Boiler service

[ma701ss]

Hi, just looking for some opinions from gas engineers. I hadn't had our boiler serviced for several years so decided it was a good idea to have it done. I asked an engineer how much for a boiler service, he said £70. I wasn't at home when he turned up but apparently was here for 20-30 mins, did some kind of emissions test (there was a printout) and issued an annual gas safety cert. I left a copy of the service manual in case he wasn't familiar with the boiler. I'm not a gas engineer but surely it would take more time than this to (and I'm quoting from the manual's service section) check the spark electrode for damage, clean the burner, combustion chamber and heat exchanger, flush the condensate drain and carry out a combustion check. Now whether or not you'd charge more than £70 for that, these are the servicing requirements and I asked for a boiler "service" not a gas safety check. He left with the boiler still having the ignition fault flashing.

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

service procedure aside ,if it had a pre existing fault,as you said still having the ignition fault flashing,a service wont cure this,you have a fault that needs investigating and charging for separately ,however if it needed a full strip down service,thats what it should have got

 

[lame plumber]

what you needed was a repair doing and a service done on completion, depending on the boiler MFIs for what needs doing. As you say you've had a safety check, but it could be you were trying it on a bit and now your a bit miffed you've been caught out. So now you need to get someone to do the repair and actually service your boiler, which like a car should be done annually. This it keep going longer and work more efficiently

 

[ma701ss]

service procedure aside ,if it had a pre existing fault,as you said still having the ignition fault flashing,a service wont cure this,you have a fault that needs investigating and charging for separately ,however if it needed a full strip down service,thats what it should have got

Yes I didn't make it clear in my post that there was an existing ignition fault, but this made me think perhaps something needs cleaning so that's why I thought it needs a service. No idea if that would have solved it but my question's about what to expect from a service, if that's what I've requested from an engineer.

 

[ma701ss]

what you needed was a repair doing and a service done on completion, depending on the boiler MFIs for what needs doing. As you say you've had a safety check, but it could be you were trying it on a bit and now your a bit miffed you've been caught out. So now you need to get someone to do the repair and actually service your boiler, which like a car should be done annually. This it keep going longer and work more efficiently

Nah wasn't trying it on. I told him when I booked the service about the ignition fault, so was upfront about it. As I said in my other reply, I thought maybe a service would clean up some of the parts and get rid of the ignition fault but wasn't expecting it. My question is whether or not all the checks I mentioned could be done in half hour (max) that's all.

 

[Rickster123]

Nah wasn't trying it on. I told him when I booked the service about the ignition fault, so was upfront about it. As I said in my other reply, I thought maybe a service would clean up some of the parts and get rid of the ignition fault but wasn't expecting it. My question is whether or not all the checks I mentioned could be done in half hour (max) that's all.

Yes they could've been. Who watched him carry out the service?

 

[lame plumber]

like a car service oil is changed etc, but if it wont start thats a repair that needs sorting first. safety check costs around that price with me, service a bit more, less with others or more in London. so you havent been seen off per se but it probably isnt right to say you have had a service.

 

[Unregistered]

Yes they could've been. Who watched him carry out the service?

Me, I was hiding behind the boiler and popped up halfway through to ask if he wanted a cup of tea. My wife was downstairs.

 

[ma701ss]

like a car service oil is changed etc, but if it wont start thats a repair that needs sorting first. safety check costs around that price with me, service a bit more, less with others or more in London. so you havent been seen off per se but it probably isnt right to say you have had a service.

Yes but could it be possible the only "repair" needed in some cases when there's an ignition fault is to service/clean the boiler?

 

[lame plumber]

or replace the ignitor, ignitor probe, pcb etc etc, which a clean wont resolve

 

[plumben]

Depending on the age of the boiler but a modern boiler service is fairly easy and simple, the flue test (the print out) reading will tell the engineer if the boiler needs a full strip down, with modern boilers you can actually do more harm opening up the combustion chamber if not needed