1.Do not switch off your boiler.
There is an internal clock inside your boiler system which comes on every day to run a cycle.
It does this so the ‘running’ parts and pump keep moving and the system doesn’t seize up.
2. Check your radiators are not leaking and have no green residue around the connections.
You do not want to come back to at best a west spot to worst a massive leak, pipes age and leak which is why they need maintenance.
3. Set your room thermostat to away mode or manually to 10° – 12°
Yes, even if it’s summer time, or it’s just hot when you leave, set your thermostat or floor heating to a low temperature to keep pipes warm and to stop damp from forming.
4. Keep your house ventilated.
Security when you are away is important which is why your windows and doors should be locked but make sure the air vents and air grills are open to let fresh air go around your house, other wise you will come back to stale not nice smelling house.
5. Run a final cycle through your washing machine and dishwasher
Once everything is dry and put away, wash out the soap drawers, leave the doors fully open and unplug the appliances at the mains.
6. Turn your water off
If you know where your stopcock is, it’s wise to turn the water off at the mains. This will vastly limit the threat of flooding. If you’re not sure where it is, just ensure that your taps are securely turned off.
7. Take a portable carbon monoxide and smoke detector with you on your holiday.
You and your family safety is the most important thing, there has been many horror stories in other place with not the safety track and regulation of the UK. Place them in areas where you are sleeping.
We have been through a lot as a country and now it is the 1st of June 2020 the SUMMER is here!
The sun is shining, it has been most of the month and the view from our offices show life is starting to get back to a ‘new’ normal.
As the lock down is starting to ease people are starting to plan garden meet ups with their families and loved ones.
Horsham and West Sussex are well known for the clean air, cultural landscape and beautiful green space at the back of our homes. There has never been a better time to get cleaning, sorting and ready for those BBQ’s we have so far missed out on.
With the lockdown restrictions lifted ever so slightly, you can get yourself down to garden centres which have now opened ,and stock up on some flowers, seedlings hanging baskets and prepare those back gardens for the season ahead!
The stresses of lockdown mean many people are rediscovering the appeal of gardening, which hugely promotes physical and mental health, but how are you watering your flowers? How are you jet washing the garden or filling the kids blow up pool? washing your car? Is it a tap running though the kitchen window or back door? through your living room? Do you want to avoid the hassle and proposed risks of a hose running through your home every time you need to use it, and the risk of damaging plumbing fittings or a leakage in your home? Abbey Boilers have a great but simple solution for you, and that is to get yourself an outdoor garden tap, right in a place that’s convenient for you and your family.
Access to an outdoor tap can make life so much easier. It is a straightforward installation that takes no more than a few hours, and is a cost effective solution. We will assess and advise you about the best type of tap to install. If you are buying the tap yourself always ensure it measures up to British standards. Regulations stipulate outdoor taps must have a one way valve installed so water can only flow in one direction - out from the mains. Water, particularly in a garden can get contaminated with dirt, mud or grit, and the check valve ensures that any contaminants do not enter the main water supply.
It’s also possible to have a hot tap outside too - particularly useful for those of you with young children and to fill those paddling pools, as we know the British summer cannot be guaranteed to warm those pools! A hot tap could even be useful for washing your car, and the simple installation of a Y fitting means you can use the hot and cold taps like a mixer tap.
In addition we always ensure to complete installations with minimal pipework running along outside walls, and any pipes required will always be insulated to protect the pipes in all weather. If you want a problem free installation, a free no obligations quote, or even just advice, please contact us!
The summer is here -let’s all get out, get some fresh air and make the most of it as we have had a very ‘unusual’ spring!!
Safety at Abbey Boilers will always be our first priority . Throughout the pandemic we as an organisation have taken swift and immediate action to keep our customers and staff as safe as possible.
The changes that have been implemented were significant to our business at the start of the pandemic, both in terms of our operations and how our engineers operate in the field. We have been maintaining social distancing in our offices with reduced staff and levels of strict hygiene have been adhered to by our engineers on the roads who have been issued with correct and sufficient PPE.
