# Gas Boiler servicing



## STEINER (8 Oct 2013)

Hi,

I have used Bord Gais for servicing the boiler for the last few years.

I am just off the phone to Bord Gais, no joy.  On 21st September they phone me about my annual gas boiler service, and we arrange it for Tuesday 8th October between 10am and 1pm.

No one came or phoned me today.  I phoned them and someone(??)  didn't put the appointment on the system. Also, there is no other appointment slot for several months!!!

Can anybody recommend a reliable boiler servicer please?  Bord Gais charge €99.


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## venice (8 Oct 2013)

We user Airtricity recently and found the very good. No hidden costs etc.


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## Sue Ellen (8 Oct 2013)

STEINER said:


> Hi,
> 
> I have used Bord Gais for servicing the boiler for the last few years.
> 
> ...



It seems absolutely disgraceful that they let you down and are not putting measures in place to rectify that.  Did you ask to speak to a supervisor and read them the riot act?  I'm sure they will get cancellations and they should be looking after a long time customer.


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## JohnJay (8 Oct 2013)

I got mine done by Electric Ireland a few weeks ago. The guy came when he said he would and took his time doing it. He was telling me that he was directly employed by Electric Ireland and not a contractor as I have read somewhere that some companies use contractors and are under pressure to do a quick job.

https://www.electricireland.ie/ei/r.../home-services/heating-system-maintenance.jsp


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## STEINER (8 Oct 2013)

Sue Ellen said:


> It seems absolutely disgraceful that they let you down and are not putting measures in place to rectify that.  Did you ask to speak to a supervisor and read them the riot act?  I'm sure they will get cancellations and they should be looking after a long time customer.



I was wrecked from lack of sleep last night so I wasn't in the mood for chatting at length to anybody from BG.

I phoned at 2pm to query the no-show and they had no record of the appointment whatsoever.  On her system there were no appointments free for "several" months! The rep gave me a 10 digit complaint number and said a supervisor would phone me within 10 days!  I at least expected a call back by close of business today.  I won't use them again.  It was an annoying let down.


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## STEINER (8 Oct 2013)

venice said:


> We user Airtricity recently and found the very good. No hidden costs etc.



I'll check them out tomorrow so, as I am with them for electricity already.



JohnJay said:


> I got mine done by Electric Ireland a few weeks ago. [/url]



and these too, thanks.


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## pudds (8 Oct 2013)

I honestly think you would be better off contacting a registered gas engineer yourself and maybe building up a relationship with the same guy if you feel he did a good  job rather than letting an energy company act as a middle man for you.

[broken link removed]


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## STEINER (9 Oct 2013)

I checked out Airtricity online and it is easy to make an appointment online for €89, the earliest apointment next Monday which is reasonable.

I went with Electric Ireland over the phone for €79 who had no problem giving me tomorrow afternoon, which saves me €20 over Bord Gais as well.


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## john martin (9 Oct 2013)

I agree with Pudds, you would be better using a local registered gas installer as you will get better and more comprehensive service.


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## Cheeus (9 Oct 2013)

There is a boiler service for €39 on Groupon today!
I used a Groupon service before and it was fine, got a certificate of service too. The service man was bord gais registered and just did groupon in the hope of gaining repeat customers.


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## fraggle (9 Oct 2013)

I wouldn't trust the cheap cheap rates. 

What is your location?


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## mollybelle (9 Oct 2013)

I got my boiler serviced for €49. I am in Kilkenny and the offer was on KCLR radios real deal service. the engineer who did the service is the same one that I have always got. check out groupon and other offers and see who the engineer is, once he is bord gais registered you have no need to worry.


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## MrEarl (10 Oct 2013)

Cheeus said:


> There is a boiler service for €39 on Groupon today!
> I used a Groupon service before and it was fine, got a certificate of service too. The service man was bord gais registered and just did groupon in the hope of gaining repeat customers.




Hello,

I also used one of these vouchers in the past, I think I paid circa €50 plus an additional €10 cost because of the type of boiler we had  - it was for Kinsealy Plumbing and Heating (they service Dublin, both North and South City I think) ... very happy with the deal and service, no messing about on times etc.

