So you know you need your boiler serviced, but how do you know who to get to do it? You do an initial bit of research online, asking around friends, looking on local Facebook groups etc. but the prices seem to vary from £50 - £100! Where do you start?
Number one, make sure they’re a Gas Safe registered engineer, this is simple to do on the Gas Safe website. There are some people out there advertising their services for this kind of work who are not qualified, meaning they’re not up to date on the latest regulations, and are not insured. Do you want to put your life and property in their hands?
Make sure they’re going to do all the relevant checks and paperwork. When I do a boiler service I I carry out all the necessary checks according to the manufacturers instructions and gas regulations and carry out flue gas analysis. Many people have told me that previous services haven’t included this, it’s essential to do to know your boiler is safe.
When I service a boiler, the service includes stripping the boiler down and cleaning it out thoroughly, dust and debris builds up over time and can cause problems. You want to keep yourself safe, and at the same time prevent problems starting that might be costly to repair.
So what do you get for your money?
As we’re aware the price of a service varies so much we decided to find out what these services actually include;
One local engineer is advertising his boiler service at £50, we thought this had to be too good to be true. In short, the boiler service includes the basic checks and some paperwork, but doesn’t include a full strip and clean (if required) and only the first 30 mins of work is included in this £50 charge. Any extra time is charged at the usual hourly rate, meaning more often than not the service will be more than the advertised £50.
Quite a few local companies are advertising their boiler service at £70 - £75. Similarly to above, this only includes the checks, and if when opened up it needs a thorough clean this is an additional charge, some of which charge an extra flat fee, some charge their hourly rate. Most companies again said they would be working on the boiler for 30 mins, and extra time would incur extra cost the total will more often than not be higher than £70 - £75
We did also speak to a few companies who like us, charge a little bit more, but this service includes a full strip and clean. We see this as an essential part of the boiler service if required and will usually take around 1 - 1.5 hours
When getting your boiler serviced, always check the engineer leaves you with the necessary paperwork, including flue gas analyser readings and print outs. Any honest engineer will also not hesitate to show you a copy of their Gas Safe qualifications (showing expiry date) and insurance details.
So what do we charge?
It’s not a flat fee, as boilers are not all the same, a basic breakdown of costs follows, but if you’re unsure, always get in touch.
Standard boiler service - from £60
Boiler service with full strip and clean – from £80
Combi boiler service – from £75
Combi boiler service with full strip and clean – from £95
And of course – why do you need this annual service?
Well number one has to be your safety, CO poisoning is a silent killer, and without an annual check you can’t be certain you have no CO escaping into your home.
Visual condition of appliances, checking their integrity, fully functioning correctly, flue ways are clear and properly connected. Check the appliances are installed to the correct standards and also trying to prevent any small issues turning into larger, more costly ones.
Efficiency. A regularly serviced boiler is going to be more efficient, keeping down your ever-increasing gas bill, and being kinder to the environment. My recent blog goes into detail why it’s so essential to service your boiler annually.