This article is not about the choice of boiler manufacturer. It is about who you choose to supply and fit your boiler.

If the following does not happen then find a local Gassafe engineer.

• 1.

  The prospective installer should come and survey the job and should be a Gassafe registered individual.

• 2.

  The length and bore of the gas pipe should be checked to ensure there will a sufficient working gas pressure at the new boiler.

  If the gas pressure is not correct, the boiler could be dangerous, will be inefficient and the manufacturer’s warranty may also be invalid.

• 3.

  The flue outlet/termination should be established, and the position correct, as per current regulations.

• 4.

  The correct route for the boiler condensate waste should be established as per Building Regulations.

• 5.

  In the case of a combination boiler, the incoming cold water flow rate and working pressure must be physically measured to ensure the suitability of the boiler.

• 6.

  Combination boilers fall with the scope of the Boiler Plus Regulations and these should be explained to you together with your options to meet the requirements of the regulations.

• 7.

  Are you in a hard water area? What provision is in place or needs to be installed to protect the boiler.

• 8.

  The guarantee and Building Regulations certification process should be explained to you.

• 9.

  The existing electrical installation should also be considered to ensure the cabling and fusing are correct for the new boiler.

• 10.

  Any quotation should of course be in writing. Where VAT applies the quotation should show the net quoted figure and the gross figure with VAT added.

Educate and protect

The reason for writing this article is that there is now a proliferation of companies who purport to quote via the internet or phone usually they will ask for a couple of photographs.

Clearly it is impossible to quote properly unless a physical assessment, by a registered engineer, of the factors highlighted above is undertaken.

You may well receive quite a cheap quotation from a remote quoting company.

Be careful. Often these companies will quote a low figure to get the job then will add considerable sums onto your bill as they start to charge for each problem they find after they have started the job.

These issues should have been addressed when quoting for the work!!!!