Needless to say, they are on the list: [broken link removed]

- I've absolutel no connection with the company by the way.

....I see that the Groupon deal is valid for another couple of days:  Gas Boiler Service (€39) Plus System Check (€49) from Dublin Gas & Plumbing (who appear to be Kinsealy Plumbing & Heating also ?)  - which is even better value then the deal I got, assuming your happy with the service provider.


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## Shane007 (10 Oct 2013)

You will generally know how good a service you are getting by the length of time the engineer is there. Most cheap services are only about 20 minutes or so. All of the required checks for a gas boiler & gas system pipework takes well in excess of an hour. The full gas system pipework must be checked for gas soundness. This alone takes a test times of 14 minutes plus the set up times.

The other criteria I would be looking at is the Cert. You must, by law, be issued with an RGII Cert No.3 Certificate of Conformance. Not a system report form. Many of the utility companies only issue this as they must be purchased from RGII.
It is the law that they are issued.

The other important check is the expansion vessel pressure in the boiler. This can only be done if the boiler is drained down with zero pressure on the vessel. The vessel would generally need topping up with air. Again, this would be part of a decent RGI's service but I find is rarely done.
Many HE condensing boilers have their heat exchangers opened. This is a must for a longevity of the boiler. Carbon builds up over time, but if given only a wipe annually, it removed the hardened build up of ever becoming a problem.

It's your money, but in all honestly in my experience, you get what you pay for. All the decent operatives I know would be charging circa €80.


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## STEINER (10 Oct 2013)

Shane007 said:


> All of the required checks for a gas boiler & gas system pipework takes well in excess of an hour.
> 
> You must, by law, be issued with an RGII Cert No.3 Certificate of Conformance. Not a system report form. Many of the utility companies only issue this as they must be purchased from RGII.
> It is the law that they are issued.
> ...



Whenever Bord Gais did come they did take an hour or so to service.

Last year's RGII Cert 3, I still have.

I wonder what his reaction today will be when I ask him( or her)  how the expansion vessel pressure is!

I saw that current Groupon €39 deal, I was just wary, but I would trust the RGII Cert 3 issued after about an hour of servicing by whatever RGI.


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## Shane007 (10 Oct 2013)

That's good. Let's hope you get the same engineer again. Most of ones I come across are a 20 minute job as they are paid extremely low rates so have to get through a lot to cover their costs.


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## STEINER (10 Oct 2013)

The guy from Electric Ireland spent 65 mins here, including outside at the gas meter.  RGII Cert 3 as expected, plus a checklist of what he actually did.  He had some good advice re particular issues I was having with the boiler and heating.  He had his hoover on for a few minutes too, presumably cleaning whatever soot.  I wouldn't expect the boiler to be in bad shape anyway as it is not heavy use by any means.

When I told him about Bord Gais messing me around, he was aware of issues there, something about them being in a state of flux changing from sub-contractors to in-house boiler servicers, they all know each other anyway and he's had a few switches from Bord Gais because of the hassle.  I havn't had the complaint callback from BG yet....

I'd post up the checklist as an attachment, but I don't seem to be able to or have that function.


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## STEINER (23 Oct 2013)

STEINER said:


> I havn't had the complaint callback from BG yet....



I finally got my customer service callback from Bord Gais today 23rd October about the no-show of the boiler servicer on 8th October.  They must have a lot of complaints to wade through.  They are sending me a cheque for €30 as a goodwill/apology gesture.


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## Shane007 (23 Oct 2013)

Did you notice if he drained down the boiler & check/adjust the expansion vessel pressure? This would be one of the most common call outs I get & is rarely checked during a service.


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## STEINER (23 Oct 2013)

Shane007 said:


> Did you notice if he drained down the boiler & check/adjust the expansion vessel pressure? This would be one of the most common call outs I get & is rarely checked during a service.



