Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Do you offer 24 hr call out?
A: Unfortunately at present Ilex do not offer this service
Q: What is your call out charge?
A: We don't charge call-out if you're within the local area (Burnham and surrounding towns and villages i.e. Brean Berrow Highbridge Mark West Huntspill e.t.c). We will attend and if we find there to be a fault we will repair it and charge accordingly.
Q: So what are the likely charges?
A: Costs vary depending on the repair done, however common repairs are usually; central heating pump - £100+VAT, Boiler thermocouple - £50+VAT, motorised valve - £100+VAT. These repairs can usually be completed on the initial call to you're home. The cost of a gas boiler service is £52.87 inc VAT and oil boilers are £64.62 inc VAT which includes a replacement nozzle and a combustion analyser test with printout.
Q: Do you do "plumbing"?
A: Ilex's history is in appliance care and central heating installations, by definition we consider ourselves "Heating Engineers" rather than "Plumbers". To those ends we focus on the traditional activities of the Heating Engineer and leave plumbing activities (bathrooms etc) to the many able Plumbers in Burnham. We are however happy to replace taps, install washing machines and other remedial plumbing work if required.
Q: Do I really need to replace my old boiler?
A: If you have a gas boiler that is floor standing with a vertical flue it's probably only 50-60% efficient. This means for every £1 of gas you buy up to 50% is going up the flue! The latest generation of SEDBUK A rated gas boilers are approximately 90% efficient. You do the maths! An energy saving upwards of 30% is available. To put it another way 90% of the gas burnt is being converted in to heat energy.
If you have a more recent wall mounted boiler there are still significant savings to be made with the most efficient non-condensing boilers being around 80% efficient.
The energy savings with oil boilers are less as non-condensing boilers if serviced and setup correctly will run at approximately 85% efficiency. New condensing oil boilers typically run at 90-93% efficiency.
Q: Do I need to get Building Reg approval for my new boiler installation?
A: Yes you do, but we will "self certify" you're new installation for you. This means we will install the boiler and associated equipment to the Building reg standard which enables us to remove the hassle of arranging and paying for approval via the local building control office.
Q: A friend of mine said I will have to have a "combi boiler" is that correct?
A: It's a common mistake - people get confused over the terminology, There are two basic types of boiler, A combi (combination) boiler is basically a water heater that provides central heating, therefore it heats water as you need it. A "regular" or "conventional" boiler provides heat to a storage cylinder (usually in you're airing cupboard) for hot water as well as heating you're house.
If you're told you've got to have a combi boiler what they really mean is a condensing boiler. In April 2005 building regulations were altered requiring all gas boilers to meet a minimum efficiency level. The way for the heating industry to meet this was to incorporate the proven condensing technology well established in many European countries.
In summary which ever type of boiler is best for you (combi or regular) it WILL be a condensing boiler.
Q: How does a condensing boiler work?
A: On a non-condensing boiler the flue gas temperature can be upwards of 150C for gas boilers and 200C for oil boilers. Condensing boilers have a secondary heat exchanger which the exiting flue gases must travel through. additional heat is reclaimed and converted into heat energy thus raising the efficiency of the boiler.
As well as using less gas condensing boilers are also kinder to the environment as they produce less harmful carbon dioxide (CO2).
Q: Sounds complicated, are they reliable?
A: Yes they are. The Worcester Bosch boilers we install are widely considered to be the market leaders and benefit from parent company Bosch's long established German based condensing boiler experience.
as an accredited Worcester Bosch installer we have been trained and accessed to service, repair and install their products.
Q: What warranty do Worcester Boilers have?
A: As an accredited Worcester Bosch Installer we can offer an additional 2 years warranty. Typically this means you will receive a 3 year warranty. During regular promotional periods this will be 5 Years.
It is a fully comprehensive warranty covering parts and labour. Worcester Bosch has it's own dedicated team of service engineers who usually call next day.
Q: GOT A QUESTION?
A: Call or email Jason