Advice
Straight answers to common questions
Boilers losing pressure, strange noises, servicing, landlord certificates, and what a new boiler involves. Worth a read before you ring anyone, me included.
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What happens in a boiler service?
The engineer takes the case off, checks and cleans the parts that need it, tests the gas and the flue, and tells you what they found. A quick look without the case coming off is a safety check, not a service.
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Why is my boiler making a banging noise?
Banging or rumbling is often "kettling", where limescale or sludge in the heat exchanger makes the water boil instead of flowing. Worth getting looked at, but not usually an emergency.
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Do landlords in Wales need a gas safety certificate?
Yes. Every gas appliance and flue you provide in a rented property must be checked by a Gas Safe registered engineer every 12 months, and your tenant must get a copy of the record.
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Should I repair my boiler or replace it?
It depends on what's failed, how old the boiler is, whether parts are still made, and how often it's gone wrong before. Age alone doesn't decide it.
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Why does my boiler keep losing pressure?
Topping up once in a while is normal. If you're doing it every few weeks, water is escaping somewhere, or the expansion vessel inside the boiler has stopped working.
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Combi or system boiler, which should I get?
One bathroom and a normal household, a combi usually suits. Two bathrooms used at the same time, or weak mains water pressure, and a system boiler with a cylinder is often the better fit.
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How much does a new boiler cost?
A straight combi to combi swap is roughly £600 labour from me, plus the boiler. Anything more involved, like converting an older system, depends on the work, so it gets priced once I've seen it.
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