Below we have created a guide explaining everything that's involved in a gas fire service including costs.
Is it time to have your gas fire serviced? Would you like to know what this involves and how much the bill may come to? In this cost guide, we’ll break down the price of different types of gas fire services. We’ll also explore topics such as how long these services might take and what such servicing involves.
The following article will prove very useful if you plan to have your gas fire serviced soon or need to start planning ahead for future servicing.
Gas fire servicing involves checking the safety and functionality of a gas fire. This may include analysing the risk or presence of carbon monoxide and any issues that may need to be fixed with your gas appliance. These services are popular primarily because they are necessary but also as they can bring peace of mind and improve safety in the home.
The average cost is about £60 to have a gas fire service performed. However, the cost will vary depending on the type.
Gas boiler checks usually cost around £60 to £80, gas safety checks tend to come with a price tag of between £60 and £120 and a gas safety certificate will set you back about £60.
The cost of a servicing will be almost entirely down to the labour cost (approximately 95%, if not 100% depending on the type of servicing).
The materials cost, if there are any will land around £2 to £5. Your final bill will depend on a range of factors including the size and type of gas fire.
In addition, where in the UK you live will also play a role in shaping the total gas fire service cost. This is due to the fact that labourers have a range of rates throughout the UK.
For instance, in London, heating engineers cost about £60 per hour or £50 per hour in Wycombe but only £35 per hour in Doncaster or £40 per hour in Aberdeen. In Belfast, heating engineers have an even lower rate of about £30 an hour.
So, as you can see, where you live will play a significant role in the total cost of a gas servicing. Ease of access also matters when it comes to the price of a gas fire servicing.
| Type of Gas Servicing | Total Cost |
|---|---|
| Gas Boiler Check | £60 - £80 |
| Gas Safety Check | £60 - £120 |
| Gas Safety Certificate | £60 |
Before having a gas fire serviced, you’ll need to hire an appropriate contractor for the job. It’s worth asking your friends and family in case they know of anyone in particular who they would recommend for the job.
Either way, you should consider asking different contractors and companies for quotes as this will help you assess the prices that are on offer in your local area. There are plenty of experienced gas fire service engineers in regions across the UK.
Having a gas fire servicing does not involve planning permission or/and building regulations unless you intend to have actual work performed.
After booking a heating engineer and agreeing upon a fee, they will make a visit at the designated time to inspect your boiler in the case of a gas boiler check or to analyse the functions of a range of different gas appliances when it comes to a gas safety check.
As for the former, the first step of a boiler servicing involves inspecting it visually to check for any issues or damage. Then, the controls and operations will be tested and analysed for functionality.
After this, they will inspect the flue and boiler parts. Among the aspects they will investigate include gas and pressure flow, safety elements and ventilation.
If you are having a general safety check, the heating engineer will take a look at a range of gas parts including flues, pipes and vents and appliances such as boilers, cookers and fires.
While having a gas fire servicing performed, you may wish to have additional work performed by a heating engineer. For instance, you might want to have a radiator replaced which would cost you between £150 and £300 depending on where you live.
The cost of boiler repairs, likely performed at a later date will cost anywhere from £150 to £400 depending on how extensive the work is.
Legally, you can service a fire yourself or any other gas appliance for that matter. It is commonly thought that this is not allowed, however, so long as you are not performing any repair work and you do not need to install anything, it is legal to do so.
You’ll need to get your hands on a telegan if you want to test the combustion gases. It is important that you know what you’re doing throughout the servicing. You should also read the gas regulations.
If you have any doubts, you should hire a professional or at least get in touch with a professional who could give you advice. Obviously this might only make sense if they are not going to charge a fee for their advice, so it would need to be a friend of yours who’d be happy to help you out.
Once more, planning permission and building regulations do not apply unless there is actual work taking place although generally, you cannot legally perform work on a gas appliances or elements as a DIY project.
There are a range of hazards and dangers associated with performing a gas fire servicing DIY. For one, you could fail to spot issues or incorrectly diagnose a problem. This could become a real problem as your boiler may not have the maintenance and repair work necessary to prolong its lifespan. It could even prove dangerous if, for example, you missed a potential carbon monoxide hazard.
Beyond that working with any gas appliances can be dangerous in of itself if you are not competent. So once more, only perform a gas fire servicing if you know exactly what you’re doing. Otherwise, you should hire a professional.
In this section, we’ll take a look at the various types of gas fire servicing. In each of the following subsections, we’ll answer questions such as how much the service costs and what pros & cons they come with.
It is essential that you have your gas fire serviced at least once every 12 months. As you would imagine, a fire servicing involves inspecting your fire to check whether it is operating as it could be and to look for any evidence of worn down gaskets or/and seals.
The heat engineer will also take a look at other aspects of your gas heating like the chimney flue to analyse its functionality.
In most cases, the manufacturer of your fire will require that an annual servicing take place as part of their warranty also. This is the most common type of gas servicing, in particular because it is a legal requirement. It comes with an average cost of around £60 to £80.
✔ Checks for any safety issues
✔ Ensures operational standards are met
✔ Can prevent more costly repairs down the line
✖ Could be abit of a nuisance
A gas safety check involves an inspection of a whole host of gas appliances such as cookers, fires and boilers as well as elements like vents, flues and pipes.
Such a check will investigate whether your gas appliances are operating with the right pressure, if the air supply is flowing correctly and that the gas is burning as it should. In addition, a gas safety check involves making sure that the chimney and flue is not blocked and that any fumes/gases can be released to the outdoors safely.
Beyond that, a heating engineer will also confirm that the safety devices are functioning properly. Gas safety checks are important to avoid toxic chemicals accumulating in your home including carbon monoxide.
This check is not as common as a gas boiler service. It generally costs between £60 and £120. The cost to service a gas fire on its own will end up around £50 to £60. You may alternatively wish to have both a gas fire and boiler service simultaneously.
✔ Looks for issues with functionality
✔ Checks for dangerous toxins
✔ Covers a wide range of gas appliances
✖ Takes up abit of time
All landlords need a gas safety certificate which is officially known as a Gas Safety Record. Homeowners may avail of one but are not legally required to. This is in accordance with the gas safety regulations that were introduced in 1998.
After a landlord or homeowner has a gas safety check performed, the heating engineer will hand over a certificate. This was originally labeled a CP12.
A gas safety certificate will feature the following information:
On average, this certificate will come with a cost of approximately £60. Let’s now take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of a gas safety certificate.
✔ Gives you a roadmap for dealing with any gas appliance issues
✔ May help with future wor on gas appliances
✖ Will set you back atleast £60
As with any work, there are some downsides. While this work is required in the case of a boiler check or recommended by the relevant authorities as with a gas safety check, there are some issues worth considering.
Disadvantages of a Gas Fire Servicing are that it's time consuming, can be expensive and you run a small risk of hiring a cowboy contractor.
There is also a risk of not getting planning permission or building regulations approval for any work that is required after a servicing although this is unlikely as such approvals probably won’t be necessary. Even if this is the case, you may need to apply again. You should consider contacting a professional before re-applying should this unlikely scenario occur.
We have hundreds of homeowners each day checking the prices on YourJobCost before hiring a tradesperson. That way they've already got a good idea of how much they should be quoted.
While a boiler must be serviced every 12 months, other appliances do not legally require a servicing but it is very much recommended. If you think there are any faults or issues with it, you should have it checked by a professional as soon as possible.
Once every 12 months.
Approximately 15-25 years.
Roughly 30 to 60 minutes.
The main issue is that there is the danger of a gas leak of some kind. Beyond that, there is even the risk of a gas explosion.
