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servicing adverts £49

View the thread, titled "servicing adverts £49" which is posted in UK Plumbers Forums on UK Plumbers Forums.

removing the cas on most he boilers isnt a big problem its opening the combustion chambers that you want to avoid
fga and gas rate is the important bits and a visual of the seals flue etc
 
mfgs said:
Well you are wrong. You should be taking the case off and giving the appliance a visual inspection as the very least, if you arent even doing that then you are ripping customers off.

One analyser check does not comfirm that everything is "running fine", if you believe that then you have no clue about boilers and really shouldnt be working on them and declaring them safe.
Click to expand...

Not me, just British Gas, E-On etc etc, I have said a few times. I dont do servicing, I only use FGA for checking new boilers and cookers etc.
Ask BG or even GSR why you dont have to remove the casing.
 
I have worked for BG in the past and you certainly do have to remove the case as per their servicing procedure.
 
No, BG etc class this as a Service, as do most companies.
This is why many companies and sole traders will do a service for half the cost of others.
 
I worked for them a year ago and their procedure is to take the case off. Whether the engineers choose to or not is another matter, but I certainly did.
 
So if your not removing the case then surely your not doing a full service as per mi's?
I was always told follow mi's not what BG decide.
 
Halesowen1 said:
In the event of no MI's, what would a service entail in todays standards?
Click to expand...

Is that really the case these days tho?
With access to tinternet via most phones can easily gain accesss of sorts , besides the manufacturers helplines .failing that data tag which is normally on inside of case .
 
gaspastemania said:
Keep seeing boiler servincing adverts for £49 advertised in my area .
IMO this cant be done properly a basic gas safety check yes but full service surely cant be possible for this price. If there is someone on here who does gas services for £49 can you explain what you offer for that because you cant be cleaning appliance properly nor chaecking over appliance adequately nor checking working parts nor offering a top up of inhibitor .Here to be proved wrong !!!!
Click to expand...
if checked the flue gasses and they are within limited other than a visual and follow mi what more can one do.10 min £49 good money
 
No MI's, No Service.
Brainless like 'No Likey, No Lighty'

Star Trek scanners are fictional 'at present'.
The way this thread is going you'd need to refer to MI's to diagnose a flat tyre on your van!!!
 
BG don't charge for their check it is included in the maintenance contract.

BG started with the analyser "service" about 15 or so years ago. Part of their 3 star cover was to include an annual service. As we all know balanced flued boilers generally are normally pretty clean inside, so they decided it was a waste of manpower to have someone actually strip it down. Much quicker and cost effective to "check" if it really needed servicing. So their included service really became a check. All the major contract providers are the same.

Now analysers are commonplace and actually opening a band A is only advised if the readings say so, this practice has become the norm for all boilers. Its should be called as it is though, a combustion check which is totally different from a service.

An analyser it not necessary or required to service a std boiler but it is another tool to use as part of one. You don't need to own or have access to one either, just be able to interpret the results.
Btw, anyone who sticks an analyser in an open flue boiler as an annual check and accepts the readings as being fine is off their head.
 
But you will need one from April to fit a boiler or cooker.
Thats all I need my FGA for.
They may be off their heads, but they are only doing what others are doing, hence the price is cheaper.
 
Halesowen1 said:
But you will need one from April to fit a boiler or cooker.
Thats all I need my FGA for.
Click to expand...
No you won't but you will need a ticket to say you know how to use and interpret one. Only needed if the manu asks for it which most won't as it will affect their sales.
 
Halesowen1 said:
But you will need one from April to fit a boiler or cooker.
Thats all I need my FGA for.
They may be off their heads, but they are only doing what others are doing, hence the price is cheaper.
Click to expand...

No, is that not Boilers and Fires after April?
 
tamz said:
No you won't but you will need a ticket to say you know how to use and interpret one. Only needed if the manu asks for it which most won't as it will affect their sales.
Click to expand...


I do work for a few local builders, landlords, companies. All of these will want a CPA report with every install and service, as will customers when they get wind. Plus you may be shocked by the changes to boiler manufacturers requirements from April 1st.
 
tamz said:
No you won't but you will need a ticket to say you know how to use and interpret one. Only needed if the manu asks for it which most won't as it will affect their sales.
Click to expand...

How will it affect sales, every decent heating engineer I know already owns one and knows how to use it.
The only ones it will affect are the dodgy ones with no gas safe, or the ones who cannot be bothered to move with the times and adjust to todays requirements. Not many of them out there I hope, so dont see a problem with sales only with stubborn, pig headed engineers. I am sure none of us are in that category, are we??
 
Maybe every decent self employed heating engineer has one or should have one but there are tens of thousands of competent and qualified employed fitters doing installs day in day out who don't. There is no need or requirement to do a cpa on commissioning for mainstream boilers.
From some mi's

Worcester
NOTICE: The combustion settings on this
gas-fired boiler have been checked, adjusted
and preset at the factory for operation on the
gas type defined on the data plate.
No measurement of the combustion values
are necessary provided there is a meter
installed allowing the gas rate to be checked.
DO NOT ADJUST THE AIR/GAS RATIO VALVE.

