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How Often Should You Service An Oil Boiler?

If you have an oil boiler, you probably know the importance of having it serviced to ensure its proper functioning, prolong its useful life as well as ensuring the safety of your home. However, the question that most frequently arises is how often would one need to service the prized hating system? If you’re also looking for the answer to this same question, then you’ve come to the right place. To make sure your oil boiler is running smoothly, safely and efficiently, it should be serviced as often as once in a year. You certainly do want to know the numerous disadvantages of failing to service your boiler. Not only will neglecting your oil boiler service result in possible faults as well as higher energy bill caused by its inefficiency, but can also lead to your warranty ending early.

Therefore, you should ensure your oil boiler is serviced by a qualified heating engineer on an annual basis to make sure it’s running just as it should. This will give you peace of mind knowing you wouldn’t be spending huge bucks on possible repairs and in some cases, replacements.

As a landlord in the UK, it’s a legal requirement to make sure that your oil boiler and flue system is services on a yearly basis in your rental property.

Unlike a gas and oil boiler, an electric boiler do not require the same level of maintenance or servicing. However, it’ll be a nice move to ensure that it’s also checked once in a while.

Overall, it’s important to note that failure to service your oil boiler on a yearly basis can give rise to multiple risks. These includes a rise in energy bills, carbon monoxide leak, fault that can cause boiler breakdown as well as an expensive repair or replacement bill.

Can I Repair My Own Gas Boiler?

If you’re more of an handy person, then you’d probably want to fix everything you can around the house while saving yourself some money that would have been spent on hiring a professional instead. This is a very cost effective but at the same time you must know that some tasks are usually more difficult than others, and a good example of those complex tasks is boiler repair. Not only can this be very tough, but they can also potentially be one of the most dangerous home appliances you can acquire. So with that in mind, what can be done to ensure your gas boiler is taken care of and in the event whereby it starts to malfunction, what can be done to remedy the situation?

With regular maintenance and repair of your gas boiler, you’d have absolutely nothing to worry about. However one of the fear several DIYers have is the fact that they might just end up incurring more expenses on services they didn’t really need in the first place. But when it comes to gas boilers, it’s necessary to be certified to work with them as it’s very dangerous to tackle it all by yourself. Despite this, there are still some minor issues that you wouldn’t need to hire a technician to resolve. In some cases, all that would be needed is simply to reset the boiler. To identify where the reset button is, simply go through your boiler’s manual for more information. Most times, all you’ll have to do is press down the reset button for a couple of seconds. If the boiler isn’t fully restored to its normal proper functioning state after two resets, then you may need to call in a professional for help.

How Much Does It Cost To Move A Gas Meter?

When your gas meter is not in the right location while completing your renovation works or extending your property, it can be a worrying experience.

As a homeowner, you’re not allowed by the law to move your gas meter by yourself - it’s a very dangerous task that’s too risky to undertake just by watching a Youtube video or reading a blog post. Moving of a gas meter can and should only be carried out by a qualified and licensed gas supplier. And this, ultimately, gives rise to the question - how much does it cost to move a gas meter? Before we provide an answer for that, let’s look at what moving of a gas meter entails.

First and foremost, moving of a gas meter typically involves switching off the gas source to your home or property. The pipeline about 2 metres away from your property would be cut into for safety reasons and diverted into another position. Furthermore, you can as well apply that your meter should be re-fitted and re-linked to the inner copper pipeline, but that’s if the inner copper pipeline happens to be within two metres of the new location of your gas meter.

The time involved in the completion of a gas meter re-location project depends largely on the complexity of the job as each project is unique. Typically, the standard timescale from preparation to the final stage of moving a gas meter will take between 4 to 8 weeks. Finally, how much will it cost to relocate your gas meter?

As there are no government funds to subsidize gas meter relocation costs, this can be a very expensive work to carry out. Generally, the price to move a gas meter of about 5m will start within the range of £640 to £670.

If you choose to install an LPG boiler, you’ll need to find an LPG supplier. They’ll deliver fuel to you every time your storage tank runs low. You can even rent a storage tank from them if you don’t want to buy one. Make sure you know who your local suppliers are and where they are based.

When it comes to boiler insurance in the UK, two companies easily comes to mind - British Gas Homecare and Homeserve. Just like any other choice you’d have to make, choosing the company that’s best for you might be a bit difficult especially if you don’t want to make the wrong choice. This article will give you a good insight into the pros and cons of the two companies’ boiler cover to help you make the best choice for your home.

British Gas Homecare Cover

Pros

• Reduced cost of services as a result of the annual payment option.

• An array of affordable packages including both few and several services

• Although vulnerable customers are prioritized, the company offers a 24/7 services.

• Unlimited claims

• Depending on what you wish to get, be it only a monthly boiler cover or more services, you’ll get several services’ options.

Cons

• With a 50% bad rating on a reliable customer review site, you know there is a question mark on the company’s customer service.

• Increment in renewal price after first year of service.

