When the temperature drops, out come the cowboys.

And we’re not talking about men wearing large hats, riding horses and carrying six shooters. We’re talking about guys wearing woolly hats, carrying tool boxes and masquerading as qualified tradesmen.

When cold weather strikes and inevitably pipes bursts, boilers stop and radiators rupture, your first thought is to get the repair done as quickly, and cheaply, as possible. And that’s what the cowboys prey on; a sense of urgency and desperation.

But professional bodies are warning people to be on their guard against bogus tradesmen. Few people when stressed over a broken pipe, or faulty boiler, think to check the qualifications of the people answering the urgent call to put things right. But, say the trade organisations, its vital to ask to see if they are registered with a recognised body before they start work.

And unfortunately, these tradesmen are often the cheapest and, say the professionals, the ones more likely to offer ‘cash deals’ (which don’t involve VAT). This is usually a sign that the tradesmen does not have the proper status.

This is especially important when it comes to work on a boiler say the professionals. They point out that people are still not aware that for anyone to work on a boiler, they should be CORGI-registered. And this is not just a recommendation, it is the law of the land with stiff penalties for those that break the rules. Over 30 people are killed in the U.K. every year through carbon monoxide poisoning and this is usually caused by boilers which have not been serviced regularly, or have been serviced by a non-registered workman.

There is also a growing trend for landlords to service their own boilers and heating systems, in this time of economic austerity. This, believes the health and safety executive, will lead to more avoidable deaths as boilers go without proper checks.

But it not just boilers. Plumbers should ideally be qualified to at least full City and Guilds NVQ Level 3 Qualified Plumber Certification. And what’s more, all tradesmen, should have in place a public liability insurance which protects them should things go wrong with their work and they cause actual bodily injury.

So, recommend the trades bodies, you’d do well to ask your plumber, or heating engineer, to see copies of their relevant certification, or qualifications. And what’s more, when the weather turns cold, you can bet that the cowboys will start riding across the horizon, raring to help you. But beware, you literally could be putting your life at risk.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

All central heating systems that are pressurised systems will need to be repressurised at some point so that they continue to work as efficiently as possible. This generally requires manually topping up the amount of water within the system and although this sounds like a daunting task, anyone can do it as long as they have a good set of instructions and the handbook to their boiler.

Why does this have to be done?
Everyone knows that heating water over and over makes some of it evaporate and this is exactly what happens in your central heating system. Every time you turn your boiler on and heat the water in the system, a small amount of it evaporates and eventually the water pressure begins to fall. If left, the pressure can fall so far that your boiler will stop working and so you need to repressurise the system as soon as you notice a fall. There are other reasons for a fall in pressure, such as leaks in the system, but these will require the help of a professional and shouldn’t be tackled alone.

How do you know your system needs repressurising?
All boilers that are part of a pressurised system will have a very obvious and easy to read pressure gauge which monitors the water pressure within the heating system. This gauge needs to be checked on a monthly basis to see that the pressure is within the recommended levels – these will be noted in the boiler’s handbook. If the pressure has dropped then it’s time to repressurise.

How do you repressurise a boiler system?
Firstly you need to locate your filling loop. This will be located close to the boiler and looks like a stop tap with one end attached to the cold water mains pipe and the other end attached to the central heating system pipe work. Occasionally, the filling loop may not be permanently attached to the heating system and so you will need to attach it first before turning the tap! In some cases the filling loop may be integrated within the boiler itself and you will need the boiler handbook for further instructions.

Once the filling loop is attached to the system you can open the tap but it is best to do this slowly as you don’t want to flood the system. When the tap is opened, cold water is injected into the central heating system and the pressure gauge on the boiler should begin to rise. Make sure you or someone else can see the gauge as you don’t want to over pressurise. If you do slightly over pressurise the system the safety valve will kick in an release the excess pressure but this only works to a certain degree so keep a close eye on the gauge.

When this is done you simply disconnect from the system if need be and check the gauge over the next couple of days to see there are no problems. Most systems only need repressurising every three or four months and then it isn’t by much however it might be worth checking a bit more frequently over the winter months when the boiler is on much more often.

Guest Article by Clare Lynock

Everybody knows that the more efficient your boiler is the lower your energy usage and subsequently the more money you save on your gas bills. But how do you increase the efficiency of your boiler in the first place? Below are the top five ways to make your boiler as energy conscious as possible.

1. Replace it with a new SEDBUK ‘A’ rated condensing boiler! Obviously this isn’t the kind of thing you can do on the spur of the moment and it is a big expense but some new combi boilers have an efficiency rating of over 95%. This means that you can probably recoup your investment within a few years simply by lowering your gas bills.
2. Have an annual service. Some companies, such as British Gas, have monthly plans that protect your boiler against breakdowns and as part of the plan you get a free annual service. This service checks the main parts of your boiler and makes sure it is working at an optimum level of efficiency.
3. Arrange to have your entire system power flushed. Power flushing is a great way to remove all of the debris and limescale from your radiators and pipe work so that hot water can flow freely around the system to warm the house. The freer the water movement, the more effective the heating system is and the less your boiler has to work. In simple terms, you get the same level of heating but using a lot less energy. Unfortunately power flushing is a little on the expensive side however it does increase your boiler’s efficiency quite dramatically and it will save you money in the long run – especially if you have an older boiler and heating system.
4. Fit a magnetic filter and a limescale filter to your heating system. The magnetic filters available today are great for removing iron oxide from the system and this alone can improve your boiler’s efficiency and lower your energy consumption. If you then add to that a limescale filter you can improve the quality of the water entering the system and remove the majority of the limescale before it reaches the boiler and starts to effect its performance. Both of these additions are relatively cheap and can increase your boiler’s efficiency by quite a considerable amount.
5. Fit thermostatic radiator valves to all suitable radiators. These fantastic little pieces of equipment allow you to vary the radiator temperature in each of the rooms in your house so you can turn those you don’t use down and those you do use up. By turning little-used radiators down you use less energy and increase boiler efficiency – another easy way to save money.

