Find a Heating Engineer you can trust in Downpatrick.

A terrible day would be walking into your home to discover your boiler is broken - nobody prays for that and even more so, when you’re fully aware a broken boiler can be one of the most expensive things to repair. However, when this occurs, a boiler plan is ready to help cover the repair cost - and that’s only if you’ve gotten one. Generally, cover plans feature only a monthly price which is quite affordable when compared to paying a huge lump sum at once. Furthermore, depending on your cover level, you may not be required to incur call out charges or any other expensive services rendered. And in the event whereby your boiler can’t be repaired, there’ll be plans in place to get a replacement unit. As a result, getting a boiler cover is a great way to give yourself a peace of mind and see to it that you’re not left in the cold when the worse happens.

So the answer to whether or not you should get a boiler cover is totally a positive one. The purchase of a new heating system can be quite costly, but it would even be costlier when you have to repair it ceaselessly throughout it’s service years. With several modern combi units being a complicated heating system to repair, getting a cover plan with unlimited call outs, zero excess as well as cover parts and labour would be a truly wise decision.

In addition, an annual service of your heating system is required by manufacturers in order to make the warranty valid. Therefore, just a basic service plan is very crucial if you do not buy the idea of having to fork out at least £70 for each service.

How Can I Get My Oil Boiler Repaired?

Did your oil boiler just broke down and you’re considering your repair options? Well, you’ve come to the right place! Whenever your oil boiler breaks down, you have two options - repair it yourself or get in touch with a reliable professional. If you lack proper training or experience when it comes to fixing of oil boilers, we’d recommend that you rather hire the services of a trustworthy oil boiler engineer who can guarantee the best results while also saving you time and money that could result from possible costly errors.

However the issue is, not all oil boiler repair services are created equal. The words “expert and “professional are now so cheap that almost, if not all oil boiler repair companies online today make use of those words to qualify themselves. However, when several of them are done delivering their oil boiler repair services you’ll have no other choice than to start questioning their claimed status. In order to separate the boys from the men very early on, a little caution and some research is all that’s needed to know the most reliable company to approach.

To get a good repair company, the first step would be to make sure the company is fully accredited with a professional certification scheme so as to be sure that they’re actually qualified to deliver the service.

Another step you can take is by requesting personal recommendations from family and friends. For a company to be referred by several homeowners in the local area then it must be doing something that’s worth the money invested.

You can as well make use of the internet to get a reliable oil boiler repair company. You can start by visiting the website of the company that manufactured you appliance to identify any recommended repair companies. Go through the companies’ testimonials but do not rely too much on them because in several cases they may not be authentic.

Ad hoc visits from your engineer to fix small issues with your heating system may actually seem cheaper and a lot more affordable, however when a boiler is ripe enough for a change these small issues are always never ending. Over some period of time, these small issues will inevitably get worse and the idea of “mend and make do will be an absolutely false economy. The best course of action in this sort of event is to find a replacement boiler to install as soon as possible. In this article, we’re going to give you some hints that’ll show you when your boiler needs to be replaced. Now let’s take a look!

✓ Insufficient hot water. Here, you’ll have to check the size of your hot water cylinder. It’s crucial to make sure that your boiler is rightly sized to power your heating as well as hot water circuit in line with your demands. You should always seek the advice of a heating expert who can recommend whether to fix or replace the boiler.

✓ Strange noises. It’s normal for components of the boiler to become worn or damaged over time. Replacing the particular component that’s causing the knocking or rattling may seem cost effective at first but more often than not, the noises usually signal a bigger issue which is likely to build up over time. Hence, it’ll be a lot more logical to replace the boiler itself.

✓ Regular repair of your boiler. It’s essential to have your heating system serviced by a Gas Safe engineer on an annual basis. However, when you have to call them more often than once a year for your yearly maintenance, it may be a wise decision to consider getting a replacement.

✓ Other events whereby you may need a new boiler includes when you can’t get the right temperature in your room, when the radiators don’t heat up as they should, when your boiler leaks and if your boiler still has a pilot light.

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.

How To Make Oil Boiler More Efficient?

During the winter months when the nights get darker and colder, it’s more likely your oil gets used up a lot more quickly. This can be very worrisome as it implies having to spend more money to refill. So what exactly can be done to make your oil boiler more efficient and save you some money?

• Regular Servicing Of Your Oil Boiler

Getting your boiler serviced by a manufacturer approved engineer on an annual basis is one of the easiest and quickest ways to ensure that your oil boiler is operating at its maximum efficiency level. When a full servicing is provided for your oil boiler, checks are made to ensure that all components are functioning the way they should while also identifying the bad or worn parts that may be hindering your oil boiler from functioning in an effective manner. As a result, it helps you see to the fact that your boiler is not consuming more than necessary to make sure your oil boiler lasts longer.

• Set Your Thermostats Correctly

When you set your room thermostats and thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs) the right way, you’ll be sure to get a comfortable home without having to make use of much fuel.

• Consider Smart Technology

If you decide to make use of smart technology like Nest or Hive, you can save more money when compared to their more conventional counterparts. These smart technologies incorporate highly advance intelligent systems to get more familiar with your lifestyle, habits as well as heating operations in order to ensure optimum efficiency at all times.

• Put Your Radiators To Good Use

Try as much as possible to avoid some oversights that can make your radiators consume more energy than required. Consequently, you have to keep them clean, give them space and also take care with curtains.

If you get the right size boiler for your home and you get it serviced regularly, your boiler could last up to 15 years. It may even last longer than this, but you’ll find that your boiler begins to become less efficient as it gets older. Also, as technology improves, a boiler older than 15 years may not be the most efficient one on the market.

Your LPG storage tank will need to go outside your property, possibly underground if you have limited space. There are planning rules that restrict where you can put your tank, especially if your property is listed or on designated land. Take a look at our planning permission article to find out more.

Who Fixes Boilers?

With boiler running for several hours in a day and working hard to ensure that our home stays warm, even when we tend to take it for granted it’s always there give us the heat we need whenever we need it. So in the event whereby the inevitable happens and your boiler breakdown, which professional is the most suitable to call for help? When the pressure is on to stop a boiler leak or bring back warmth to your home, knowing who to call can make all the difference.

When you need a professional to fix your boiler, the right professional to call is a heating engineer. Heating engineers work mainly on heating I both homes and businesses, so you’d be right to call them specialists in all heating matters. As a result of this, you may want to give them a call when experiencing some issues with your boiler as they’d be in the best position than any other professional to give you a proper solution.

Generally, heating engineers are experts when it comes to fixing boilers and can help with various tasks such as installing a new boiler, boiler repairs, installing new gas pipes, repairing gas leaks, changing radiators, fixing leaks, installing heating controls and many more. What’s more? A boiler repair has to do with working with gas and before you can do that you must be a Gas Safe registered engineer as required by the legislations in the UK. In other words, any gas boiler related issue must be tackled by a Gas Safe registered engineer as this is a very dangerous fuel in which the services must be provided to highest standards of safety. Only heating engineers can be a Gas Safe registered engineer to work on gas boilers.