
Essential Heating
Safety, Reliability, Quality, Expertise
Frequently Asked Questions
It is likely that most years a well maintained system will have no issues but for peace of mind we recommend that you get it checked.
See what the regulatory body ‘Gas Safe’ Has to say about it.
More experienced gas engineers will naturally find a problem faster but charge more money. Unfortunately paying more money does not guarantee more experience or that a problem will be resolved quickly.
Most Heating faults can be repaired within an hour and a half. Add to this the cost of parts and already the bill starts to mount.
Should a fault be more hard to find, consideration needs to be taken to the age of the boiler, how much it would cost to fit a new one and obviously your personal circumstances. But if a boiler is 10 years old and it will end up costing half the price of a new one to fix it, then it is not a very sound investment.
Keep an eye on the clock and for a guide to pricing, check out our rates page.
Installation costs vary dramatically dependant on the work required. See the next question for a better idea of whats involved.
1- Combination boilers (combis) These heat water instantaneously and require no hot water tank and also heat the radiators.
2- System boiler
These heat a cylinder of stored hot water ready for when you need a shower and also heat the raditors
In general terms Combi boilers are suited to smaller properties, properties with two bathrooms or less where space is at a premium. System boilers can be fitted in any property but are generally used in larger properties where storage is not and issue, where two or more bathrooms are required or in older properties.
Check out this handy boiler finder tool from Vaillant to help you decide which boiler you require.
Personally speaking, with a long history specialising in the fault finding and repair of gas boilers and heating systems. I always recommend Vaillant. None are perfect in anyway. All manufactures will have issues with certain components but over the long term i will tell you that these will last longer, be easier to fix, in less time and cost you less money. John down the road will tell you something very different. I’ll leave it up to you who to decide.
My advise would be to look on review sites like checkatrade.com. But don’t just go with the first person you find with a high score. Take the time to speak to a few a choose one that you think you can trust. Also make sure that the engineer is covered by public liability insurance and if he is to be working on gas, check that he is a member of the gas safe register (this is a requirement by law to work on gas).
Poorly installed or maintained systems will develop this sludge leading to breakdown, poor efficiency, noise and reduced life span of components.
Thats why we recommend filters for all new installations. Market leaders Spirotrap have produced the MB3 Magnabooster. Its solid high tech design removes both magnetic and non magnetic particles from the heating system.
Be aware though that a filter should never be used to resolve a problem with sludge, only a power flush can do this. A filter is purely a last defence to protect your boiler from any stray particles that might enter it.
Beyond these standard types of control we now have the advantage of boilers that can be controlled remotely via an app. Also weather compensating controls which improve energy efficiency by regulating the boiler based upon information from local weather station received by wifi.
Vsmart controls from vaillant can achieve all of this is in one package, connected directly to the boiler.
If you are going away for longer periods of time i would recommend taking the advise of a professional.