• Lacks cover for the boiler’s sludge or scale.

Homeserve Cover

Pros

• For most individuals, the 5 packages offered are affordable.

• 24 hour help hotline

• From reliable customer rating websites, the company offers a great service.

• Cover costs include both parts and labour.

• There are good options for one-off repairs.

• The options are cheaper than British Gas services.

• There are multiple choices for excess payments for various packages.

• An option for annual boiler repair.

Cons

• Lack of annual payment option

• The price of the packages will increase after the first year

• The services are mostly for houses or flats, while businesses and other types of property are being neglected.

What Size Of Oil Boiler Do I Need?

When it comes to oil boilers, there are three main types - the combi, system and conventional. Within these types, you’d discover there happens to be a wide range of sizes to choose from. First and foremost, we must note that the size has to do with the amount of energy they offer to your heating and hot water system rather than the physical dimensions.

The rule of thumb is, the larger your house (which implies the more hot taps, radiators and showers), the more powerful (bigger) the oil boiler you’d require. For instance, a four-bedroom apartment with three showers occupied by a family of four will definitely need a more powerful boiler than a a bungalow featuring a single occupant.

It is, however, important to also note that it’s not all about going for the biggest oil boiler. If you decide to choose an oil boiler with a much bigger capacity that needed, not only will you be wasting money on the initial purchase as well as installation, but also lose money operating it. And in a converse scenario, if you go for the cheaper and lower-powered oil boiler in an attempt to save up some money, you’re most likely to end up with tepid radiators while also frequently running out of hot water. Hence, the importance of determining the appropriate size of boiler for your particular household before purchase.

To determine the appropriate size, determining the number of bathrooms, radiators as well as the total number of people living in the property would be a step in the right direction.

Numbers of Radiators Combi System Boiler Regular

Up to 10 24 to 27kW 9 to 18kW 9 to 18kW

10 to 15 28 to 34kW 18 to 26kW 18 to 26kW

15 to 20 35 to 42kW 27 to 40kW 27 to 40kW

What Is A Gas Safety Certificate?

Do you wish to know what a Gas Safety Certificate is and if you need to get one?

If you’re in the UK and you own a rental property, you have a statutory obligation to obtain a Gas Safety Certificate. The law ( Gas Safety - Installation and Use, Regulations 1998) stipulates that landlords as a matter of necessity should have all their gas appliances, fittings,and property flues subjected to yearly checks in order to ensure that they’re are totally safe.

The Gas Safety Certificate can be referred to in a number of ways which includes Landlord Gas Safety Record ( LGSR) or CORGI PROFORMA 12 (CP12). The later dating back to when the official body for gas safety in the UK was CORGI. However, the official body is now known as Gas Safe, hence it’s now usually called a Gas Safety Certificate or something along that line. But regardless of whatever you choose to call it, as long as you reside in the UK, it’s crucial to know that if you need one as soon as possible. So how do know if you need a Gas Safety Certificate?

If you’re a homeowner with a property that you live in, you’re not required by the law to obtain a Gas Safety Certificate. There’s nothing like a homeowner’s gas safety certificate, however we’d recommend you subject all you gas appliances and pipework to yearly examinations to ensure they’re functioning properly and safely.

If you’re a landlord in the UK, you’re required by the law to get a Gas Safety Certificate to ensure your property is safe for your tenants. You must reach out to an approved Gas Safe engineer who’ll carry out annual checks on your appliances to ensure that they’re totally safe.

How To Get A Gas Fireplace Installed

A gas fireplace is one of the most popular means of adding warmth to homes which so many homeowners have now come to terms with, especially with natural gas prices being fairly low for an extended period of time. Properly installed gas fireplaces are not only capable of adding a much needed ambiance and warmth to your home, but also significantly more efficient than the traditional wood-burning fireplaces which mostly produces less heat from the large amount of drafts they consume. Meanwhile a good gas powered fireplace with a properly functioning blower, is very close to being as efficient as a furnace when warming up a room. What’s more? Gas fireplaces also possess a great visual appeal and are also very practical especially when they feature realistic ceramic logs as well as good gas burners.

Installing a gas fireplace by yourself is definitely up there as one of the most advanced DIY tasks you can attempt to try. If you lack proper training and experience, it’s advisable you leave the task to a reliable professional that’ll guarantee the best results while also ensuring costly errors are avoided. This guide will, however, put you in the right direction.

• Construct wall recess to accept the fireplace.

• Punch a hole through the exterior wall of the house to fit in stovepipe thimble.

• Fix a small part of the stovepipe to the exhaust port in the fireplace’s rear.

• Use construction adhesives on the wall around the fireplace opening’s sides and top.

• Apply granite slabs into the adhesive around the opening of the fireplace.

• Put the fireplace in position and ensure the stovepipe goes outdoors through the thimble.

• Use a termination hood to seal the exhaust pipe’s exterior.

• Employ the services of a professional plumber to connect the gas to the fireplace.

• Fit the removable front

• Test the functionality of the fireplace.