I don't think he did. When he arrived, I said theres a jug there if he needed to drain anything, and he said he wouldn't be "doing that". He gave me a checklist afterwards, the yes ticked ones which I summarise as follows;



check flue soundness, routing & terminal location.



appliance location and proximity of combustible materials.



main burner, remove and clean as necessary.



pilot burner and probes/cables;clean as necessary.



clean heat exchanger.



operation of flame sensing device.



operation of boiler thermostat and high limit thermostat.



operation of low water pressure control(where appropriate).



check boiler for correct operation(including consumer controls and safety devices).



correct ventilation provision.



check 3 amp fuse fitted.



check double pole isolation switch fitted.



inspect electrical wiring for damage and correct connection to appliance.



with boiler running, check effectiveness and functionality of flue.



with boiler running, check for gas leaks.



test and record appliance burner/main burner pressure.



check operation of timer and heating control.



timer and controls left in position suitable for homeowner.



appliance conforms to IS813.

The box is unticked for Condensate drainage system (condensing boilers only)

combustion gas O2  7.3% combustion gas CO2 7.7&

BOILER COMBUSTION GAS RATIO 0.0018

net resultant boiler combustion efficiency 97.9


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## Shane007 (23 Oct 2013)

I take it with those readings, it's a standard efficiency boiler, however, he has set the Analyiser up to read a high efficiency boiler. :-o
A boiler service is not just a safety check & a quick clean of the heat exchanger. It is servicing the appliance as per the manufacturer's instructions & a drain down of the boiler to check/adjust the vessel pressure is a must. He must also gas rate the appliance to see if the boiler is running within +5%/-10% of MI's.
He must check standing & working pressures to ensure they are within limits. He must do all this with any other gas appliance switch on at their max, such as a hob with all rings on full & a gas fire on high fire.


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## STEINER (23 Oct 2013)

Shane007 said:


> I take it with those readings, it's a standard efficiency boiler, however, he has set the Analyiser up to read a high efficiency boiler. :-o
> A boiler service is not just a safety check & a quick clean of the heat exchanger. It is servicing the appliance as per the manufacturer's instructions & a drain down of the boiler to check/adjust the vessel pressure is a must. He must also gas rate the appliance to see if the boiler is running within +5%/-10% of MI's.
> He must check standing & working pressures to ensure they are within limits. He must do all this with any other gas appliance switch on at their max, such as a hob with all rings on full & a gas fire on high fire.



So, its not a proper service in the fullest sense in your opinion.  In essence this is what Bord Gais have been doing every year with me and Electric Ireland this year.  I don't have a gas fire, but they have never gone near the gas hob.


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## Shane007 (23 Oct 2013)

This is my argument all along. They charge more for less. 
The cooker should be turned on to full output whilst the boiler is gas rated & working pressures tested.
If the cooker has a lid, this MUST be raised for the gas soundness test, otherwise the rings are not tested for leakage.
The vessel pressure must be tested as per MI's & the only way this can be done is by the boiler being drained fully.

He does not know how to use his FGA!

I changed a boiler only last week where an installer installed it 5 years ago that broke every reg in the book. BG serviced it every year since & never said a thing to the customer. When I was upgrading the gas pipe to the correct size, I went to cut the pipe & the whole pipe fell out of the gas meter. It's joint was never tightened & was leaking gas for the past 5 years! Luckily outside, but each year BG had apparently soundness tested it.

The first thing I do is soundness test to see if the system is gas sound. When I finish my works, I soundness test again, just to make sure I started with a sound system & I am leaving with a sound system. Gas man's paranoia is a beautiful thing!


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## STEINER (12 Nov 2013)

STEINER said:


> I finally got my customer service callback from Bord Gais today 23rd October about the no-show of the boiler servicer on 8th October.  They must have a lot of complaints to wade through.  They are sending me a cheque for €30 as a goodwill/apology gesture.



I lodged my €30 today, but had to lodge it to our mortgage account as we don't have any other joint account. Ah well, something to look back on in years to come.


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## cheaperbyhalf (5 Feb 2020)

Shane007 said:


> Did you notice if he drained down the boiler & check/adjust the expansion vessel pressure? This would be one of the most common call outs I get & is rarely checked during a service.


You probably won't get the system drained and pressure vessel checked on a standard service. Plumber would have to charge double the price and wouldn't get any work.


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