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View the thread, titled "Boiler service query" which is posted in Boiler Advice Forum on UK Plumbers Forums.

Morning everyone,

I have a Vokera gas combi boiler which will be 2 years old this month and had it serviced last year. The engineer was great he took 8 minutes to service it as it was only a year old last year.
My question is do gas combi boilers need to be serviced every year and what does a service include as I have no idea what is meant to be checked and can an engineer check the water pressure?
The boiler has a 5 year warranty on it and I am assuming for the warranty to be valid it has to be serviced every year.

Thank you and any advice would be appreciated.
 
Last edited:
Sorry 3 minutes was a typo, it was 8 minutes because I put food in the microwave for 8 minutes which is how I remembered the timing. Now I am wondering how long should it take?
 
Let’s use the car analogy:
  • Do you think a car can be “serviced” in 8 minutes?
  • Would you be happy at 8 minutes?
  • Do you think a car should be serviced annually, or just when you think it’s time to do so?
  • Would you expect a mechanic (engineer reference) to check any fluid levels?
You’ve had what’s known in the industry as a poke and go, which is fine if the manufacturer allows this. Basically it’s putting the analyser in to check it’s got the correct readings (using the car analogy again - they check the exhaust emissions).

I’ll leave it there for now, for you to gather thoughts and answers.
 
It does say in the instructions must be left 10 mins on high fire before any readings are taken

If I’m pushing I can do one in 30 mins

Did he clean the condense trap out ?
 
Do you think these checks could be done in 8 minutes ? And that's not a full service . Kop
Oh wow I had no idea about what was entailed in a boiler service, I didn't get a report or any paperwork, he just signed the boiler booklet.
I did get a message from the engineer reminding me that a service is due, no offence to him but I will go with someone else this time.
I feel daft for paying £60 for something I felt was a professional service, anyway lesson learned I will do my homework before booking someone else.

Thank you all for your advice
 
I think everyone here would agree 8 mins is not achievable even for the most basic service .
Although the boiler is only 1 year old and the person knows the system as they installed.
30mins is a quick job 60 minutes normal and 90 mins in-depth service.
 
Apart from anything else a Vokera only fires at 75% output for 15 minutes after each start up, maybe possible to override for servicing purposes.
 
I suppose if the person testing originally carried out the installation and knows the system and finds the boiler evidently as he originally installed it, then all he needs to look at is its current state, not was it installed correctly. So I suppose, if the manufacturer requires only an emissions test and nothing else so long as it passes, then it's fine. It's a manufacturer's service not a gas safety inspection and the installer has done what the manufacturer requires. But if what Shaun and John say is correct, then he has not followed manufacturer's specifications, has he?

I'm always of the opinion that while it's fine to charge a customer x much for the first hour, rushing out when you could be thorough is poor.

What happened to the proposal to require an annual inhibitor test? Did that law ever come into play?
 
I suppose if the person testing originally carried out the installation and knows the system and finds the boiler evidently as he originally installed it, then all he needs to look at is its current state, not was it installed correctly. So I suppose, if the manufacturer requires only an emissions test and nothing else so long as it passes, then it's fine. It's a manufacturer's service not a gas safety inspection and the installer has done what the manufacturer requires. But if what Shaun and John say is correct, then he has not followed manufacturer's specifications, has he?

I'm always of the opinion that while it's fine to charge a customer x much for the first hour, rushing out when you could be thorough is poor.

What happened to the proposal to require an annual inhibitor test? Did that law ever come into play?
It’s a British standard not sure if the number
 

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