Why is a gas safety check important?

Posted on October 3, 2013 by Allserve Heating & Plumbing

Every landlord has to provide a Gas safety certificate to their tenants by law annually. At Allserve Heating & Plumbing, we perform these gas safety checks for hundreds of landlords and letting agents every year. Gas safety Inspections are essential to make sure that all gas appliances within a property are safe and conform to national safety standards. If a landlord does not comply with this requirement, and a fault leads to death from carbon monoxide poisoning through a faulty appliance, the landlord can be charged with manslaughter. Failure to produce a safety certificate (CP 12) can result in prosecution, a fine, invalidation of property insurance and even in extreme cases, loss of life.

A landlord’s gas safety certificate must be given to a tenant within 28 days of issue, and the tenant should keep their copy for two years from the date of testing.

Gas safety inspections consist of the checking of the following appliances:

Gas fired boilers
Central heating systems
Gas fires
Cookers
Ovens

Our engineers are Gas Safe registered and fully qualified in working on gas appliances

Allserve engineers will attend your property and fully test of the appliances using the latest technology. Our instruments can detect even minor fluctuations in carbon monoxide levels so that you can be sure your property is safe.

As part of your gas safety check, our engineers will test the following:

Check for gas leaks on your central heating system
Perform a ‘tightness test’ on your gas meter to make sure there are no leaks
Check Co2 (carbon monoxide) levels on your boiler flue
Check that your flue location is correct and conforms to British Standards
Check your gas hob location and clearances conform to British Standards
Make sure your gas hob and/or oven is functioning correctly
Check your gas fire to make sure it is lighting properly and that there are no leaks
Check your chimney with a ‘smoke test’ to make sure there is adequate ventilation for your gas fire
Check to make sure the space around your boiler is properly ventilated
Check the working pressures on your system

Upon successful completion of the gas safety check, you will be provided with a complete and professional certificate containing the property address, engineer’s name, gas safe number and details of the inspection. This will be sent to you via email or in the post immediately providing that there are no issues that need to be remedied. If there are any problems, we will endeavour to correct these immediately, either whilst on site or by arrangement.

email us at info@ahpltd.com or call us on 01923 254173 to arrange a gas safety check or to arrange remedial works on a failed gas appliance.

Do I need a combination boiler?

Posted on September 18, 2013 by Allserve Heating & Plumbing

This completely depends on your needs. Just like buying a car, it is a personal choice that greatly depends on your usage, the size of your property, and your individual needs.

Below is a list of requirements that might help you make a more informed choice. If you still can’t make up your mind, one of our gas safe registered installers is on hand to help you. Simply call us on 01923 254173 or email us.

Requirements	Type of boiler
Do you need to heat a loft conversion or small space?	Combination Boiler
Do you live in a property that has little or no loft space?	Combination Boiler
Do you have poor mains pressure?	Regular boiler or system boiler
Does your house have more than 2 bathrooms?	Regular boiler or system boiler
Do you want instantaneous hot water without waiting times?	Combination Boiler
Do you live in a very large property with 3+ floors?	Regular boiler or system boiler
Do you simply want to upgrade your current system?	Regular, system or combination boiler

If you would like more information on Combination boilers and/or information on how to choose the right boiler for you. Please contact us and we will be happy to explore the different options with you.

What is a combination boiler?

Posted on September 18, 2013 by Allserve Heating & Plumbing

A combination boiler differs from a standard boiler in that it heats the water (directly from the main supply) that goes to your hot water outlets only when they are turned on, thus saving energy and money.

A standard hot water system uses several elements that a mains fed system does not, such as a cold water storage cistern and a hot water cylinder. In a traditional system, the boiler heats a coil within the cylinder, which then in turn, heats the water around it inside the cylinder. This water is then stored for use and reheated when it drops below a certain temperature.

A combination boiler does not need any of these things. The water is heated as it passes through the boiler and goes directly to your hot water outlets. This can be excellent for smaller properties where a large supply of constant hot water is not required. There is also the benefit of mains pressure water, which you would not get from a traditional system unless you used a shower pump. There can however also be disadvantages to this type of system depending on the size of the property and the amount of people using the hot water.

If you would like to know more about which boiler would be best for your property, contact Allserve Heating & Plumbing.

What is a condensing boiler?

Posted on September 18, 2013 by Allserve Heating & Plumbing

A condensing boiler is a boiler that re-uses its waste heat that is produced when burning fuel (latent heat) to heat the cold water before it enters the boiler. Using this type of energy recycling, condensing boilers are far more efficient than their predecessors, the non-condensing boilers.

The reason for the name “condensing” is that as the water leaves the boiler through the flue is starts off as water vapour. The vapour then travels upwards along the flue until it cools and drips back down the flue into a condense trap. This waste water then leaves the boiler into a drain via a condense pipe.

Whereas older non-condensing boilers have a flue that projects at a downward angle, condensing boilers project slightly upwards so the water re-enters the boiler.

All new boilers are condensing to keep inline with SEDBUK (Seasonal Efficiency of Domestic Boilers in the UK) which states that a boiler should operate at 90% efficiency or above. Previously, non-condensing boilers were operating at around 70-80% efficiency.

If you would like to speak to Allserve Heating & Plumbing about upgrading to a condensing boiler or have a question, please call us on 01923 254173 or email us.