Service

[ste b]

A few people told me a sevice on a boiler is a waste of time and nothing is done only cleaned unless something is not working, and some people where gas fitters who told me, what exactly is done on a service to a boiler, dont worry i wont be doing one,not yet anyway...........cheers

 

[radswilldo]

Safety checks and servicing are important, with safety checks being required annually by law. When you service an appliance, you also carry out a safety check. The level of servicing depends on the manufacturer's requirements. With boilers you will also be taking into account the age of the boiler and the type of boiler. A boiler that has not been serviced for a period of time can be classified as I.D, also the maintainance of the boiler keeps it efficient and aids in diagnosing future problems.

 

[Bernie2]

Hmm!

Interesting story about the old BG and gas servicing told to me years ago. Apparently when BG first offered the service it was at a set price. The fitters where going in taking the boiler apart, then cleaning it setting it all up to the manufacturers standards. The problem was the number of call backs where ridicules and the scheme went into debt.
So BG advertised for somebody to invent a flue gas analyser, which they did. So then all the fitter had to do, was stick the gas analyser probe in the flue and read the flue gas content. If it was within limits they left the boiler alone, if it was outside the limits they serviced it.

The scheme then made millions. It was perfectly safe to do. But you have to discern between a gas check and a gas service they are not the same thing.

 

[Puddle]

You only have to have a gas safety check by law once a year if the property or part of property is rented or has paid guests
servicing of older boilers should be carried out, there is an argument for newer boilers no service is required as if burning incorrectly they will not work
But one thing there is no argument about is that if you have a back boiler,a open flued boiler or a potterton neta heat,these boilers must be serviced yearly and you should have a carbon monoxide detecter fitted......

 

[ste b]

interesting, thanx a lot, gas check and gas service, heres another question, does your lets say 3-6 yr old boiler need servicing if its working fine and all controls are working correctly,or would you ring a gas expert just to do a gas safety check........i trid explaing my point about gas checks and boiler srvicing to someone and got lots of abuse lol, just need a little help from peep who know what they talking about, my point to him was to tell me what his gas man actully does when he services his boiler, he said he cleans it, so infact he was paying 70 -80 quid to have his boiler cleaned, it just didnt make sense to me at all,also he said he checks everything is working, but surely he would know if something was not working wouldnt he.

cheers for your replys fellas

 

[newbie1]

depends on age of boiler
older boiler would mean gas rate and clean burner if possible check flame picture/colour check gas valve operation safety check
newer boiler check flue gas and gas rate to ensure boiler is performing as per manufacture inst
some people put more into a service than others
my approach is to perform as if you were first commissioning the boiler
regualr service is designed to make sure everything is working correctly and the flue is working as it should ,the boiler is burning the correct amount of gas

eg say your gas valve wasnt shutting completely and you boiler went out your left with gas leak
service would identify this and thats really what a service is for to make sure everything is working as it should
remedy for any faults is extra

 

[secret squirrel]

I rent out a property with a back boiler and by law it has to have a gas safety check every year, it is also serviced as well, never asked it to be serviced its just done. The boiler needed a couple of little bits this year and I paid a huge £65. OK, thats a little sarcastic, I think that is cheap.

My own boiler is a system boiler has its fan replaced but does not get serviced yearly, I know its naughty

 

[ste b]

cheers for your replys guys........

 

[so-solar]

I think that to pay a gas engineer £95 every 12 months to come and check the boiler is workin to its full potential and burning efficiently is money well spent!
If you leave it until it goes wrong then you are asking for trouble

 

[ste b]

still sounds a bit steep to me,£95 for a gas check,people i know pay around 45 -60 quid tops............thats a more realistic price.

 

[so-solar]

A gas check and a boiler service are 2 completly different jobs! I think alot of you are mixing a landlord certificate and a boiler service. A gas safety check is purely 'A GAS SAFETY CHECK' Nothing to do with a SERVICE!

I know we are in a recession but i am pretty sure there is no way i would service anything for £45!!!!!!!!!

And i would hope every gas engineer feels the same!

Ste B are you a gas engineer?

 

[newbie1]

landlord cert/gas safety check will only take short amount of time but service if done correctly is min of an hour and as such should not be charged out at less than 60.00
dont forget people you are being paid for your knowledge and the fact that gas is the only one that is governed by law ie the gas regs
why talk down the price of doing a responsible job
if a gas engineer makes a mistake then people could die its that simple

 

[Bernie2]

Hmm! Yes a gas service is not the same as a gas check.

I once worked for a company that somehow had agreed to work on a landlords properties and gas check the flues behind the appliances, but not the appliances as they belonged to the tenants.

Now how do you do that?

Your bound to take the appliance out to inspect the internal closure plate on a lined chimney, testing the flue was easy enough. But what about putting the appliance back without testing?

As a fitter you can't can you? Not without inspecting and making sure its working correctly? The thing is nobody would pay to have the appliances inspected and checked. The landlord said "They aren't mine, I'm not paying!" the tenant said "You took them out you put them back"

The poor old fitter is over a barrel, he or she can't fit them back unless they check them and makes sure they are working correctly, but nobody would pay for the check. The landlord of course was over a barrel as well he was required to get the flues tested every twelve months. The tenants I think said "The landlord may have to get his flues checked, but we are tenants and own the appliances and we don't have to get our own appliances checked".

Its an area that wants clarification from gassafe and advertising as to what to do.

In the end I just said "Hard luck fight among yourselves I'll check all the fires as I put them back, if they are duff, off they go, if they pass, fair enough."

 

[ste b]

no offence, so solar but i just asking a question, its not us who are getting a service and gas check mixed up, i know what a gas check is, what i dont know is what gas fitters do when they do a service on a boiler,that was the whole point of the thread, not to argue m8............and like i said before if people pay £95 for a service,thats up to them, but i would not pay that and i dont.......thanx........

not sure why it matters whether i a gas engineer or not i just asking question and givein my point of view...........cheers

 

[newbie1]

ste b
dont get offended but for someone who doesnt do gas you seem to be asking a lot of gas related things

this one about whats done on a service
the last one about do boilers come with step by step instructions for fitting and all the bits

if your plannng on gas work do the acs mate

a

 

[ste b]

trust me m8 i not going anywhere near gas 100% sure of that too, i dont wanna be responsible for any deaths, trust me i just asking questions, the boiler question was just to confirm what i can and cant do with a central heating system,up to now all i will be doing is hanging the rads and sorting out the water pipework,as for the service, thats another i wont be doing, dont worry m8 i know the score where gas is concerned,hope i cleared that up, im just curious as to what i can and what i cant do,take a look in showers thats the sort of jobs i be doing hopefully with a little help and knowledge from you guys on the forum,hope you fellas will help me along with my plumbing experience because there not many about who want to share there knowledge.....cheers fellas and again dont worry about the gas questions......

 

[david williams]

in london average 100 to 130 ,congestion charge more trafic wardens than you can shake a finger at,never any where to park,its horses for courses