We will continue this while we carry on emergency work for customers across the South East and West Sussex, including priority jobs for key worker staff.
We are slowly starting to see signs of companies planning gradual return to work, and slow introduction of employees back into the workplace. A gradual return will help maintain social distancing in early days and give companies enough time to require employees to fill out health assessments and get tested if necessary. Rest assured meticulous planning is in place and steps are being taken to ensure safety of both customers and employees.
Some of the big housebuilding companies like Taylor Wimpey will be starting to build again shortly and car firms such as Nissan and Jaguar Land Rover are preparing to resume production in their factories.
These are all positive signs for the economy and our amazing country. This does not mean battle against COVID-19, which is by no means close to ending yet.
The way we live and work will be quite different from what we are used to for many months to come or even longer. The Chief Medical Officer, Professor Chris Whitty said during one of the recent government daily press conferences that social distancing will need to be in place for ‘some considerable time’.
If that is the case, the country and its business community have to be able to adapt. The health of the nation is, undoubtedly, the first priority, but having an active economy filled with businesses that create employment, follows a close second.
We know the lockdown as it is now cannot continue for the long term and there are reports that the pandemic has reached its peak and has levelled off, but the same time, we can’t risk ruining the hard work we have all put in to stop the virus spreading further with a second spike.
Therefore, we have to adapt and evolve, which is something entrepreneurial businesses in the UK have been doing for generations as we have at Abbey Boilers when we started fixing our first boiler all those years ago.
As a business that provides an essential service from workers that cannot work from home, we changed quickly. Times like this spur innovation and we implemented new ways of working that would keep our people safe, but also our customers as the majority of the time the only way we can carry out our work is to enter their homes.
We will continue to apply these processes for the foreseeable future as we return to providing more than emergency call out jobs.
We too will be looking forward to get back to normal working conditions in people’s homes and business premises as before.
But until then we have to together as a country beat this, only together can this be achieved.
Stay Safe!
Abbey Boilers
With Coronavirus (COVID-19) impacting us all, it’s more important than ever to support each other - together, we can get through this.
These are difficult, fast moving and concerning times for everyone.
At Abbey Boilers we have been serving our community for almost 20 years, and we will continue to serve the needs of our customers in West Sussex, Surrey, South West London, Brighton and Hove whilst doing our best to prioritise emergencies and put our most vulnerable customers first.
At some point life will start to return to normal but during these unprecedented times we will do our best to help our customers with their essential work. Gas safety is very important and now is the time to make sure your boiler is fully safe and tested. The government has declared our service as key workers, we therefore will remain open during this time of social distancing, following all advice and recommendations to ensure the absolute safety of both our staff and customers.
We place the safety of our employees and our customers above all else which is why we will implement a social distancing when carrying out works in your property.
If you’re experiencing problems with your plumbing or heating, or even if you simply require an annual gas safety check, you can rest assured Abbey Boilers will provide a professional, reliable safe service.
We continue to review all our practices and guidelines as government information changes, but don’t worry, should anything change we will let you know.
At Abbey Boilers, we serve Horsham and the surrounding areas of Surrey and West Sussex. As such, a lot of the land we cover can be considered quite rural. The beautiful countryside of West Sussex has a considerable number of farms, country houses, and villages. Sometimes a traditional boiler heating system just isn’t practical or EVEN possible. And so, our service engineers at Abbey Boilers are skilled and certified in the installation and maintenance of LPG boiler systems.
If your boiler suddenly decides to shut down when you need it most, maybe it's time to get serviced?
It may even be time for an upgrade to a new system,
Winter is here and the last thing anyone needs is central heating that will not work on a chilly morning or evening.
Here are some common problems and some quick fixes and checks. But the best option is to call tAbbey boiler engineers so you can relax while we solve your problem for you.
