With the chilly weather upon us many people are considering changing their heating systems at the moment. However not all heating system installations are the same and unfortunately it can be hard for the layperson to determine the differences at first glance.

                       BEFORE                                                           AFTER

In the course of our work we are always coming across poor workmanship usually done by a “tradesperson” who has disappeared off the face of the earth!

Most customer know that the PRICE of a new system is not the same as the COST of a new system as short cuts to reduce the price at the installation stage can be very costly at a later date; a great example of this is omitting to fit a magnetic filter and properly flush the system. The dirt and debris that was in the system before and which probably led to the reduction in performance of the old boiler will now be running around your new boiler coating all of the new part in a thick layer of grime!

So how do you spot these differences and make an educated decision, here’s our top tips.

1. As always, use someone who is recommended or comes highly rated by “Rated People”, “Checkatrade” or other bona fide trades people registers.

2. Do your research – good trades people have good review and share their success with others in a subtle way using many marketing channels

3. Check out your short listed trades people’s website for photos of recent work. Good workmanship is sometimes shown on these forums and you can mention these during the selection process to establish a benchmark of quality.

4. Carefully compare your quotes picking out the salient points such as “fully flush the system”, “commission and test”, “lag all pipework”, and ask why these are omitted from other’s quotes.

5. Always opt for “Supply and Fit” – you may think that you can make a saving by purchasing items yourself but please bear in mind that these have NO wrap-around guarantee. What we mean is that if a part / item you supply fails then the responsibility for replacing that part lies with you. If a plumber supplies a part and it fails the liability of the performance of the part lies with the provider, ie. the plumber.

6. Read and understand the documentation: in many cases boiler are not registered with the manufacturers because the plumber has done it, this also applies to Gas Safe register and Building Control. In many cases there are extended warranty offers which need to be applied for at the time of installation. Also many new appliances such as boiler and unvented cylinders have a “Benchmark” form which needs to be filled in correctly and signed off by the customer – make sure this is done and all the information is correct.

Hopefully with these guidelines the general public can make better decisions and receive better quality workmanship.