Find a Heating Engineer you can trust in Bromsgrove.

The A-G scale refers to the energy efficiency of your boiler. G-rated boilers are the least efficient, and give you less heat and hot water for your money. Installing an A-rated boiler will reduce your energy bills and carbon emissions. Don't compromise on cheaper, lower rated boilers, you will save yourself more money longer term with an A-rated model.

During the cold months ( winter), there’s a high chance for a more frequent occurrence of faults and breakdowns of your boiler as this is the time in which more strain is being placed on the device. Unfortunately, this is exactly the time in which you’d wish to derive maximum benefits from your boiler to keep you warm all through the winter. As a result, home owners are given no other option than to pay the mega boiler repair bills to keep themselves warm and cosy all winter long. There is, however, an option which can greatly soften the blow and that’s having a boiler breakdown cover.

Boiler breakdown cover provides coverage for cost of hiring an engineer to get your boiler back to a top condition while also paying for the parts as well as labour needed to resolve the boiler’s fault. To select a boiler breakdown cover, you should take into account factors like whether or not the policy provides coverage for limited or unlimited call-outs within the coverage period. You should also ensure to go through the terms and conditions of the cover if you can stake a claim if your boiler were to be damaged by a different thing in your central heating configuration or a persistent fault.

There are an array of boiler breakdown package types with little differences which relates to one or more of the following:

• The package monthly cost

• The call outs excess to be paid

• The nature of the helpline. It may be a 24/7 service or just a few selected hours of the day.

Therefore, to answer the question of which boiler breakdown cover, you’d have to compare the different packages to determine the most suitable one for both your needs as well as pocket.

Smart controls such as Hive are the next generation technology with more and more people now converting their houses into smart homes to control multiple devices in the homes remotely. Smart technology can be incorporated with several household devices such as security, lighting, entertainment and more. But what if there’s an oil boiler installed in your home, can you still connect your Hive with the your heating? Well, simply read on to find out.

The answer to this question is yes, most oil boilers are compatible with Hive and can substitute for either an existing conventional programmer or thermostat. The smart technology works to help derive more benefits from your heating system and they usually come with apps which can be used to control your home’s heating from anywhere with just your mobile device. Hive, however, cannot work to replace the functions of smart oil boiler heating controls to modulate your heating as they only work on an on or off basis. To make use of the modulating technology in an oil boiler, the cost of manufacture would be considerably higher while offering little advantage in efficiency for the home or property owner. Ultimately, this implies that you can’t incorporate smart technology to control the output in a similar way as a gas boiler, but there are still some ways to utilize smart technology with your oil boiler in such a way to boost your efficiency and lessen the energy bills.

Do you want to use your Hive with your home’s oil boiler? We’d advise you get in touch with an OFTEC qualified engineer if you wish to install Hive Active Heating on your oil boiler, as British Gas engineer do not offer this service.

How To Fix A Boiler

A boiler is subjected to regular usage, working for a several hours a day and providing hot water for shower on a daily basis and even more so during winter. With it’s power and efficiency, we tend to postpone or even totally overlook its maintenance. However, no matter how good your boiler is, it consists of many moving components and it’ll certainly develop some faults some day. When the inevitable occurs, you might want to save some money and get it fixed all by yourself.

When it comes to fixing boilers, seeking help from a licensed heating engineer is usually the best solution, however at times you might be just lucky to be faced with minor issues which you should be able to handle yourself. In this article, we’ll look at some of the most common causes of a broken boiler and how you can get your heating system up and running again. Let’s have a look!

✓ Low system pressure. In the event whereby your boiler display a low system pressure, it could mean that the system is about to breakdown. You’ll have to carry out regular inspections on the pressure gauge to see if there’s any noticeable changes and call in a heating engineer immediately to prevent a system breakdown from happening.

✓ Poor heat production. Although this is unlikely to lead to any great issues, but it’ll reduce the effective functioning of your heating system. To prevent a debris build, it’s important to have your boiler cleaned regularly.

✓ Strange noises. Boilers often make noises, so there’s nothing to worry about unless it’s a banging or whistling noise that’s very odd , then there may be a serious issue. You’ll have to check the air intake, pressure, exhaust and piping to ensure they’re working just fine, if not there may be a need for replacement.

Your LPG storage tank should have a gauge that shows you how much fuel it has in it. Most LPG suppliers suggest that you arrange a fuel delivery when the level in your tank gets down to about 20%. Make regular checks, particularly in the winter when you will use more, so you know when levels are low.

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 standalone 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.

Many domestic biomass boilers are no bigger than a standard gas boiler. However, they do require a flue, a feeder and a space to store the fuel. These can be designed to suit many different properties and will fit in lots of homes or a garage or outbuilding.

How To Fix A Broken Boiler

To fix any problem when it comes to home appliances, the first step is always to identify the problem while also carrying out thorough checks - a broken boiler is not an exception. Putting enough time and effort in diagnosing a problem can go a lot way to save you both time and money. So here are some of the steps you can take to fix your broken boiler before you put a call out to a licensed engineer.

✓ Check to confirm if your pilot light is on. Whenever you’re facing some issues with your boiler, this should always be the first thing you do. The pilot light being on speak volumes, if the light is off then there’s absolutely no way the flame can start the appliance’s gas supply. You should try to put it back on, if off. To do this, you simply have to follow the detailed instructions on your boiler’s manual strictly. If after following these actions to the letter and the issue remains the same, then you’d probably need the services of an a qualified engineer. Never try to fix the issue on your own.

✓ Check the pressure. The solution to the headaches might sometimes be as simple as examining your appliance’s pressure gauge. Here, the good numbers are around 1.0 or1.5, if it happens to fall below this, then you should open the boiler’s instruction manual. You can also inspect your radiator valves for any leaks. You’d have to call in a specialist to solve the issue.

✓ Check the thermostat. Here, it’s important to note that a faulty thermostat doesn’t necessarily imply a broken boiler. It may just signify that you need to replace your thermostat. Simply check to ensure that your thermostat is turned on and temperature is at the appropriate degree.