There are plenty of other ways to increase your boiler’s efficiency so you end up saving money however the five above are easy to do and relatively inexpensive – with the exception of number 1! If you did all of the things mentioned above then you would have one of the cleanest and most energy efficient heating systems on the planet and it wouldn’t take that long to recover your investment.

Guest Article by Clare Lynock

Right, this sort of question is one of those tricky little conundrums that really depends on various factors and your personal situation.

And like most insurance situations, you have to weigh up what suits you in terms of the risks involved.

Let’s take the boiler. Nowadays they are quite complicated pieces of kit and whereas one might last 15 years without a hitch, another one might break down on regular intervals. And who’s to stay why. Take cars for example. We’ve all known cars that go on for mile after mile without so much as a kind word. Yet we’ve known others that breakdown if it’s raining.

So, if you own a modern, latest specification boiler with a nice guarantee, then maybe you are safe at least for the first year. But do read the small print on the guarantee as, let’s be honest, a number of companies have a way of getting out of any commitment if they can.

But once out of the guarantee period, you are then starting to run the risk of what happens if a major failure occurs? Modern new boilers can cost anywhere from £250 to £3,000, depending on the size of your property. So, if you have an expensive boiler, then you might want it covered. Mind you, even if you don’t have an expensive boiler, the cost of replacement could still be, in relevant terms, a fortune, given your own personal budget. What effectively an insurance plan does, is to spread the cost of a new boiler over a number of months, if you assume the worse and think that your boiler will inevitably breakdown. And, that’s assuming it requires a complete replacement, rather than just parts.

So lets say you take out a monthly policy of between £10 and £15 a month, which will cost you between £120 and £180 a year; it’s cheap if you’re boiler breaks down. But let’s say it doesn’t break down for five years, then the total cost would have been £600 to £900, maybe twice as much as a new boiler for an average house. But, who can say? It’s your judgement and your risk.

But, if there’s one strong argument for getting insurance, it’s that you have someone else paying your boiler attention. Boilers should be serviced once a year, otherwise you not only run the risk of having an inefficient boiler which is costing you more money than it should, but you are risking your own and your families’ lives. A faulty boiler can kill; it’s that simple. Carbon monoxide poisoning from faulty boilers kills around 30 people in the U.K. every year.

Now, to get your boiler serviced, you have to remember to book and arrange a Corgi-registered engineer to do the job. Boiler servicing is, by law, a job for a professional. DIY servicing certainly is not allowed and should not be tried, nor can some odd-job man do it for you.

So, a boiler service can set you back at least £95, so if you think that an insurance plan can start from £120 (and includes a yearly service), then it would make sense to pay that bit extra, spread over monthly payments anyway. And apart from the economic argument, you also have someone who will remind you about your service and arrange to do it. Which saves the hassle of you remembering your annual service and having to negotiate a service price.

Right, you pays your money and takes your choice, but on balance, a good boiler insurance seems sensible not only for your wallet, but also for your health.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

Unfortunately it’s a fact of life that technical things, such as boilers, break down from time to time and it’s normally when you need it most. In the wrong hands, a boiler can be a very dangerous piece of equipment and so it is vital that, should you boiler decide to die a death, you contact a registered CORGI heating engineer to fix the problem and not try to patch it together with a DIY job.

Your local Yellow Pages will have a long list of gas and heating engineers however some may charge more than others for the same work and you aren’t going to know which is which. An alternative is to visit the CORGI website where the list of engineers only contains reputable companies and individuals. It may take ten extra minutes to find what you’re looking for but it could save you hundreds of pounds in additional work that isn’t strictly necessary should you choose the wrong company.

Another option that will help should your boiler develop a fault is a Homecare plan from British Gas. Other companies may offer similar services and it might be worth looking around for the cheapest option that provides the maintenance cover you need but the British Gas plan is probably the best known one to date. You simply pay a monthly fee to British Gas and they fix your boiler should it break down. The plan has a number of levels though and some of the basic levels might leave you having to pay for some parts if not labour. My plan paid for the call out, the first hour of labour and one part; anything after that incurred an additional charge so if you have an old or a temperamental boiler that breaks down quite regularly then it might be worth spending the extra each month and signing up for the full Homecare plan.

Really old boilers and those that tend to go on the blink quite often may be better off in the scrapyard. Today you can buy a new combination boiler for an average sized three bedroom house from around £2500 fitted and tested (British Gas will charge more however). This may sound like a lot of money however you won’t need a Homecare plan for the first year as the manufacturer’s warranty will cover it and you can use the money you save towards the new boiler. You will also see an increase in heating efficiency which will then save you money on your heating bills and before you know it you will have recouped the price of the boiler plus more.

So should your boiler go on the blink then you can try the various options above. If these are too costly however then I suggest a good sleeping bag and a thick duvet in preference to having a go at fixing it yourself, after all you may still be cold but at least you’ll be alive.

Guest Article by Clare Lynock