Have you booked a home visit with a heating engineer, but are worried about what to expect?
It can often feel a bit intimidating to have a stranger in your home. After all, the last thing you want is to be sold to, or to listen to high-pressure sales tactics that go on for 2 or 3 hours.
Surely that’s everyone’s idea of a nightmare!
However, any good engineer shouldn’t be able to give you a quote without a home visit. This is so they can see the layout of your existing system, take notes, and work out a detailed quote that’s truly going to suit your home. Just not on the day/night – it should be via email or post so you can compare it carefully with other quotes and not feel pressured into making a decision.
As an engineer with over 20 years’ experience in the Edinburgh area, I’m going to tell you exactly what you should expect from a home visit with a heating engineer.
1. Sussing out your existing setup
The first thing an engineer would do is to look at the type of boiler you have at the moment. Where is it located? Are you happy with the amount of heating and hot water it’s providing you with? Do you want to keep it in that location, or might it be more convenient/efficient if it were somewhere else?
They’ll also probably ask you if you’re looking for a direct replacement (such as combi-to-combi) or if you’re looking to change from say, a regular boiler to a system or combi boiler. If you’re making the switch from an old, unpressurised system, your engineer will also have to check your existing pipework, where the gas pipe reduces in size.
They might even have to see the cold water mains diameter when fitting things like unvented cylinders and high flow rate combi boilers. Just to see if you’re definitely going to get that extra benefit!
2. Talking you through your choices
Next, your heating engineer will sit you down to explain the benefits you can expect from different boilers to suit your lifestyle and type of home. They’ll also ask you some questions to help get a clearer picture of your needs.
Most clients have their own idea of what they want, however sometimes a combi is just not the right choice. Also, there are times where they’ll change their minds from a system boiler to a combi, as they realise there’s not a lot of disruption or upheaval involved.
3. Looking at controls and radiators
There’s no point replacing your boiler if you’re having issues heating rooms with radiators that are too small. Or fitting a new boiler to radiator valves that are leaking. Not forgetting twin entry models, which just don’t work well with pressurised systems.
As for controls, you may have some that aren’t that old, or that you’re completely happy with. Especially if they’re smart controls, they might work just fine with your new boiler. Or, you may want to hear more about your options if you want to upgrade your controls to something better.
4. Checking your existing pipework
I know I mentioned this briefly above, but your engineer is going to want to check your existing pipework to see how much of it can be utilised, and where additional pipes need to be fitted or upgraded. They’ll also need to check the route for your condensate pipe – especially if you don’t currently have a condensing boiler.
This part is unfortunately very necessary, as it determines if floors or carpets will have to be lifted. Your engineer will have to factor this into their quote – although you’d be surprised how easily they’ll be able to come up with workarounds if you don’t want your floorboards lifted.
5. Checking the existing flue and termination
If you have an old square flue hole in your property, it will have to be filled and sealed with sand and cement or with with block and brick work to patch the hole. A new core hole must then be drilled into the wall. Especially if your boiler is going to be relocated, your engineer will want to check the thickness of the wall and the access.
This is vital for installing vertical flues through the roof, as a scaffold may be required.
6. Working out your flow rate
Again, there’s no point in recommending a high output combi boiler or system boiler with unvented cylinder if your existing flow rate is poor. This is simply because low pressure in, means low pressure out, too! Your engineer will ask you to run your taps, and ask you questions like how long it takes to fill a bath (or if you’re happy with your morning shower).
7. Talk you through brands and guarantees
Once your engineer has a good idea of the type of boiler that’s best suited to your home and lifestyle, it’s time to discuss brands. And with brand options, comes a range of different guarantees (and a bit of a price difference, too).
Your guarantee might not be a big deal, especially if you’re planning on moving on in a few years or are going to let the property. In which case, price may be the deciding factor. Many clients opt for Worcester Bosch, as they’re the current market leader.
However, the same number will go for a Baxi or Ideal boiler, as they’ll benefit from a 10-year guarantee whilst saving £200 – £300. It all comes down to personal preference.
Advice from an experienced engineer
Remember, always get 2 – 3 fixed price detailed quotes. You should never feel pressured into making a decision, and if you do feel like the pressure is on, trust your gut and choose a different engineer. You’ll get a good feel when you talk to the engineer, whether he’s knowledgeable.
You should always ask if he’s carried out many jobs on your particular type of property. A big red flag for me is someone who doesn’t take down any notes, write things down, or take measurements. Personally, I find the more questions I answer for a client, the more I’m helping them in their buying process so that they’ll inevitably make the best decision for them.
Even when we don’t get the job, I’ll know they have the correct information – makes helps me sleep better at night!
Conclusion
Thanks for reading. I hope this article has given you a better idea of what to expect from a home visit with a heating engineer. Just remember to always get 2 – 3 fixed price quotes, ask plenty of questions, and at the end of the day, choose someone you’re comfortable with who has all the right knowledge and experience.
Do you have any other questions about home visits with an engineer? Let me know in the comments’ section. I promise to reply!
