Find a Heating Engineer you can trust in Cinderford.

If you’re interested in deriving maximum benefits from your central heating system while also being a tech-enthusiast, a smart thermostat is just the perfect option as it allows you to control both your boiler and heating system via your mobile device. It also offers a plethora of features which enables you to heat your home more efficiently while also cutting your energy bills. Here, we’ll be taking a deeper look at the Tado smart thermostat (a user friendly smart thermostat with multiple impressive features such as a great design, self learning and LED interface).

A Tado smart thermostat is a relatively small piece of kit which is perfect for tech-lovers looking to get a first experience of the smart thermostats’ world. Although the appliance might feature just a basic design with a bit less advanced features in comparison with other thermostats like Hive, Nest and more, it however, still comes with some fantastic features which you can’t afford to miss out on. These includes geofencing, Smartphone or tablet control as well as heat scheduling. As you would have expected with any good smart thermostat, the ability to remotely control your heating is a top priority for several smart thermostats’ owners and Tado offers you this and more. Therefore, no more worries during the Winter months and wishing your home should be warm and perfect for your return. Aside this, a Tado smart thermostat also goes a long way to ensure efficient energy use and as a result, reducing the money paid on energy bills.

Overall, Tado is a nicely designed smart thermostat which is relatively easy to use and a perfect option for homeowners interested in having a taste of the world of smart thermostats or looking to replace their existing device.

To ensure that your boiler is safe and operating efficiently, it’s essential to have it serviced on a regular basis.

Generally, a boiler service will deliver a wide array of benefits which includes the opportunity to identify safety issues like a possible leak of carbon monoxide, efficient use of energy and reduction in energy bills, prevention of breakdowns, a valid warranty when the boiler is serviced regularly by a qualified engineer as well as an extended lifespan. So what exactly does a boiler service cover? This guide will give you a good insight as to what happens during that service.

Before we get started, it’s very important to note that the work done is always as good as the engineer you employ. Therefore, it’s advisable to make sure your preferred engineer is qualified before proceeding with the service. Below are some of the basic practices the engineer may perform during their visit.

• Thorough Inspection

During the visit, the engineer will carry out a detailed examination of your boiler to ensure it still meets the current standards while also making sure that there are no leaks or corrosion. What’s more? They’ll also examine the boiler’s flame for any faults.

• Boiler Casing Removal

The boiler casing will be detached to check all components and ensure they’re free from all forms of dirt and see to it that they’re all working just as they should. This will include examination of the heat exchanger, main injector, burner and spark probe.

• Flue Examination

The engineer will inspect the flue terminals to make sure there are no form of obstructions and it’s also safely installed.

• Gas Pressure Examination

This is done to make sure the heating system is operating at the right pressure.

To ensure your boiler is functioning efficiently and to keep your home warm, it’s important to see that your boiler is serviced on a regular basis by a licensed boiler engineer. Failure to do this can result in sudden boiler breakdown which can be a hard hitting blow to one’s financial power especially when there’s no boiler cover to cushion the blow or totally avoid it all together.

When your boiler is covered, it implies that you’re protected in the event whereby your boiler or it’s controls malfunctions or break. Several boiler cover will include the servicing cost, while some may not so it’s advisable to always go through the details, no matter how small, before entering into a boiler cover agreement. Typically, a boiler cover will cost between £60 to £100 per year and the payment is made on a monthly basis. Various boiler insurance companies have varying cover cost, however, here are the common boiler cover policies:

• Homeserve charges from £13 per month

• EDF Energy costs from £13.29 per month

• British Gas from £12 per month

• Scottish Power from £13.13 every month

• CETRI UK charges from £13.50 every month

• 24/7 home rescue costs from £9.60 every month

• Gorgi Home Plan costs from £6 per month plus 3 months free

• Your repair charges from £9.60 per month

• NPower Boiler Cover costs from £10.92 every month

• SSE Boiler Breakdown Cover charges from £4.95 every month

It’s important to note that sometimes you have the option of adding your boiler cover to your existing home insurance, if you do not want a standalone policy for your boiler cover. In many scenarios, this is referred to as an extra or add on service referred to as “Home Emergency Cover. When compared to the standalone boiler policies, this is usually a lot cheaper as it comes in around £5 per month.

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.

