Top Questions
1. What should I do, replace or repair my old boiler?
It always comes down to cost and affordability but if it's afforable we suggest you replace it.
A repair can sometimes be as expensive as a brand new boiler. And you could easily have more problems with a repaired boiler further down the line.
A boiler replacement is usually more efficient and more reliable.
Your new boiler will be covered by warranty too – so if it breaks, the manufacturer will repair it with no extra charge.
2. Do you cover my area?
HARNCE Heating & Plumbing operates across South Staffordshire and South Derbyshire covering all commercial and domestic properties in and Lichfield, Tamworth, Burton on Trent and Sutton Coldfield. This includes Abbots Bromley, Alrewas, Alvecote, Amington, Armitage with Handsacre, Barton, Burntwood, Canwell, Chasetown, Chorley & Farewell, Colton, Comberford, Dosthill, Drayton Bassett, Edingale, Fradley, Glascote, Hammerwich, Hamstall Ridware, Harlaston, Hopwas, King's Bromley, Little Aston, Longdon, Mavesyn Ridware, Shenstone, Slitting Mill, Stonnall, Wall, Walton, Wiggington, Dunstall, Tatenhill, Yoxall, Whittington, Weeford, Cannock, Brownhills, Walsall, Rosliston, Overseal, Swadlincote and Tutbury.
3. Are HARNCE Heating & Plumbing engineers trained and Gas Safe registered?
Yes. All of our installers are professional, experienced central heating engineers with Gas Safe certification operating under licence number 539217
4. What is the Gas Safe Register?
The Gas Safe Register is the UK’s official gas registration body of gas businesses and engineers, and is there to protect you and your family from unsafe gas work. By law, all gas businesses must be on the Gas Safe Register. Individual gas engineers cannot enter on to the register, but if they work for a registered business they can be issued with a license to carry gas work on behalf of the registered business, providing they hold a valid and current qualification.
It is crucial for your safety that anyone who installs or maintains gas appliances in your home is a qualified Gas Safe heating engineer. All HARNCE Heating & Plumbing engineers are fully compliant and licensed by Gas Safe.
Boilers & Heating
5. How do I decide what boiler to choose?
The type of boiler suitable for you will depend on the type of home you live in and the needs of those who live there. We make the process easy by asking a few quick questions and then recommending a couple of options perfect for you and your home.
6. What is a combi boiler?
Combi boiler is short for combination boiler. A combi boiler has two important jobs. The first is to give you instant and constant hot water by heating the cold water as it flows through your boiler, sending hot water to your bath and sink taps. The second is to send hot water around your central heating system, to heat up your radiators. As the hot water heating and central heating parts are combined together inside your boiler, we call this type of boiler a combination boiler or combi boiler. For more information, please read our blog - Choosing the right boiler for you home
7. What is a hot water cylinder?
A hot water cylinder is a big tubular tank that you’ll usually find tucked away in airing cupboards or lofts. If you have a hot water cylinder, its job is to store your home’s hot water so that it’s ready for you when you turn on the tap.
If you’re upgrading to a combi boiler that supplies you with heating and hot water on demand, you no longer need your hot water cylinder, so we remove it to give you extra space.
However, system boilers and regular boilers (also called traditional or heat-only boilers) only directly provide central heating, so you need a hot water cylinder to deliver hot water too.
8. What is a gravity fed system?
The force of gravity is used to circulate water around a gravity fed central heating system. You will normally find a cold water tank high up, often in the loft, and then a boiler on the bottom floor, usually the kitchen. In between these two floors is where the hot water cylinder will sit.
When you turn on the hot tap, the boiler heats up the water and because cold water is denser than the freshly heated water, it falls down to the boiler. The hot water then moves up to the hot water cylinder from where it gets forced out to the hot water taps.
9. What is a fully pumped system?
A fully pumped system is a requirement of all new high efficiency boilers. This means that if your current central heating system is gravity fed (see above ‘what is a gravity fed system?’), we have to update it to a ‘Fully Pumped’ system.
This is done automatically as part of your new boiler install with no preparation work for you beforehand. The big benefit is that your new boiler and central heating system will run much more efficiently, reducing your energy consumption and saving you money.
10. What is a fused spur?
Regulations state that a new boiler must connect to electricity via a fused spur so that the engineer is in no danger of being electrocuted.
A fused spur is an electrical point that has its own removable fuse that the engineer can remove, as well as an isolation switch that the engineer is able to turn off.
If your old boiler doesn’t have a fused spur, a fully qualified and approved electrician will need to fit one close to the new boiler position. We can organise this for you, or you or you can use your own contact.
11. What is a flue?
A flue is a pipe that forms part of your boiler and pops out of your house through an external wall or the roof. It connects your boiler to the outside world, getting rid of all gases and condensate from inside your boiler and safely moving them out into the fresh air.
12. What is a condensate pipe?
A flue is a pipe that forms part of your boiler and pops out of your house through an external wall or the roof. It connects your boiler to the outside world, getting rid of all gases and condensate from inside your boiler and safely moving them out into the fresh air.
13. What is condensate?
When your boiler burns gas, condensation forms inside. During cold days this can be particularly noticeable as it flows out of your boiler with all gases and looks a bit like steam in the air. Condensate also gathers within your boiler and is then drained away, usually via a white plastic condensate pipe. Condensate is completely safe, so there’s no need to worry.
14. What are boiler controls?
When you have a new boiler installed you will usually need a few new controls too. Typically we supply things like room thermostats, especially SMART thermostats which let you control room temperatures on your phone.