Vaillant
The boiler is supplied ready adjusted and no further gas
adjustments are necessary, however both the gas inlet
working pressures and maximum gas rates should be
checked as detailed in 5.10.2 and 5.10.3.

Ideal
Please Note: The combustion for this appliance has
been checked, adjusted and preset at the factory for
operation on the gas type defined on the appliance
data plate. No measurement of the combustion is
necessary. Do not adjust the air/gas ratio valve.

Viessmann
Vitodens100 is factory-set for natural gas.
During commissioning or maintenance, the CO2 setting can be measured at the
boiler flue adaptor testpoint. Checking CO2 levels is not a requirement.

It remains to be seen what will change on mi's with regards to commissioning instructions. It will affect boiler sales as the majority of installs are done by companies who's installers don't own or have access to an analyser. If one brand of popular boiler starts insisting on a cpa the sales will go to those who don't as the manu's know fine well.
They would all like to insist on it but it will be a brave one who is first to go for it.
Things will change eventually but not overnight.
The bottom line with gas safety is really all about money if we are honest.
 
Halesowen1 said:
I do work for a few local builders, landlords, companies. All of these will want a CPA report with every install and service, as will customers when they get wind. Plus you may be shocked by the changes to boiler manufacturers requirements from April 1st.
Click to expand...
i have yet to meet a builder,landlord,letting agent or customer who knows what a cpa is let alone ask for one,and unlike yourself i do a awful lot of servicing
 
It has been in my last few Landlords Magazines, so if other Landlords are reading it they should know too. So I assume these letting agents get the same or similar magazine. Always lots of info regarding Gas Safety in the magazine. Letting them know what they should be expecting from us lot.
 
Halesowen1 said:
How will it affect sales, every decent heating engineer I know already owns one and knows how to use it.
The only ones it will affect are the dodgy ones with no gas safe, or the ones who cannot be bothered to move with the times and adjust to todays requirements. Not many of them out there I hope, so dont see a problem with sales only with stubborn, pig headed engineers. I am sure none of us are in that category, are we??
Click to expand...
i am!
 
You are correct. I too have worked for them in the past. How can you prove the boiler is safe inside. No holes in casing.
No safety device by-passed by a.n. other.(I have seen overheats linked out)
Don't forget, even if you haven't taken the case off. You have stiil 'WORKED ON' the appliance.
 
I don't really know what the discussion is about here.
We all know a lot of engineers now treat a service as a check (major company's included).

They FGA, gas rate, check working pressure and remove the case only to visually inspect and tightness test at the meter).(If that much)

Is this a true service and will it prevent future faults?.......................No, but you can fill out a CP12 with the info gained and thats what people want.

I'm not saying I agree with this and if I was doing a service privately and by the MI's it would take at least an hour but the people that lead this industry (eg the big companys) allow the engineers about 30 mins per service and there is no way a full and correct service can be carried out in that time.

Will Gas Safe act on it? Of course not.
Like we have mentioned in previous threads Gas Safe are Toothless wonders and there is no way they are going to take on the big companys as it would cost money and that is all industry is worried about.

The engineers out there that are doing a full and correct service I salute you but you are putting yourself at a big disadvantage against the big boys that will give the customer the same piece of paper for less.
 
I would rather charge double and do the job properly, knowing the customer has got value for money. My rates are my rates and i wont let myself be bullied into charging less by customers or heating engineers and companies charging stupidly low rates. Anyway i dont see your argument Halesowen as BG charge more than me and your saying they just stick a FGA in, so who is providing a better quality of service, the sole trader who charges a similar rate to BG but does a strip down service or the big companies who charge the same amount but dont do a 'proper' service. Customers eventually see this, although they learn the hard way usually. (i just used BG as an example, i have no personal vendetta with them)
 
there are plenty of examples of people who have done a proper service and the customer has been like "WELL BG DIDNT DO THAT WHEN THEY DONE IT" and feel they are getting more value for their money

i usually refer to MIs which ALWAYS tell you to remove casing to clean condensate trap etc
 
Having a service done for £49.00 is a great offer. What I ask you to remember is the price of 50-60 pounds was standard by BG and to that matter everyone got to see that services cost in the region of that amount. We have charged as low as £45.00 per service. the rule of thumb was that the boiler would be strip down. Any service that included having the burner removed and the combustion chamber cleaned and all the safety devices were working constituted a good service. On modern boilers services only take around 20 - 30 mins. Thats by engineers who have done this type of work for years. I do not know of any engineer worth his salt that would take an hour to service a modern combination boiler. Now if that appliance was a back boiler I would suggest that that type of appliance is two appliances. A fire and a boiler and they both need cleaning ( see where im coming from ). If your interested we strip down service, clean and as mentioned before shove a probe up your flue and check the results for £55.00 per service nationwide.
 
For the record I too would rather have the casing removed and burners cleaned etc.
I am only saying that most companies dont do this, I have never said i dont do it as i have said numerous times, I dont do servicing, I pass this on to my Henry the Hoover colleagues.
 
I agree with mfgs, most modern boilers do not need stripping down and cleaning if the flue gas readings are correct. Stripping down new boilers for the sake of making the job take longer is a waste of time and can lead to problems in the long run. I do this for £35 and fill in the benchmark service record . If it is an older boiler then i charge accordingly.
 

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