Annual Servicing

Did you know that a recent Which? survey of 7500 boiler owners found that about two thirds of boilers serviced annually have never needed a repair? Servicing work is an essential part of keeping your heating and other gas appliances working reliably, safely and cost effectively. 

Think of it as the gas appliance equivalent of a car MOT. You wouldn’t happily drive a car at 70mph on the motorway unless you knew it was safe to do so and the same safe logic should apply to your gas appliances. 

It’s a really good way of ensuring any minor problems can be nipped in the bud before developing into a major issue and it is a great way to spot any safety issues early on before they present a serious risk. 

Newly installed boilers and those still covered by a manufacturers’ warranty will need an annual service to maintain the appliance warranty. 

Elburton Heating also happily clean any heating filters, vent your radiators of air and will check any timer / programmer settings if you want us to. Andy often ends up explaining how programmers work - he's here to help!

See below guide and Q&A for further info on the checks Elburton Heating will perform on the service and what work included and excluded.

Rates

• Standard Boiler— £75 inc. VAT
• Fire — £75 inc. VAT‍
• Combined Boiler & Fire — £115 inc. VAT‍
• Warm Air Unit — £115 inc. VAT
• Back Boiler & Fire Front — £99 inc. VAT

Standard service checks

• Electrical safety
• Flue safety inspection
• Adequate ventilation 
• Visual inspection for water leaks and signs of general defects / fatigue
• Clean burner / heat engine if necessary
• Clean condensate trap where applicable
• Confirm expansion vessel pressurised
• Check system pressure correct
• Carry out combustion performance analysis and set ratios if applicable
• Confirm correct burner pressure / gas rate 
• Test ignition / FFD safety cut-out device
• Clean any magnetic system filters present
• Walk radiator system, vent radiators and check they heat correctly
• Check time clocks / thermostats working correctly
• Carry out a smoke pellet chimney flow continuity test (where necessary)
• Carry out a gas leak test (only applicable if gas joints have been disconnected such as on a Fire, Back Boiler or Warm Air Unit service) 
• Test Carbon Monoxide alarms and check expiry dates
• Complete service logs if required
• Supply electronic service record 
  

Q&A

What do you typically exclude / include in a service?

Elburton Heating will perform the essential checks to comply with the Gas Safety (Installation & Use) Regulations 1998, manufacturer instructions and general good practice to ensure that your gas appliance is operating safely and free of apparent problems. 

As a general guide the following items may be fitted / work carried out as part of a service and charged for parts only (where parts are fitted)

• Replacing expansion vessel core schrader valves
• Recharging the air inside an expansion vessel
• Replacing fibre washers, o’rings or water seals if easily accessible
• Washing down sooted heat exchangers to reduce high emissions 
• Fitting single radiator vent plugs
• Replacing test point caps
• Fitting timer / thermostat batteries 
• Supporting flue brackets if easily accessible
• Venting air from radiators
• Cleaning / servicing magnetic system filters

As a general guide the following items won’t be fitted / work will be excluded as part of a service and will be charged parts & labour

• Radiator valve replacements
• Repairs or investigations into faults that were known to exist at the point of booking. In this situation, a fault investigation would need to be arranged first (£79 initial fault diagnosis charge applicable) and a service job linked onto the job (additional £35 charge applicable). 
• Replacing burner gaskets / seals 
• Supply & installation of main operating components 
• Supply & installation of replacement controls 
• Unblocking condensate pipes or terminations
• Sealing up flue pipe holes 
• Unblocking chimneys 
• Installing or altering relief or combustion ventilation 
• Any work to investigate faulty flue seals 
• Work to correct issues with vertical flue terminals 
• Any work to correct installation defects 
• Any work that could compromise or invalidate a manufacturer warranty

If the appliance is identified as being faulty and this was unbeknown to you or the end-user at the time of booking, Elburton Heating will diagnose the defective part and provide an estimate for repair on the service visit, free of charge as a goodwill gesture. On occasion, if the repair is small and can be completed relatively quickly, Elburton Heating may decide to carry it out on the service visit without charging an additional labour fee. You will be always be charged for the part fitted and you will be notified of the cost prior to it being fitted. However, this is strictly at the sole discretion of Elburton Heating. 

Why won’t you service my appliance and just look at the fault when you’re here?

As above, Elburton Heating do exercise discretion regarding diagnosing faults and affecting minor repairs if spoted on a service visit and the owner / end-user didn’t know about the problem at the point of booking. 

Elburton Heating need to be fair to all customers and charge a consistent price. It isn’t right that some customers are charged the full rate for breakdowns and some a reduced fee. If the appliance is known to be faulty or problematic, a fault diagnosis visit needs to be booked first. 

Elburton Heating also have a duty to protect our commercial operation and revenue. Fault investigations are more challenging and require a high degree of experience and technical competency.  A technician rate is charged to cover costs and a £79 diagnosis fee. A fair & consistent means of charging prevents people from circumventing our charging structures.

Interesting. So why do you charge a reduced fee for a service then when already on the breakdown?

This is slightly different. An annual service inspection needs to be carried out at some point; it therefore makes sense to do it on the same visit as the breakdown, so as to avoid repeat visits and your time from being wasted. 

And as the saying goes ‘time is money’. In lieu of the fact that a second visit is avoided and because tools and equipment will already be on site, a discounted service rate applies. This is consistent with most price offerings available at the larger gas repair and servicing companies in the UK. 

Will an Elburton Heating LTD service satisfy my boiler warranty terms & conditions?

You should always carefully check the specific manufacturer terms & conditions first. 

However, as a general rule, nearly all manufacturers state that a service conducted by a competent Gas Safe Registered operative will suffice in keeping the warranty valid. Elburton Heating LTD are registered with Gas Safe, so rest assured you’re in safe hands here. 

What happens if you service my appliance and it later develops a fault?

All work is warranted for a period of 12 months. All work must be fit for purpose and free of defect caused by poor workmanship. 

If the fault is related to poor standards of workmanship and falls within the 12 month period, Elburton Heating will endeavour to put things right, parts and labour included, at no extra cost to you. 

If the fault is unrelated to workmanship quality and accepted liability is declined, any repair work will be charged at the standard breakdown rate. This is irrespective of timescales since the service was carried out and does not effect your consumer rights. 

What if you encounter a problem and the boiler has to be turned off?

In rare circumstances and where safety dictates, the appliance might need to be turned off whilst spare parts are sourced. This will only happen where it is deemed the appliance constitutes either ‘Immediately Dangerous’ or ‘At Risk’ as per the Gas Safety (Installation & Use) Regulations 1998 and whereby the associated safety control measure dictates that the appliance be turned off in the interests of safety.