It is recommended you have your boiler servicied annually, this will give you peace of mind yout boiler is running safely and correctly.

Our charge for a boiler service is £80.00 plus Vat, this includes a gas safe record on completion.

A combi boiler is a unit that delivers both hot water on and central heating on demand.

A combi boiler is piped with mains cold water and delivers mains pressure hot water, the heating system is also run through a combi boiler. Combi boilers are sealed systems which means there is no header tanks and hot water storage cylinders.
Combi boilers are ideal for most homes, the unit is normally compact and fairly small which means they can be fitted in airing cupboards and kitchen cupboards. Not only that they are over 90% efficient so its no surprise they are the most popular boiler type in the country.
However combi boilers do have there limits, in larger properties a combi boiler might not be sufficient to cope with hot water demand and the size of the heating system.

Regular boilers, conventional or heat only boilers, are generally found in older properties. There will be header tanks usually in the loft and a hot water cylinder, This is a gravity fed system.

Regular boilers differ from combi boilers as they are fed from a tank rather than the main water supply. They also have a hot water storage cylinder which is normally in the airing cupboard, this is where your water is heated through a coil.

It is becoming more regular that these systems are being upgraded to combi systems, one thing to remember when updating to a combi system is that radiators may need to be changed due to going from gravity fed to mains pressure.

System boilers are a sealed unit and require a hot water unvented cylinder which stores hot water.

System boilers are ideal for larger properties that have a high hot water demand, you will have a unvented cylinder which will deliver stored hot water at mains pressure. This suits homes with multiple bathrooms and large hot water daily use.

The boiler is a sealed unit which will run the central heating and hot water, System boilers are also compatible with solar water heating systems.

Your boiler pressure may dropped into the red zone which may cause the boiler to fault or lockout. This will stop the boiler from working and it will normally display a fault code Example: Baxi Duo tec 24 he a ‘E119’ Fault code.

To top up the pressure back into the green zone you have to turn both black levers slowly which will allow water into the boiler. Keep an eye on the pressure gauge and shut both levers off once the pressure is between 1-1.5 bar as seen above. You may need to restart the boiler to clear the fault and get your boiler working.

To now test the boiler simply open up your hot tap if you have a combi boiler or switch on the heating demand for heat only/system boilers. If even with the pressure now between 1-1.5 bar the boiler fault still persists then it may be time to call a boiler expert to diagnose additonal faults.

A combi Boiler typically has a life span of 10-15 years, this can be longer if you have your boiler regulary serviced. convential and system boilers have a longer life span due to having less components inside.

Turn off the gas supply at the meter. Open windows to ventilate, do not use any electrical items or turn on light switches.
Call Cadent immediately on 0800 111 999. An engineer will attend and make the proprty safe. You may require a local gas safe company to trace and repair the leak.  
 

Your main stop tap is usually under your kitchen sink, garage or a downstairs toilet.

Open your gas meter box and locate the red tap handle near to the pipe. This is the emergency control valve (ECV). This handle will be aligned with the pipe; to switch off the supply you should turn it either 90 degrees to the left or 90 degrees to the right (a quarter turn clockwise or anti-clockwise).

Then call cadent on 0800 111 999.

You will normally have an external stoptap located on the pavement near your property. You will need a long stop tap key to turn it off as it will be normally located at least 750mm below the ground level.

An unvented cylinder delivers high-pressure hot water to multiple taps simultaneously, without requiring a water storage tank in the loft. This system efficiently meets the demand for high-pressure hot water at several outlets. This type of installation is perfect for larger size houses with mulitple bathrooms and high hot water demand.

Unvented Cylinders are usually white in colour, with multiple valves and  an expansion vessel all connected to the supply pipework to the cylinder.

Blocked pipes can obstruct the flow of water, if you have a hot water cylinder and header tank you may want to check the tank hasn't run dry. If there is no water in the tank then the ballvalve supplying the tank is faulty, this will need replacing.

If you have a combi boiler, firstly check the hot water hasn't been isolated at the boiler. It may be also down to a blockage in the boiler usually due to scale, a gas safe engineer will be required to check this.

In a combination boiler, issues like this are typically caused by sludge and scale buildup in the DHW (domestic hot water) heat exchanger. Addressing this problem will need to be done by a gas safe engineer and may indicate more extensive corrosion issues within the system. In a standard cylinder-fed system, the cylinder thermostat might be set too low. During winter, it's important to adjust the boiler thermostat closer to its maximum setting, as the central heating system places greater demands on the boiler compared to the summer months.

