Lessons from my Boiler

My boiler broke down last week, along with hundreds of others in the country, straining under the weight of the heaviest snow fall in decades, these aging overworked pieces of equipment on which we rely for heat and hot water simply gave up the ghost.

So, along with hundreds of others, I have been interviewing boiler companies for the right to replace my old friend with a younger model. Having only just moved into the house, I don’t know my boiler very well; and having recently moved back to the UK after 35 years in the tropics, I know absolutely nothing about boilers. That is until I interviewed 3 different companies and quizzed the sales men on the nitty gritty of boiler ownership and operation.

So what did I learn? Well, water flow pressure is key. As is the location and size of your gas pipe. Oh, and these days it seems that combi boilers have to be on outside walls or near drains for the condensate….. To be fair, all of them said pretty much the same thing. Company names change. Brand of boiler changes. Cost varies slightly for a similar product, within a range of ￡300 – which is nothing really when you are talking ￡2,500 – 4,000 for one! Additions and ‘freebies’ vary too. 

So how did I choose my new best friend for the next 10 – 12 years? 

I opted for my local plumber and his suggestion. Slightly more expensive than one of the well known recommended brands, fewer ‘add-ons’ than the big companies. So why him? Shop Local. Support Local Tradesmen. Yes, I know I could have got a slightly better deal from one of the big boys. And yes, their salesmen are ‘local’ too. But with my local plumber I know who will be coming to sort out any problems. I know he is round the corner and a call to his mobile will have him with me within hours. He is someone who knows my boiler and how it is fitted, not an ‘on call’ engineer who has no clue about the work it took to put in, or where the pipes go. In case of disaster, and let’s face it, disaster is only going to strike at the very worst time – during the Beast from the East storm, or when you have a house full of guests – and my local plumber will know me, and my boiler’s idiosyncrasies by then. He will be my knight in shining armour. So, paying a few pounds extra to have a friendly, local tradesman, seems like a good idea.

Oh, and if we don’t all support our local shops, local tradesmen and local service companies, they will eventually be eaten up by the big boys, and we won’t know anyone in our neighborhood any longer. Wouldn’t that be a shame?