Boiler replacement, servicing and heating repairs in Ireland

A combi boiler heats water on demand straight from the mains, so there is no hot water cylinder and no tank in the loft. It suits flats and smaller houses with one bathroom, but it depends on decent mains pressure and flow, and running two showers at once is where it struggles.

A system boiler heats a stored cylinder, usually an unvented one fed at mains pressure. It is the usual choice for homes with two or more bathrooms. A regular or heat-only boiler works with a cylinder and a cold water tank in the loft; it is common in older houses and can make sense where the pipework was designed around gravity-fed hot water.

Replacing like with like is normally the simplest job and usually costs least. Switching type, for example taking out a cylinder and tanks to fit a combi, means pipework changes and sometimes a larger gas supply pipe. A good engineer asks how many people live in the house and how you use hot water before recommending either.

Keep the certificate; a buyer's solicitor will ask for it when you sell.

A service is not just a clean: the engineer checks combustion, the flue, the seals and the safety devices.

If an engineer finds a dangerous or at-risk installation, they will label it 'Danger Do Not Use' and may disconnect it. It is illegal to use a gas appliance you suspect is unsafe. If you smell gas, call the gas emergency number, 0800 111 999. Do not open up a boiler or try to reset internal parts yourself; beyond the controls on the front panel, the work belongs to a registered engineer.

Common repair calls are a frozen condensate pipe in cold weather, low system pressure, a failed pump or diverter valve and sludge in older systems. When you describe the fault, include the boiler make, model and any error code shown on the display. It helps the engineer bring the right parts.

• the make, model and output of the boiler, and why that output suits your home
• the boiler type, and what happens to any existing cylinder or loft tanks
• the flue route and terminal position, and the condensate pipe route
• system cleaning or a power flush, and whether a magnetic filter is fitted
• the controls: thermostat, programmer, radiator valves and any smart or weather-compensating control
• any gas pipe upgrade from the meter
• the warranty length and the servicing conditions attached to it
• removal and disposal of the old boiler

The grant is not available for hybrid systems where a gas or oil boiler stays in. Pellet boilers need a dry fuel store, a suitable flue and regular ash removal, so they are a rural choice rather than a town one.

Solar thermal panels can pre-heat a hot water cylinder and pair well with a system or regular boiler. They do not suit a combi without a cylinder.

For replacing an oil or gas boiler with a heat pump, SEAI grants may help, depending on the measures. For a complete upgrade, the National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme works through SEAI-registered One Stop Shops, which manage the whole job to at least a B2 BER and deduct the grant from the cost upfront.

A Building Energy Rating (BER) is needed when a home is sold or let, and an assessment is part of most upgrade schemes. Ask the installer whether they are SEAI-registered, because only registered contractors can carry out grant-aided work.

Source: seai.ie

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