Repairs
We fix it if fixing it makes sense
Plenty of boiler faults are cheap and quick. A stuck diverter valve, a failed thermistor, a blocked condensate pipe in a cold snap, a pressure sensor that has given up. Those are worth repairing and we carry the common parts.
Some are not. If your boiler is fifteen years old, parts are getting scarce and the repair bill is creeping towards a third of a new one, we will say so rather than take your money twice. You decide what happens next, but you decide with the real numbers in front of you.
Faults we see most
- No hot water, or hot water that runs cold after a minute
- Heating works but hot water does not, or the other way round
- Pressure dropping and needing topping up every few days
- Fault codes and lockouts that reset and then come straight back
- Banging, kettling or gurgling from the boiler
- Leaks from the boiler case or the pipework around it
New boilers
Replacing a boiler, without the hard sell
A new boiler is a big spend and most people only do it once a decade, so it is easy to be talked into the wrong thing. The right size boiler for your home depends on how many bathrooms you have and how much hot water you actually use, not on which unit the installer has sitting in the van.
We measure first
Radiator count, bathroom count, incoming water pressure and the state of your existing pipework. That is what decides the specification.
You get a written quote
Boiler, parts, labour and the making good, itemised. If a system flush or a new filter is needed, that is on the quote too, not added later.
You get the paperwork
The commissioning record filled in properly, the manufacturer warranty registered in your name, and the manuals left with you rather than taken away in the van.
Annual servicing
The boring appointment that stops the expensive one
An annual service is how small problems get found while they are still small. It also keeps most manufacturer warranties valid, which matters if your boiler is only a few years old. Skip it for three years and the warranty is usually the first thing to go.
If you let the property, the service and the gas safety check are two different things, and you need the check every year by law. We can do both in one visit.
Common questions
Boiler questions we get asked
My boiler keeps losing pressure. Is that serious?
It means water is escaping somewhere, so it is worth finding rather than topping up forever. Sometimes it is a leaking radiator valve or a joint under a floorboard. Sometimes it is the expansion vessel inside the boiler, which is a repair rather than a plumbing job. Either way it will not fix itself.
Should I repair or replace?
Our rough rule: if the boiler is under about ten years old and the repair is a fraction of a replacement, repair it. If it is older, parts are hard to get and the repair keeps recurring, you are renting time rather than buying it. We will give you both figures and let you choose.
Do you work on all boiler makes?
We work on the makes common in London homes, including Worcester Bosch, Vaillant, Baxi, Ideal, Potterton and Glow-worm. Tell us the make and model when you call and we will know before we arrive whether we need to bring a part.
How long does a boiler swap take?
A straight swap, same position and same type, is usually one day. Moving the boiler to another wall, changing from a conventional system to a combi, or replacing old pipework adds time. We tell you which of those yours is when we quote.
Do you charge to come and look at it?
We tell you the cost of the visit before we set off, and that figure is what you pay. If the fix turns out to need parts or extra time, we stop and agree the new price with you rather than carrying on and adding it to the invoice.
Boiler playing up?
Tell us the make, the model and what it is doing. We can usually tell you on the phone whether it is a small fix or a big one.