Self insurance is the most cost effective boiler breakdown cover.

It is unlikely that you will save money if you take out a boiler servicing contract, according to research by Which?.
We've been saying this for years.

Read more: http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/bills/article-2026569/Dodgy-boiler-engineers-costing-consumers-says-Which.html#ixzz1VEN9y5by

Contact us and we'll explain how you can save £££'s by following what we've been telling our customers over the years.
Telephone
0191 2526477 / 07963 320789

IS YOUR GAS ENGINEER QUALIFIED TO WORK ON YOUR GAS APPLIANCES?

The following is from the gas safe website http://www.gassaferegister.co.uk/about/gas_safe_register_engineers.aspx

All gas engineers on the Gas Safe Register are legal and qualified to work on gas. They all carry a Gas Safe Register ID card.

 

Employing a Gas Safe registered engineer is the only way to make sure your gas appliances are safe.

What is a Gas Safe registered engineer?

A Gas Safe registered engineer has been checked to make sure they are competent and qualified to work safely and legally with gas.

To find a gas engineer in your area you can use our find a Gas Safe registered businessservice online or call 0800 408 5500.

Every gas engineer carries a Gas Safe Register ID card with their own unique licence number, showing the type of gas work they are qualified to do. Before any gas work is carried out, always make sure you ask to see their Gas Safe Register ID card.


                               (Click the image to view the ID card in more detail)

How do I know my gas engineer is qualified to do the work?

Gas engineers have a range of qualifications that allow them to carry out specific types of gas work. It’s important to check what work they are qualified to do before you use them. You can find this information on the back of your gas engineer’s Gas Safe Register ID card.

You can also make sure that your gas engineer is qualified to work on your appliance by using our check an engineer service.

Why do I need to make sure my gas engineer is on the Gas Safe Register?

It’s all about safety. If someone other than a Gas Safe registered engineer does the gas work in your home, you could be risking the safety of your family and your property.

Incorrectly fitted, badly repaired or poorly maintained gas appliances are a major cause ofcarbon monoxide poisoning. They can also lead to gas leaks, fires and explosions. On average over 14 people a year die from carbon monoxide poisoning, and many more suffer health problems from carbon monoxide exposure directly related to gas. The poisoning effects of carbon monoxide can cause brain damage and other serious health problems.

Flues in Ceiling spaces.

The following is from the Gas Safe Website read the original here http://www.gassaferegister.co.uk/advice/flues_in_voids.aspx

Some properties, mainly flats and apartments, have been built with boiler flues which cannot be inspected because they are hidden behind walls or ceilings. The boiler flues that this information relates to are connected to room-sealed fan assisted boilers.  If you live in one of these homes then please read on for more information so you know what to do.

Gas Safe registered engineers need to be able to see the flue − which take fumes away from the boiler − as part of essential safety checks whenever the boiler is worked on. A flue in poor condition, combined with a boiler that is not working properly, could put you and your family in danger from carbon monoxide poisoning, which can cause death or serious injury.

If your boiler is situated on an outside wall, it is unlikely you have this type of flue. Alternatively, if your engineer can see all of the flue, you will not need to take any further action in relation to this matter.

If you do have a boiler where all, or part of, the flue cannot be seen, you, or your landlord, will need to arrange for inspection hatches to be fitted. This does not mean that your flue system is suddenly unsafe. As long as the boiler passes a series of safety checks − including having audible carbon monoxide alarms fitted − it can be used normally for the time being.

Carbon monoxide alarms are not an alternative to being able to see the flue and you will still need to have inspection hatches fitted. You have until 31 December 2012 for this work to be completed. It is recommended that inspection hatches are fitted as soon as you are able to do so. From 1 January 2013, any Gas Safe registered  engineer will turn the boiler off and formally advise you not to use it  until inspection hatches have been fitted in appropriate places

Although most of the affected boiler and flue systems are relatively new (installed since 2000), the risk of faults leading to the release of carbon monoxide increases as the system gets older, especially if it is not serviced regularly. It is important that you have your gas appliances serviced annually.

You need to take action now

If your property is less than two years old then contact your builder. If your property is between two and ten years old contact your home warranty provider, as you may be covered by them if there are defects in the flue. A list of the main home warranty providers is shown below. If your property is 10 years or older you should contact a Gas Safe registered engineer.

If you are a tenant, it is the responsibility of your landlord to ensure that inspection hatches are installed and that the boiler and flue are checked every year.

If you have any questions please see the list of Frequently Asked Questions. If you have a specific enquiry e.g. around building warranties please direct it one of the groups listed below.

For any additional enquiries not answered through these routes please send questions to: fluesinvoids@gassaferegister.co.uk  and it will be dealt with by a member of the group

To find a Gas Safe registered engineer in your area:

• Call: 0800 408 5500
• Visit: Find a registered business

List of main home warranty providers

• NHBC (National House Building Council)
  0844 633 1000
  www.nhbc.co.uk
  
• Premier Guarantee
  08444 120 888
  www.premierguarantee.co.uk
  
• Zurich Building Guarantee
  01252 387 535
  www.zurich.co.uk

This advice has been developed by the Flues in Voids cross-industry team. It is made up of representatives of Gas Safe Register, house builders, home warranty providers, registered gas engineers, appliance manufacturers (including HHIC) and others and assisted by HSE, to provide clear communication to industry and consumers around the issue of flues being located in voids which do not allow inspection.

Free Boiler Installs

We are giving away free boiler installations with every Complete Heat Solutions key ring purchased.
The key rings start from as little as £895.00 including Vat.

Recession Rouges

Whats going on?

I have spent the best part of today sorting out problems created by other plumbers.

Is it in these harder times the rouges are picking up work on price alone and then leaving customers still needing to call in the experts?

The worse one of which was for a customer who had been sold a state of the art modern bathroom, which they were told would deliver them gallons and gallons of hot water, the capability of the shower ceiling rose in itself would be the envy of many a fire fighter. 

What the plumber failed to note though was the customers hot water is catered for by a 18 year old combination boiler. A boiler totally inadequate for delivering water to this particular type of bathroom.

The plumber did offer to fit a new combination boiler to overcome the problem of the £6000 plus bathroom being a bit of a disappointment, but oddly the customer had lost confidence with him by that stage. 

A colleague of the customer recommended that he give us a ring and I attended this afternoon to confirm the bad news to him. 

In the process of doing a quote and proposal for a 210 litre mains pressure hot water cylinder, powered by a Vaillant system boiler. 

  

Condensate Pipe Froze Over Winter ???????

If your one of the many thousands of customers in the UK who's condensate pipe froze this winter get in touch with us on 0191 2526477 as well as increasing the size of any external pipe work and insulating the pipe, we can install a tracer system which will prevent the pipe from freezing even in the harshest of winter weather. For more information contact us or check our face book page.

Charlotte Church and her children 'almost gassed to death by faulty boiler'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1355096/Charlotte-Church-children-gassed-death-faulty-boiler.html