Find a Heating Engineer you can trust in Potters Bar.

During a boiler service, your boiler engineer will perform a series of checks to ensure that your boiler is safe and efficient. First, they will conduct a visual inspection to check for any corrosion or leaks. They will also check the flame in your boiler. They’ll then remove the boiler casing and check all the components, including the heat exchanger, burner and spark probe, then clean the inside. After this, they’ll check the flue for obstructions and ensure that it’s safely fitted. They will then do a gas pressure check to ensure the boiler is working at the right pressure, before firing it up to check for any working faults.

When it comes to gas boilers, this is one of the most frequent questions that always pops up and for a good reason. When you invest a considerable amount of money to acquire and install a gas boiler in your business property, it’s only reasonable not only to expect the boiler to warm up your property efficiently, but also to do so for a long period of time. If you’ve just bought or about to get a new gas boiler, it’s likely you won’t have to worry about getting a replacement for a lengthy period of time. Several commercial gas boilers will last for anywhere between 10 to 15 years on the average. However in the event whereby you have an existing one that’s fast approaching the end of it’s useful life, then you should know the time go get a new gas boiler is just around the corner, and the earlier you make the purchase, the better (to avoid any surprise breakdowns that’ll leave your home super uncomfortable).

Just like any other home appliance, it’s a fact that an older gas boiler ( especially those that have been installed over a decade ago) are significantly less efficient that the new modern ones. When the older versions were manufactured is a completely different time to now as both technology and climate concerns are wide apart. So when your existing boiler is approaching the end of it’s useful life, it’ll be wise to start saving up to cover the cost of getting a new one. However, if it’s only about 5 years ago your boiler was installed, it’s highly likely to still be very efficient.

How Much Does It Cost To Service An Oil Boiler?

With several homes in the UK using gas central heating, about 6 percent of households in the United Kingdom makes use of oil for their heating needs. If you’re one of those homeowners with an oil boiler, then you should know that servicing your oil boiler is a compulsory activity which should be done regularly in order to ensure the safety of your home, boost the efficiency of the boiler while also help you save money as it ensures you do not incur the potentially expensive repairs or even having to purchase a replacement boiler. If you service your oil boiler every year, you can be rest assured that you’ll continue to derive maximum benefits from your prized heating system for a long period of time. So exactly how much will you have to pay to service your oil boiler?

The service cost of an oil boiler is influenced by a wide range of factors which includes the location. However, the average cost of servicing an oil boiler in the UK is between £65 to £90, but depending on the location as well as other influencing factors, this price might be higher or lower.

Due to the higher cost of living and high demands at places such as London and the south east of the UK, you can discover that the cost of servicing your oil boiler can jump to as high as £160 to £190. In other regions, you can also find the oil boiler service cost to be as low as £50 to £60. What’s more? In the same locations, you can also discover varying prices which depends on the available services. Furthermore, in areas where there’s a lower competition from several engineers, the prices may also be higher.

Breakdowns of boilers are quite common during the winter months and are usually very expensive to repair when this occurs. According to the research carried out recently by uSwitch, repairing a boiler can cost an average of about £314 with a figure over 20 percent of homes experiencing various heating system issues last year.

To answer the question of whether or not your existing home insurance will be enough to cover the boiler breakdown, the answer is probably not. This is due to the fact that heating system faults or breakdowns is a very common occurrence and as a result of poor maintenance practices as well as a high repair cost, several insurance companies often remove it from their home insurance policies.

Generally, you’d be given an option of what is termed as “emergency home cover which is an add on or extra to your home insurance policy. Luckily, this add on is quite inexpensive and may be as little as £4 or £5 per month. Depending on your need or budget, you can also purchase the add on as a “stand alone from your current insurer or another company. However, the stand alone option is usually more expensive.

The emergency home cover normally provides coverage for the boiler repair cost and few times, the rest of the central heating system as well. Being fully aware how important a boiler can be, insurance companies usually deliver a rapid response service as suggested in the name, “emergency home cover. However, the maximum pay out for call out charges is capped at a particular amount which usually ranges from £500 and £1,000. Apart from the call out fees, the emergency cover also includes a limit on the pay out amount for future required repairs of heating systems which includes both parts labour.

