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How Long Does A Gas Safety Certificate Last?

As a result of faulty installation and irregular maintenance of gas appliances and chimneys, a lot of people have been met with an untimely death caused by the toxic gas - carbon monoxide. This is a gas that’s completely odourless, colourless and tasteless - meaning you can’t identify one of its in the environment. But what you should know is, if you stay in an environment filled with carbon monoxide, you’d probably be dead within a couple of hours. Consequently as a landlord, you must do what’s best to ensure the safety of all your tenants by making sure that all your gas appliances and chimneys are subjected to annual check by an approved Gas Safe engineer as required by the law.

Wondering how long a Gas Safety Check will take? The safety of your gas is guaranteed by carrying out regular examinations. Whether or not you possess a gas alarm, it’s still vital to conduct regular gas safe checks to make sure your home is safe. A typical gas safe check would last between 30 to 60 minutes for a normal domestic property. However, in the situations whereby a need for repair arises, it may take longer time to complete. Other factors that can also affect the timing includes includes both the size and location of your property.

So how long does a gas safety certificate last? The simple answer to this question is 12 months. If you own a rental property in the UK, it’s up to you to ensure all your gas appliances and chimney is check after every 12 months to obtain a Gas Safety Certificate which you should hand out a copy to all tenants living in your property. However, if you don’t own the property, you can inform your landlord to get one as soon as possible while also providing a carbon monoxide alarm.

How Do You Bleed An Oil Boiler?

Bleeding air between the oil supply and an oil fired boiler’s burner is a process that’s often required when the system has run out of oil and the burner has stopped working. Upon refilling the oil tank, the air that has been trapped within the oil pipe when empty has to be freed to ensure that the oil reaches the burner and allows it to start again. So how do you go about the process?

First and foremost, it must be noted that it’s always better to be on the look out for the amount of oil in your fuel tank and get it refilled before it runs out. However, if it does run out, you can take the following steps:

• Identify the burner

The burner is a red plastic cover and it’s usually positioned on the bottom part of the boiler (mostly inside the boiler casing). Once identified, inspect it to see if the lockout button is lit red. If yes, simply unscrew and detach the burner’s red case using a flat head screwdriver.

• Identify the oil pump

You’ll find the oil pump on the burner’s left side which is connected to the flexible oil line. Once done, simply locate the 3 inches long hexagonal stem protruding from the pump and with a small threaded plug screwed into the end. Unscrew the plug in just half a turn ( 180 degrees) with a 4mm Allen Key. At this stage oil will be released, do ensure there’s a cloth or rag underneath the plug to grab the oil freed.

• Press the lockout button

This is the next and final step. However it’s also crucial to note that the burner fan will run for about 12 seconds and discharge some oil from the loosened plug which you can grab with a cloth or rag. Immediately you hear a buzzing sound, use the Allen key to tighten the plug. If enough air has been bled, the system will fire. But if not, then you’ll have to repeat the process again.

If you’re looking to have your boiler insured, there are a number of boiler cover providers you should probably check out with British Gas Homecare being right up there as one of the best in the business. In this post, we’re going to consider the British Gas Homecare prices to help you make the best-informed decisions possible moving forward. Let’s take a look!

Firstly, British Gas offers a wide variety of packages to provide coverage for repairs as well as breakdowns on heating systems. They also offer plans which includes cover for your central heating, plumbing, drains as well as electrics. With this provider, you can choose to pay your cover either in monthly instalments or annually. Simply have it at the back of your mind that the cost of your package will depend mainly on the things you want to cover – the more the risk you wish to protect against, the more expensive your package is likely to be.

In general, HomeCare starts from £13 a month (£60 excess). Conditions and exclusions is applicable, prices may also vary based on your property’s postcode. With British Gas, there are a number of products to select from within their range some of which features an annual service and repair of your boiler and controls. Their products include British Gas Home Care One, British Gas Home Care Two, British Gas HomeCare Three and British Gas HomeCare Four. There are also some exclusions, which means that irrespective of the HomeCare product you opt for, there are certain things that British Gas do not cover. For instance, sludge or scale removal and the repair of the damage arising as a result. Showers and their parts, shared drains, faults caused by a non-British Gas engineer and more.

Overall, the amount you pay per month or year will be based on your location in the UK and the British Gas will confirm the price once they’ve been able to take a couple of details from you.

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.

Modern oil boilers do not require a lot of maintenance. OFTEC recommends that oil boilers are serviced and inspected every year. This keeps them running as efficiently as possible and will ensure any issues with your boiler are identified before they cause bigger problems. This servicing is also vital because of the increased risk of carbon monoxide leaking from a poorly maintained boiler.

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.

What Is The Best Oil Boiler On The Market?

With a plethora of sizes and models available in the market today, it can be a hassle choosing the best oil boiler. There are 3 main types of oil boilers which includes an oil combi boiler, a regular oil boiler and a system oil boiler. Within these three types, we have a wide range of models and sizes with varying heating and hot water demands.

With tonnes of oil boiler brands out there, the problem is the over crowding on the market with oil boilers that are not only over priced, but also of mediocre quality. From our research, we’ve been able to identify three major bands that are simply outstanding - Warmflow, Grant and Worcester Bosch. However, out of the lots, Warmflow is simply the most efficient and also comes with several qualities such as :

lUK & Ireland’s only AA rated combi boiler

lMarket leading innovation

lEasy and simple to install

l45plus years heating homes

l5 and 7 year warranty available

The oil boiler comes with an outrageous 5 year warranty on their Titanium which when compared to some similar Worcester Bosch Oil boilers is a whooping 3 years difference. Furthermore, the brand also offers a special “out-of-the-box 5-year warranty which enables the warranty to be valid as long as the installation is done by a qualified oil boiler technician. This may, however, seem normal until you realize other brands like Grant, will only honour their 5-year warranty when the boiler is installed only by their accredited technicians.

Warmflow offers an oil boiler to suit every property that is situated off the grid. These includes the modern and stylish U-Series, outdoor-compatible K-Series as well as the quietly efficient B-series which is designed for indoor installation.

Biomass boilers do require some maintenance. Many manufacturers recommend servicing twice a year, although this is often included in the installation cost. Many systems have automatic fuel loading that removes the need to manually load fuel. You will need to remove the ash from the boiler, but this is as easy as emptying a vacuum cleaner.