At HARNCE Heating & Plumbing, we are NEST Pro Installers which means you get an additional 2 years warranty on your NEST if you have it installed by us. We also install HIVE smart thermostats.
Other controls include programmers (sometimes combined within your thermostat), hot water cylinder thermostats, 2-port and 3-port valves and motorised valves.
During hot weather you won’t need your radiators on but will still want to use your hot water. Motorised valves move the heat between radiators and hot water so you can choose to have hot water only on warmer days.
Installation
15. How long will a boiler install take?
We complete most boiler installs on the same day, but depending on the level of work required it can take up to three days. We take great pride in the work we do and treat our customer’s homes with care and courtesy. Rest assured your house will be warm, clean and tidy when we leave.
16. Will HARNCE Heating & Plumbing take away my old boiler?
We will always take away your old boiler unless you tell us not to or if it contains asbestos. If you don't want us to remove your old boiler, let your installer know on the day of installation.
If your boiler contains asbestos, we will be happy to discuss organising a specialist contractor to remove it and the additional costs that will be involved. Unsure if your boiler contains asbestos? Please feel free to call us on
08000 199 350 or send us a picture on Whatsapp to 07442 465079 where we can check the make and model against the register of boilers that contain asbestos.
17. Will HARNCE Heating & Plumbing recycle my old boiler?
Yes. Many parts of your old boiler can be recycled. HARNCE Heating & Plumbing supports recycling as much of your old boiler as possible
8. How do I keep my boiler warranty valid?
Make sure you have your boiler serviced at least once a year by a JD Boilers & Heating Gas Safe engineer.
If you'd like Jd Boilers & Heating to service your boiler, you can take out one of our JD Homeservice cover plans after you purchase your boiler, which includes your annual service. We have a range of plans to suit your needs, including Repair Service+, which covers your wider heating system repairs as well as your annual service.
9. What does my warranty cover?
Your warranty covers everything that JD Boilers & Heating has supplied and installed for you. That usually means the boiler, flue and any attachments.
10. Do I need to activate my warranty?
No. We'll register you with the manufacturer as soon as the boiler installation is complete, so you'll be covered by warranty from the moment your boiler is up and running.
11. Is my filter covered by my warranty?
Yes – your filter is covered by a warranty backed by the filter manufacturer. The length of the filter warranty will always match or exceed the length of the boiler warranty.
18. How do I keep my boiler warranty valid?
Make sure you have your boiler serviced at least once a year by a HARNCE Heating & Plumbing Gas Safe engineer.
If you'd like HARNCE Heating & Plumbing to service your boiler, you can take out one of our HARNCE Service Plans after you purchase your boiler, which includes your annual service. We have a range of plans to suit your needs, including Central Heating Repair, which covers your wider heating system repairs as well as your annual service.
19. What does my warranty cover?
Your warranty covers everything that HARNCE Heating & Plumbing has supplied and installed for you. That usually means the boiler, flue and any attachments.
20. Do I need to activate my warranty?
No. We'll register you with the manufacturer as soon as the boiler installation is complete, so you'll be covered by warranty from the moment your boiler is up and running.
21. Is my filter covered by my warranty?
Yes – your filter is covered by a warranty backed by the filter manufacturer. The length of the filter warranty will always match or exceed the length of the boiler warranty.
22. What do I do if my boiler breaks down?
If you have a HARNCE Service plan and your boiler is in warranty we will call the manufacturers on your behalf and arrange an engineer visit.
If you don't have a HARNCE Service plan, get in touch with your boiler manufacturer and they'll send an engineer out as soon as possible.
If your boiler is made by Worcester Bosch call
0330 123 9559
Open Monday to Friday 7am to 8pm, Saturday 8am to 5pm, Sunday 9am to 12pm
If your boiler is made by Baxi call
0344 871 1545
Open Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm, Saturday to Sunday 8.30am to 2pm, Bank Holidays (including Christmas and New Year) 8.30am to 2pm
If your boiler is made by Ideal call
Open Monday to Friday 8am – 6pm, Saturday 8am – 4pm, Sunday 8am – 12pm and bank holidays 8am – 4pm (closed Christmas day).
23. Do HARNCE Heating & Plumbing offer service plans?
Yes, we have a range of home cover plans to suit your needs.
Our Starter Plan covers your annual boiler service, which you need to have completed every year to keep your manufacturer backed guarantee valid.
Our Boiler Repair Bolt-on covers you for any breakdown issues with your boiler.
Our Central Heating Bolt-on covers your wider heating system, giving you peace of mind incase something goes wrong.
Our Emergency Bolt-on gives you free 365/24/7 call outs within 4 hours
All of our plans are paid monthly by Direct Debit and run for a minimum of 12 months.
24. What is a boiler service?
An annual boiler service is a yearly examination of your boiler by a Gas Safe Registered engineer who will inspect, test and clean various parts of your boiler. For full details see our boiler service page.
25. Who carries out my annual service?
Any qualified Gas Safe engineer can carry out your annual service. This means it can be your boiler manufacturer, one of our HARNCE engineers, or any other engineer that is Gas Safe registered.
You must have your boiler serviced every year to make sure your warranty is still valid.
If you'd like HARNCE Heating & Plumbing to carry out your annual service, you can take out one of our Service plans after you purchase your boiler. We have a range of plans to suit your needs, including Central Heating Service, which covers your wider heating system repairs as well as your annual service.
26. What if my question is not answered on this page?
If you have any questions at all, please call us on 08000 199 350, Whatsapp us on 07442 465079 or send your question via our contact page, and we’ll be delighted to help.