely.

These fuels aren’t dangerous when you burn them in an open area with plenty of ventilation but, if burnt in an enclosed area they can become extremely dangerous. The reason Carbon Monoxide is so dangerous is that its colourless and has no smell making it hard to detect without a carbon monoxide alarm.

The three main sources of combustion regularly found in most UK homes are Boilers, Fires and cookers. Whilst all new boilers come with a range of safety features, all three when either improperly installed, maintained or utilised can cause harm or even death.

Our advice is to install a carbon monoxide alarm powered by batters or mains plugin. A carbon monoxide alarm should be placed around 5 feet from the floor and not above a fireplace or stove. Please follow manufacturers instruction when installing a carbon monoxide alarm.

We do offer carbon monoxide alarm installation at a fixed rate of £70 supply and fit. Call us on 0330 058 9419 for more information.

A new boiler is a huge expense for most and often comes at the worst of times. Its also something we don’t like spending money on, after all its not something we can show off to our friends or use to pass the time. Having said that its part of our home that we simply cannot do without, especially when winter comes around.

So let us delve into the murky water of the cost of a boiler installation. Firstly the cost of a new boiler installation increases depending on your current installation as follows;

If you have a combi boiler installed already – From £1200
If you have a hot water cylinder and you would like it removed – From £1700
If you would like to keep your cylinder and just swap the boiler – From £1200

The prices above would be for the smallest and cheapest boilers on the market. If you are looking for a larger boiler to supply two or three bathrooms with a 7 to 12-year warranty the following applies;

If you have a combi boiler installed already – From £1600
If you have a hot water cylinder and you would like it removed – From £2100
If you would like to keep your cylinder and just swap the boiler – From £1500

Although some of these figures do seem high, we do have finance available here to spread the cost of your boiler installation over a number of years.

If you would like to speak to a member of our team, call us on 0330 058 9419 to chat with a member of our team.