Boiler Installation in South Tyneside

Signs a boiler is due for replacement

A boiler that keeps breaking down, needs parts that are getting hard to find, or struggles to keep the house warm on cold days is often a candidate for replacement. If yours is showing those signs, the boiler repair page covers what a repair visit looks like, and a new boiler is worth talking through too.

Choosing the right type of boiler

There are three main types of gas boiler in UK homes. A combi heats water on demand from the mains and needs no tank or cylinder. A system boiler heats a hot water cylinder, usually kept in an airing cupboard. A regular, or conventional, boiler works with a cylinder plus a feed tank for cold water up in the loft.

A combi often suits a smaller home with one bathroom, because it frees up the cupboard and the loft. A household where two showers run at once may be better served by a cylinder. We talk through how many people live in the house, how the hot water gets used and what the existing pipework allows.

What an installation involves

Replacing a boiler usually means draining the system, taking the old boiler out, fitting the new one with its flue and condensate pipe, connecting the gas, water and heating pipework, then filling, venting and commissioning the system.

If the new boiler is going in a different place, or the type of system is changing, there is more pipework to reroute and the job is bigger. Ask when you call how long the heating and hot water are likely to be off for your installation.

Where the boiler and flue can go

Modern condensing boilers need a flue that meets current rules on distances from windows, doors and boundaries, plus somewhere for the condensate to drain. In a terrace with a narrow back yard, or a flat with a neighbour close by, the flue position can decide where the boiler is able to sit.

Kitchens, utility rooms, lofts and airing cupboards are all common homes for a boiler. We look at the options in your house and explain the route for the flue and pipework before starting.

Controls, radiators and the state of the system

A new boiler is a natural time to think about the heating controls too. A programmer or room thermostat, along with thermostatic valves on the radiators, lets you heat the rooms you use when you use them. If you have particular controls in mind, talk through the options when you call.

Connecting a new boiler to an old system full of sludge can shorten its life. If the radiators are slow to warm or the water from a bleed valve comes out dark, mention it when you call, as the condition of the system is worth talking through before the new boiler goes in.

From terraces to bungalows

In South Tyneside that can mean anything from a two up two down terrace in Jarrow or Hebburn to a bungalow in Cleadon or a newer semi on an estate near Boldon Colliery. Some older houses still have a back boiler behind a fireplace, and taking one of those out is a bigger job than a straight swap on the kitchen wall.

Gas safety at home

A boiler installation involves the gas supply, so it is worth every household knowing the drill. Should you smell gas at home, before or after a new boiler goes in, get out of the house, leave switches and flames alone, turn the meter off if it is safe to reach and ring the National Gas Emergency line on 0800 111 999.