LPG stands for liquid petroleum gas. It’s a by-product of refined crude oil. When it’s put under pressure, LPG turns into a liquid. It’s usually stored in this form. LPG is used as fuel for things like BBQs and camping stoves, as well as central heating.

How Long Does It Take To Service An Oil Boiler?

Are you about to service your oil boiler and wondering just how long it would take to completion? Well, you should first know that during an oil boiler service, there are a wide range of things that needs to be checked. As a result, the service can actually take some time and even more, depending on the present condition of your oil boiler.

During a boiler service, your qualified heating engineer will carry out the following tasks:

• Detach and clean both the burner and fan.

• Examine the combustion chamber rope seal.

• Wipe clean and descale baffles.

• Wipe clean and descale the main heat exchanger

• Detach, clean and replace turbulators

• Examine the combustion levels after cleaning.

He’ll also perform some tank and system checks which includes:

• Inspecting and cleaning condensate

• Testing the fire valve

• Cleaning or replacing the filter

• Cleaning the condense trap

• Conducting a thorough inspection of the tank and oil supply pipe to identify possible damages, deterioration as well as debris.

• Pressure testing the oil supply pipe at the point where it goes underground.

• Examining the system pressure.

With all the aforementioned activities and more, an oil boiler service may take relatively longer period of time when compared to it’s counterpart - gas boiler. This is mainly due to the fact that the boiler itself requires a thorough inspection as well as the oil tank where the fuel is being stored. You get your gas through the mains supply, however oil must firstly be stored inside the tank then filled up when it’s almost low. The oil tank will be inspected to identify possible leaks, bulging, corrosion as well as water.

So generally, an oil boiler service should take between the range of 1 to 2 hours to be completed.

Can You Replace A Gas Boiler With An Electric Boiler?

In the UK, there are about 22 million households that are heated with the use of a gas boiler. However, do not assume that they’re the best type of boiler to install. The fact is, if your house isn’t connected to the main gas supply, the best option is for you to install an electric boiler rather than a gas boiler. So is it possible to replace a gas boiler with an electric boiler? The simple answer is yes. Both heating system options work in varying ways and also with a different impact on the environment.

The gas boiler is able to generate heat with the help of a gas burner. A heat exchanger is linked to the burner and heats the water available in its chamber. The hot water is then supplied to the heating circuit.

However, the thing is that natural gas can actually be more affordable when compared to using electricity to operate your boiler, but they have a negative impact on the environment. This is because gas boilers make use of an odourless, colourless and poisonous gas - carbon monoxide.

Meanwhile electric boilers are powered by electrical energy, hence, no carbon monoxide leak risks. Instead of using gas to heat up water, electric boilers distribute energy to heating elements which, in turn, heats up the water. So thinking about what’s best for the environment, you’d go for electric boilers. However, they’re more costly and are not as efficient as oil boilers.

If you reside in a smaller house that’s not connected to the main gas supply, then you might want to consider installing an electric boiler. However, if you live in a larger house, an electric boiler may not be the best option as they’re mostly designed to generate little quantity of hot water.

Does Home Insurance Cover Boiler Repairs?

When winter comes, your boiler is most likely to be one of the most used appliances in your home. It keeps operating for several hours to ensure your house remains warm and conducive and then during those cold evenings, it supplies the much needed hot water to guarantee a restive night. But with so much usage and many moving parts, you’d naturally expect your boiler to breakdown at some point especially if it’s 7 years old or above. So what’s the next line of action when it happens, leaving your radiators off and water cold? With the likely high boiler repair cost, it’s only logical to consider whether your boiler repairs is covered by your home insurance.

In almost all situations, the standard home insurance will not provide coverage for the cost of repairing or replacing a broken boiler. Being fully aware that boiler breakdowns are mostly caused by a lack or not so regular maintenance practices or servicing, most home insurance providers will exclude it from this from their offerings. In fact, a home insurance is more likely to provide coverage for the damage that has happened as a result of a broken appliance. For instance, the damage caused as a result of gas, oil or water leaking from a boiler are more likely to be paid for by the home insurance providers, but they’ll not pay for the repair or replacement of the broken boiler itself.

If you need our home insurance to cover your boiler repair, then you might just be able to get an extra insurance cover from your provider that includes a broken boiler repair. You can consult them to determine if this is possible as well as the cost to be paid per month. This will normally cost about £5 to £10 per month, but it gives you a peace of mind knowing you’re covered if your boiler happens to breakdown.