With the arrival of winter soon and long cool nights, homeowners are starting to turn on the central heating system.
However, in many cases the gas boiler system have not been completely turned off for several months and sudden ignition can cause problems.
This is the perfect time to check and resolve problems before the cold winter days comes and the central heating system is turned on every day.
It's a good idea to turn on your boiler system once or twice a month at least, even if you're not using it. This will help keep your boiler in good working condition. It also detects problems before using the heating system frequently and prevents dust and dirt buildup and pipe corrosion in your heating system.
If in doubt, call us at Abbey Boilers at any time to book a service or boiler check. This is an ideal time to properly maintain a central heating system before it is fully tested by the daily usage requirements of autumn and winter. Some of the simple things you can do to get the boiler and gas central heating system to work at the optimum level include ventilation of a radiator with a faucet.
If the radiator of the heating system has cold spots or is noisy, the air may be trapped and need bleeding.
If the radiator is cold, use a wrench to loosen the valve nut on one side of the radiator, wait for the air to swoosh and the water to begin to flow, then close it again.
This evenly distributes the water around the radiator and maintains the efficiency of the central heating system.
Once all the radiators are bled, the boiler should be turned on by raise the temperature slowly so that it does not heat too quickly until it reaches the ideal temperature.
The thermostat should be set to a comfortable temperature you require for your home, usually 18-21 degrees Celsius.
Taking care of your central heating system should help your boiler last longer, protect you from unnecessary repairs, so that you and your family can be in a nice warm home longer.
If you need any help with your service get in touch with us:
Here are our top 10 safety tips ...
Check both sides of your engineer’s Gas Safe Register ID card. Make sure they are qualified for the work you need doing. You can find this information on the back of the card.
Have all your gas appliances regularly serviced and safety checked every year. If you rent your home ask for a copy of the landlord’s current Gas Safety Record.
Know the six signs of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning – headaches, dizziness, breathlessness, nausea, collapse and loss of consciousness. Unsafe gas appliances can put you at risk of CO poisoning, gas leaks, fires and explosions.
Check gas appliances for warning signs that they are not working properly e.g. lazy yellow flames instead of crisp blue ones, black marks or stains on or around the appliance and too much condensation in the room.
Fit an audible carbon monoxide alarm. This will alert you if there is carbon monoxide in your home.
Keep vents and chimneys clear. Make sure you don't block any vents, as they are vital to ensure gas appliances burn properly, and chimneys need to be cleaned and checked regularly.
Use gas appliances only for their intended purpose. Don't be tempted to use them for something they weren't meant for (e.g using a gas cooker to heat a room).
Know the emergency procedure. If you smell gas or suspect immediate danger, make sure you familiarise yourself with the emergency procedure and contact the relevant number for your UK region.
Spread the word. Share vital gas safety information with friends, family and neighbours to make sure your community stays safe.
We are always on the lookout for good people, so if you are interested in joining Abbey Boilers we are looking for:
We are seeking an experienced & fully qualified domestic Oftec engineer who will be based in Horsham to join our well established Heating company.
Pay: £32k - £40k Base (depending on experience) + Van + Overtime + Pension etc.
Location of work: Will be responsible for covering mainly West Sussex and Surrey.
The Role: Responsible for service, maintenance and breakdown works for domestic Oil fired heating systems. Responsible for working on oil boilers and Aga’s
Key Skills & Experience Required: Relevant OFTEC Oil Boiler qualifications / previous oil experience. Must have proven background as a domestic oil engineer.
To apply for this role, please forward your CV for the attention of Tracy Everitt, at:
Email: tracy@abbeyboilers.com
Address: Abbey Boilers, Abbey House, 24 Foundry Lane, Horsham, West Sussex, RH13 5PX
Everything is going electric these days. Whether it is your car or your energy, electric devices are future for many applications. Gas boilers have been the standard installation in domestic homes for years now.