The simple answer to this question is yes. The Google Nest thermostats are built in such way that makes it compatible with most 24V systems including the older systems. The device is functional with all common types of fuel such as electricity,natural gas as well as oil. However, before purchase it is vital to determine if your thermostat is also compatible. What’s more? The Nest thermostats is also designed to be usable even without the existence of a C wire (common wire) in your home, although a new C wire installation may be required.

Furthermore, Nest Learning Thermostat is compatible with multiple central heating system such as combi boiler systems, air source and ground source heat pumps (heating only) as well as heat only boiler. Now let’s take a look at the Nest thermostat compatibility!

• The majority of the 24 V systems ( including older systems) are compatible with Google Nest thermostat. They can be incorporated with each and every common types of fuel such as oil, natural gas as well as electricity.

• Prior to the installation of Google Nest thermostat, you can make use of the Google Home or Nest app for proper guidance and to notify you if your system is compatible. It will also give you a bespoke thermostat wiring guide.

• To check the compatibility of your system, you can also check with the Google’s online compatibility checker before purchase.

The Hive thermostat stand is relatively easy to install, however if you lack the necessary training or experience, this is a task you might want to leave to a professional to guarantee the best result while also saving you money and time. This guide will give you a good insight into the Hive thermostat installation process.

The installation of a Hive thermostat does require it to be connected to your home boiler. For this reason we always recommend you get a professional to install it. However once install the Hive Smart Thermostat is very easy to operate and move the controller around your home. To get started, you can follow these steps:

• Press the lever at the lower side of the thermostat and pull away from the front to detach the back plate of your device.

• Once done, simply hang the thermostat on the stand back plate and ensure it holds firmly in place

When it comes to Hive thermostat installation, you might also want to consider the positioning of the device in such a way to heat your home even more efficiently as its designed to be very sensitive to temperature. To identify the best spot for your Hive thermostat, let’s take a look at some of the dos and don’ts.

A Few Dos:

• Do maintain the position of your Hive Thermostat to keep a stable connection with the receive and Hive Hub.

• Do ensure that the position chosen is the centre of your home or a frequently used room.

• Do place the thermostat about 1 to 1.5 metres from floor.

• Do ensure that your thermostat is in a close proximity with the hub and receiver for a better functionality.

A Few Don’ts:

• Don’t place your Hive thermostat stand close to radiators, direct sunlight or other heat sources,

• Don’t position your device near or at places that can expoerience a sudden change in temperature such as the front or back door.

• Don’t leave your thermostat too close to curtains or ornaments.

You should have your boiler serviced every year. This ensures that your central heating system is running safely and efficiently, but it’s often also a requirement to keep your boiler’s warranty valid. To avoid disruption to your heating, the best time of year to service your boiler is the summer. You’ll often find that boiler companies will charge less because they have less work.

How Does Electric Central Heating Work?

An electric central heating works to provide a number of benefits for you. These benefits include the following:

lSpace Heating

• The storage heaters work during the night to store electricity which would be used to heat up the heat retaining bricks. This, in turn, will release this energy throughout the day to warm up the room.

• There are also electric radiators which works to deliver on-demand heat and as a result, economy tariffs are totally avoided. It will generate heat by itself rather than storing it and with the controls, you can easily determine the amount of heat to be released when you require it.

• There is the wet electric system options as well which comes with water filled radiators. This operates in a similar way to normal radiators, however, it makes use of electricity to heat up the water.

lWater Heating

• An electric boiler operates in a very similar manner to other boiler types, just that it makes use of electricity as its fuel. Here, the water is warmed by a heating element and the water is later moved to several radiator throughout the house by a pump. These electric boiler types earns you tariff savings as you’ll be able to heat water at night.

• Heat pumps geothermal or air source, redistributes heat instead of creating it. Heat pumps are powered by electricity and it works by absorbing heat either from the air or ground which it then channels it through a pump. This can then be incorporated in heating either water or a room.

• A dedicated immersion heater is another water heating option. Here, the heating element is positioned inside a hot water cylinder. In a similar fashion to a kettle, the element heats the nearby water. Immersion heater can act either as a backup or your main heating element.