If you have water constantly running from your unvented cylinder, one or more of the cylinder safety devices have been activated. You will need a qualified engineer to investigate and rectify the issue.

If you have a cylinder it will be controlled by a cylinder stat, you may want to check the settings are set correctly. You can adjust the hot water temperature lower if required. Also a failing immersion heater can cause very hot water due to the thermostat failing keeping the immersion heater running constantly.

The average time it takes to replace a hot water cylinder is 1 full day including testing and any commissioning required.

An immersion heater is an electric device located inside a hot water cylinder, used to heat water. It operates similarly to a kettle, using an electric resistance element to heat the surrounding water. Immersion heaters are connected to the electrical mains through a cable and a switch.

If your radiator is hot at the bottom and cold on the top the most likely cause is air in the radiator. You will need to bleed the radiator while the heating is off with a bleed key, once water starts to come out the bleed vent the radiator is now correctly bled. Turn on your heating to test the radiator, you may have to top up boiler pressure as this may have now dropped.

A classic symptom of a central heating system is radiator cold at bottom hot top. This is where sludge sits in the bottom of the radiator causing a 'cold spot'. You can easily check if your radiator has a cold spot, by putting your hand at the bottom of your radiator when the heating is on.

When you have selected hot water only on your programmer but your radiators are coming on ,this issue is often caused by a failed motorized valve also known as a three port valve. Which is part of a conventional boiler system. If you have a combination boiler which is providing heating when the hot water tap is running, the problem is likely to be a faulty diverter valve or a blocked DHW plate heat exchanger.

This is down to the sludge build up in the system over many years, if not treated your heating performance could start to decrease rapidly. It could also be down to valves and thermostatic radiator valves sticking or are failing, this could be a simple case of having your system drained and the valve being replaced to cure the problem.

Sludge in a heating system is very common, it is from many years of radiators internally rusting causing a black sludgy residue that sits in a system. This sludge reduces hot water flow through radiators and the system performance decreases causing you to use more energy to heat your home.

The time it takes to install a combi boiler will vary depending if it is a like for like replacement or a new installation. However, you can expect the installation process to take anywhere from 1 to 5 days.

A new full central heating system including new boiler, pipework, radiators isn't a small job. It is very labout instensive, our full heating system installations normally take between 5-7 days to complete fully.

• Maintenace and Repairs: If any faults or issues are identified during the inspection, the Gas Safe engineer will provide recommendations for necessary repairs or maintenance. It is the landlord’s responsibility to ensure these are addressed promptly to maintain the safety of the gas appliances.
• Tenant Safety: The CP12 certificate demonstrates your commitment to the safety and well-being of your tenants. It gives them assurance that the gas appliances in the rental property have been checked and are safe to use.
• Record Keeping: It is essential to keep a record of CP12 certificates for at least two years. This includes retaining copies of past certificates as evidence of compliance with gas safety regulations.
• Compliance: Failure to obtain a valid CP12 certificate or neglecting gas safety obligations as a landlord can result in severe penalties, including fines or even imprisonment. Non-compliance also puts the safety of your tenants at risk.

No, a home owners inspection or central heating survey is a service we provide for potential buyers and sellers to check the boiler and gas appliances are working safely. Also included in the central heating survey we thermal image each radiator and visible pipework to check temperature and efficiency.

If part or the majority of your condensate pipework is outside and does freeze during a prolonged period of very cold weather, you might see a boiler fault code or hear water moving about. There’s no need to worry if your condensate pipe freezes. You can usually thaw it safely with the use of a kettle by running boiling water accross the pipe, you may need to repeat this process multiple times to unfreeze the pipe.

Thermostatic Radiator Valves (TRVs) help prevent individual rooms from becoming overheated. Without TRVs, temperature monitoring and control are managed solely by a room thermostat, which regulates the temperature for the entire house rather than specific rooms.

Since some rooms may heat up faster than others, TRVs can enhance comfort and improve energy efficiency. According to new building regulations, TRVs must be installed in sleeping areas during new installations and upgrades.

Expansion issue
An expansion vessel is an essential component in a closed-loop heating system, such as a central heating system or a boiler. Its primary function is to accommodate the expansion and contraction of the water or fluid inside the system as it heats up and cools down. By providing a space for the increased volume of water, the expansion vessel helps maintain a stable pressure within the system, preventing damage to the pipes, fittings, and other components.