Gas is cheap at the moment, so the running costs for a gas boiler are very affordable for the general population. It is no wonder then that around 80% of UK homes are using a gas boiler for their main central heating system.
Electricity however is much more expensive than gas, fetching up to 3 times more per unit than the price of gas. So why are more people starting to switch to an electric boiler?
The main reason people are switching is because of the installation and maintenance benefits. Installation is usually cheaper and electric boilers don’t need to be serviced as heavily as gas boilers.
When it comes to efficiency, electric boilers are way ahead of their gas counterparts. Electric boilers can achieve an efficiency rating of around 99-100%, while the maximum efficiency that a gas boiler can achieve is never more than about 93%.
This means that for gas boilers, for every £1 spent on heating a property, 7p is wasted on lost energy. With electric boilers, there is almost no lost energy and therefore no money is being wasted.
The future definitely looks set to adopt the electric boiler, but at the moment, due to the cost of electricity, gas boilers are still cheaper to run and therefore more people choose to go with them.
The other consideration is the carbon emissions. Electricity in the UK is mostly generated by fossil fuels, and as a result electricity is considered a carbon intensive utility and not currently viewed as efficient.
Perhaps the best thing for domestic users is to pair the electric boiler with a solar panel system than can feed the boiler and the home.
Agas have become an iconic fixture of kitchens around the world since they were first invented in 1922. And it’s not just the design that has endured – the UK’s oldest working model dates back to 1932. Today, a new two-oven Aga will set you back at least £8,000. But in return for this sizeable investment you’ll get a versatile, spacious cast-iron cooker that provides heat and is always on and ready to go.
An Aga is a spacious cast iron cooker with multiple levels, ovens and cooking options. Each Aga is built to order at the firm’s Shropshire factory, but all include a roasting oven, simmering oven and one or two hot plates. There are also models with three, four or five ovens, as well as the option to swap a hotplate for a gas or ceramic electric hob. Agas are heat-storage cookers, which means that they generate heat in their core which is then transferred across the surfaces of each oven and hotplate. Traditional models are designed to stay on all the time, so they don’t have any dials or switches. All of this means that Agas also gently heat the room they are in. The cast-iron body of an Aga enables heat to be efficiently stored and transmitted throughout the Aga’s various cooking zones. The radiant heat it produces is what gives an Aga its ability to cook food for long periods of time without drying it out or burning it. Temperatures inside the ovens vary, but as a rough guide you can expect 250°C in the roasting oven, 190°C in the baking oven, 140°C in the simmering oven and 85°C in the warming oven. A thermostatic control inside the Aga maintains consistent temperatures. You can buy Agas that run on electricity, gas or oil, as well as some dual-fuel combinations (such as gas ovens with electric hobs).
As a landlord, you should know that you have a legal obligation to renew the gas safety check on all the properties in you are renting or letting. This covers all your gas appliances and systems which must be checked annually by a registered Gas Safe engineer.
There are three legal requirements for landlords with tenants.
Gas appliances and flues from boilers must be safe for use, landlords have a legal requirement for them to be checked annually. New regulations as of April 2018 mean that a gas safety check can be carried out at any time from 10-12 months after the previous one while still upholding the original check expiry date. If a check is carried out less than 10 months before or more than 12 months after the previous one, this will, in effect, reset the clock. In such an instance, the new deadline date would then be 12 months from the date of the most recent check.
A copy of the Gas Safety record must be provided to existing tenants within 28 days of the check being completed, or to new tenants prior to moving in. Landlords must retain copies of said record for up to 2 years. If they have benefited from new regulations allowing for flexibility in relation to timing of gas safety checks, then records must be kept until 2 more checks have been undertaken.
Any such checks usually involve a series of regular inspections and any related repairs. Landlords have a legal obligation to ensure that both gas pipework, and gas appliances/flues are maintained appropriately and safely. These should be serviced in line with the manufacturer’s instructions. However, if they aren’t readily available then annual servicing is recommended, unless otherwise advised by a Gas Safe engineer. While landlords aren’t formally required to retain maintenance records, they should be able to provide evidence of regular servicing of their appliances and flues.
