If you think you can smell gas, then do not smoke, operate electrical appliances (Including lights) or do anything that may create a spark. Open doors and windows to ventilate the area and switch off your gas meter. You should then evacuate the property and contact the National Grid's Gas Emergency service on 0800 111 999 for further advice.
It is the law that a "landlord" needs to provide their tenants with a record of Gas Safety every 12 months. Failure to do so is a criminal offence. Homeowners that occupy their own premesis do not need a certificate of gas safety issued annually (Unless they have a lodger of course); however we do advise that they get their appliances checked and serviced annually as it's an easy way to save money in the long term by keeping appliances in good, working order.
We are often asked what type of boiler people have and this is not always as easy as it seems to identify. There are 4 major "types" of boiler... Combination boilers; have no "cylinder" or airing cupboard as they heat the hot water "on demand". System boilers; have an airing cupboard, but major components like the pump and sometimes the control valves are integrated into the boiler itself, these are often identified by having a pressure gauge present on the front of the casing. Heat-only; which are as basic as they sound, they simply provide heat and the system itself distributes the heat between the cylinder and radiators and Back-Boilers; which are a thing of the past now, these boilers sat in a chimney breast, often hidden behind a gas fire. All of these (Excluding Back Boilers) come in condensing and non-condensing variants, if it's a new boiler (Within the past 5 years) then it's likely to be condensing, as that is all we fit nowadays... You'll also notice that on cold days they produce a "white plume of smoke" from their flue, which non-condensing (standard efficiency boilers) will not. Now, here's the really tricky bit; sealed and open vented systems.... If it's a combi, then you have a sealed system. The rest could be either, so if you can identify a pressure gauage then you are likely to have a sealed system and if you have a small "jockey" tank of around 5-10 gallons in a loft, void or somewhere at high level in your property, then it's probably an Open Vented system.
Putting it altogether, you could have a "A condensing, open vented heat only" or "Standard efficiency, sealed system" boiler.
Putting it altogether, you could have a "A condensing, open vented heat only" or "Standard efficiency, sealed system" boiler.
Who knows? You may need an engineer to visit. But before you call; check that your central heating clock is turned on and that your room thermostat is turned up. If your clock has no display, make sure something (Or someone) has not accidentally switched your boiler or heating system off. Finally, if you have a sealed system - Make sure you have pressure in your boier.
This depends on if you have a combination boiler or not. But first thing to check before calling in the cavalry is whether or not your boiler/heating system is actually turned on. Make sure your hot water clock is on and that you have adequate system pressure if you have a sealed system. If you've not got a combination boiler (ie: You have a cylinder) then just ask yourself whether or not you've consumed a lot of hot water and you could have simply ran out; if so, you may have to wait for yout boiler to top the tank up. If you have a combi, is it turned on and have you got your tap fully open? Do you get hot water if you turn your heating on/off? Still no luck? Give us a call and we'll see if we can help.
All boilers, in fact all gas appliances should be inspected at least once every year. Boiler manufacturers will often stipulate that for a warranty to be valid, an annual service must be carried out. Annual servicing is not like it used to be and for modern boiler owners, it can sometimes seem like a bit of a con when the gasman (or lady) comes in, waves a buzzing device at their boiler and says it's fine for another year. This is mainly due to the fact that there's less to clean on modern boilers, however there are other checks being carried out (Well there should be) at the same time and these will be reflected in the manufacturer instructions, often including rinsing of condense traps or replacement of seals. Each boiler is different and for us, we prefer it if we know what boiler you have before we visit so that we can ensure we have the right bits on our engineer's van to complete the service on the first visit.
This is simple, when it's no longer worth fixing or your energy provider sends you a Christmas card and invites you to their share-holders meeting when you hold no shares. There are no hard and fast rules and apart from the gas bills and environmental impact, there is nothing wrong with wanting to keep your old boiler going... But be prepared to go cold for a couple of days if it conks out in the middle of winter and we can no longer gets spares for it. On average, we find that combination boilers last around 10 years and system/heat-only boilers around 12-15 years. But this greatly depends on brand and model, remember even good manufacturers make budget models and if the boiler was never installed properly, it doesn't matter if it was a premium or a budget boiler, it won't stand the test of time. If your boiler is already 30+ years old, then it's likely to keep going for who knows how long, just remember though that your for every £1 you spend on gas, it's modern day equivalent might only be spending £0.60p (Or less when mixed with renewables), do the math and spend £200 a month on gas, you'd save around £960 a year, or over the lifetime of a new boiler £9.6k - Of course it's speculation and highly dependant on what boiler you've currently got (We've based this on a G-Rated vs an A-Rated with Class IV controls), in all cases, speak to one of our engineers if you are unsure of whether it's worth replacing your boiler.
Arrrghh... So your pressure has dropped and you need to top up the system? Well this is either going to be very easy for you, or very hard as it depends on your system and how good you are at identifying components. In short-form, if you have a sealed heating system, you need to keep it operating at around 1-1.5bar when cold (Ie; when it's turned off and the water in the heating system has cooled down). You do this by identiying your filling loop and opening both taps, for more information on topping up pressure, take a look at our "topping up your boiler" blog post.
Unfortunately, we do not offer plumbing services at this time. We undertake work exclusively on gas, heating and hot water systems. For example, we work on boilers, radiators and cylinders. But we don't work on taps, toilets or showers. Of course, we'll be happy to recommend local plumbers should you be struggling to find one, alternatively you can take a look on the Chartered Institute of Plumbing & Heating Engineers website for a plumber that is local to you.
