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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.

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.

Are Electric Radiators Expensive To Run?

Just like many home additions, the running costs of electric radiators varies largely on a number of factors. Great number of electric radiators typically comes with an in built thermostat which is designed to turn itself off automatically when not in use in order to save energy.

However the energy provider’s set electricity charge tariff will also have a great influence on an electric radiator’s running cost. Let’s take a look at the running costs of an electric radiator!

A 600 Watt electric radiator ( on a standard electricity tariff) will usually have a running cost ranging between 4 to 6 pence each hour. However you should also take note that this scenario might change in situations whereby the electric radiator is not calling for heat the full 60 minutes of each hour. And this is more likely to be the situation as the thermostat is programmed in such a way that enables it to turn itself off immediately there’s an achievement of your required room temperature level - usually within 10 minutes from the time it was switched on. As a result of this, the running cost per hour of electric radiators will be greatly reduced to just about 1 to 2 pence.

It’s also important to note that enhancing the insulation of your home can go a long way to add to the heat retention value of each room. Consequently, the duration at which the electric radiator calls more heating will be significantly reduced, which in turn, implies a lower electricity bill.

Another key factor that can play a huge role in saving on your heating bills is the programming as well as usage of your electric radiators. Every radiator comes with an independent digital thermostat with a number of 24/7 programming options to help achieve maximum efficiency. When the radiator is properly set according to your lifestyle, you can save as much as 50 percent on your heating bills.

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.

In recent times, home and property owners are constantly looking for ways in which to enhance both energy efficiency and sustainability especially as the world draws closer and closer to energy-efficient technology. The Nest thermostat is a great example of this fact as its designed in such a way to save energy while also cutting heating and cooling costs. And an interesting fact is, you’re not limited to using just a single Nest thermostat in your home as multiple of the device can successfully run together to maintain a consistent level of temperature monitoring as well as energy efficiency. What’s more? You can add up to 20 Nest thermostat and 18 temperature sensors in a home.

It’s very unlikely that you’re going to need this many thermostats in your home, but if you’d like to add a second the process is quite straightforward. However, we’d recommend you employ the services of a seasoned professional especially if you lack the required training or experience to pull this off to save yourself some time and money.

To get started, simply download the associated Nest app to add Nest devices. Now let’s have a look at the processes involved in adding a second Nest thermostat to your home.

• Open the app.

• Go to the top left corner of the main screen and click on the menu button.

• Pick the location or home you’re adding the device to.

• Go to the top right corner and select the “settings.

• Once done, then click on the Add Product “Plus button.

Upon a successful addition of the second thermostat, the app will guide you through the initial set up steps. Google also offers a very helpful guide if you’re unfamiliar with the initial configuration.

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.

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.

Is Electric Heating Expensive?

Well, electric heating being termed as “expensive is relative to your budget. But we can tell you making use of electric heating will cost you within the range of an additional £300 to £400 per year more than the conventional gas powered systems. Meanwhile the average UK home making use of heating has been found to incur around £550 on an annual basis while those using electric storage heaters will spend almost £900 every year, according to OVO Energy.

However, there are numerous benefits of using electric heating and some of which can contribute to give a lower cost. If you’re considering the installation of an electric heating, here are some of the benefits you’ll derive.

• Safety. The several risks that comes with traditional systems are greatly reduced with an electric heating system. For instance, there’s no risk of carbon monoxide emissions or potential explosions since there’s no use of fuel to run the system.

• Installation. When compared to traditional systems, electric heating quite inexpensive to fit. This is due to the fact that minimal hardware are needed in the installation - no pipes, no flues, no vents and no ducts to be used. As a result, electric heating systems can also be installed within a shorter period of time.

• Environment. Generally, electricity has a positive impact on the environment especially due to the fact that there are no gasses or heavy metals incorporated in the system’s make up.

• Control. Electric heating offers a more convenient and controllable system. What’s more? This does not only make life easier, but can also help save as much as 30 percent on yearly cost of heating as well as helping to minimize toxic carbon emission. Furthermore, there’s a built in Wi-Fi that usually comes with electric heating systems while same can not be said of traditional gas systems.