We have all felt the cold this week with the white snow parts of Kent and Sussex. As the weather is starting to get frosty, it is very important to take the time and prepare your home. That involves making sure your boiler is serviced and working in its peak condition, with minus temperatures we are facing your pipes can freeze and burst.
It is very important to check the pipes of your house. If they are not insulated, you are increasing the risk of letting them freeze or burst during cold temperatures like we are experiencing.
The boiler is even bigger issue than a frozen pipe. As it’s a safety issue and if it breaks down, you are risking yourself of having costly repairs and not having heating or hot water in the coldest days of the year.
Here is a simple guide to prevent such a scenario from Abbey Boilers:
Have your heating system and boiler serviced by a qualified engineer. Just in case you forgot to have your heating system or boiler checked this year, the best time to have it checked is when winter is still on its way. Having it serviced means our heating experts from Abbey Boilers can take a look at your equipment and check if it is working properly. If any defects or malfunctions are detected, we can repair it as soon as possible. It is better to find out minor problems and solve them as soon as possible rather than wait for the problems to get worse then have the issues fixed.
You don’t want any issues from your boiler and heating system in the dead of winter. Just imagine yourself not having heating or hot water in your home with the weather we have been having this week. Apart from the fact that putting up with heating problems during winter is very inconvenient, finding a heating engineer to attend to you might be difficult because they are extremely busy during cold periods like this with all the other lockdown issues we are all experiencing.
Our engineers are highly skilled, ready for any eventuality and have completed thousands of Covid-safe jobs to date in our service area , so you know you can rely on us to keep your home warm and cosy.
Abbey Boilers always puts the safety of our customers first and now all our engineers are fully PPE ready when they come to your home, they are ready to give you extra peace of mind that they can carry out their work safely and respectfully.
Personal Mask -
Gloves for each job-
Personal Hand sanitiser -
Shoe coverings -
Daily Heat sensor tested -
Boiler Service
Boiler install
Leaking Tab
Oil Tank
We hope things will start to turn back to normal, but in the mean time our amazing engineers are here and ready as they have been for the last year under these trying times. All our engineers are fully qualified and have many years of experience under Abbey Boilers.
Smart thermostats are the latest must have gadget in a modern home and with Black Friday and Cyber Monday here you might have bought one, maybe after reading our guide here
Google Nest or Hive are now an install upgrade for most of our customers, after all what's not to like about ability control your heating from the comfort of your bed or on router to your home from work.
All you need to control your boiler and the overall temperature is a decent wifi connection, a smart phone and a wireless thermostat device and hub.
To be able to control the temperature in individual rooms your radiators will need to have thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs), which can be fitted to any radiator by a skilled heating engineer.
Both Nest and the Hive system can be used to control a whole host of exciting internet connected devices - lights, smart plugs, motion sensors, and window and door sensors. Even be controlled via Alexa or Google Home smart speakers.
You can monitor your energy usage and programme your thermostat accordingly which helps you be more efficient and environmental.
Both Hive and Nest can detect when you are at home using GPS technology and allow you to control the temperature by single room via your smart phone or a web browser and can adapt to different temperatures and weather conditions.
But importantly, they significantly reduce your energy wastage.
This is mainly down to the high level of information you get because they alert you about your energy consumption.
Before ordering a wireless thermostat you will need to check whether your boiler or heating system is compatible. For advice or help installing your new wireless thermostat, get in touch with us and we can talk you through the process:
Installing, servicing, and repairing boilers, oil tanks, Agas and much more in the Horsham, Crawley, West Sussex, Surrey, South West London, and Brighton and Hove areas.
Registered in England & Wales No. 7559426
Gas Safe No 529002
Vat No. 111 6410 69
