You can rely on your boiler, cooker or stove to work for years to come if you follow these tips from a heating expert at North East Boilers which has been in business for 30 years.
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Heating is very important in a household, whether it’s to keep warm or to cook meals. But do you know how your boiler and your stove work? Do you know how to keep them in tip top shape?
It’s easy to think you do, until you have to call in the professionals.
North East Boilers have been experts in central heating boilers and cookers for 30 years. Here, the company’s director, Rose Logan shares tips on how to maintain these machines in your home for years to come.
Tips on using boilers, cookers & stoves
1. Make sure your appliance is installed correctly.
For example, check that the flue pipe you’re putting in is the right one for your appliance, whether it’s an oil, wood or multi-fuel burning stove. You can’t put an oil flue on a wood burning stove; it has to be a twin wall flue.
2. Make sure your oil tank has enough oil in it.
Rose says: “Surprising how many people think they’ve got oil in their tanks (for oil-fired appliances). In actual fact, they’ve got a layer of water at the bottom of their tanks. You have to get that cleared out; you have to get that subbed out by a professional.”
3. Know how a programme operates your appliance.
“A range cooker might overheat and go to high limit. The high limit button is designed to cut that cooker off until you find out why it’s overheating. It’s usually the thermostat or somebody’s left the door open,” says Rose.
4. Keep an eye on your combi boiler’s pressure gauge.
The pressure on a combi boiler’s gauge should be at 1 to 1 ½ bar. If that needle drops to zero, it means there’s a problem in the system somewhere. It could be a weak pipe or a small water leak. It’s best to call on a technician to help you resolve the issue.
5. Check your machine’s remote acting oil fire valve.
This valve is located between an oil-fired appliance and the tank. It’s designed to trip a boiler or cooker off if there’s a fire. If a boiler goes to lockout during winter, for instance, there might be a bit of condensation, a little ice around the valve. Clear that away.
6. An oil-fired cooker & an oil boiler need servicing every year.
For stoves, get the chimney professionally checked and swept every six months, or at least every 12 months. Also ask professionals to service your stove.
North East Boilers mark 30th anniversary
North East Boiler Sales and Services is a family-run business started by Alistair ‘Jock’ Logan back in 1993 when he was made redundant from the oil field. He was lovingly supported by his wife, Rose.
It didn’t take long before ‘the business grew arms and legs,’ as Rose describes. When the company launched 30 years ago, they were using only one van. Now, they have 14 vans on the road.
The secret to North East Boilers’ success
Rose shares: “I think it was mainly down to being able to respond quickly and having the spares in the van. That is what we’ve prided ourselves on. To this day, 99.9% of the time, the spares are in each of our vans. People don’t have to wait days to get their boilers going.”
“It’s very rare that we have to order a part and we can usually get it in a couple of days.
“We have a very good supplier just outside Edinburgh that we’ve worked with for the last 30 years,” says Rose.
She adds: “The office staff are excellent. They’ve all been with us for many years. They all know the business. They can liaise with the customers. They all have an in-depth knowledge of how burners work and can sometimes help customers over the phone.”
North East Boilers have also branched out into wood burning stoves, which have become more popular especially after the brutal impact of storm Arwen in November 2021.
The company covers Aberdeenshire (the whole of the AB post code), going into Laurencekirk, Inverness, Dundee and Perth.
North East Boilers keep it all in the family
Jock and Rose are keeping their business all within the family. Their son, Brian joined them after leaving the Royal Air Force. Their daughter, Fleur also came on board when she was made redundant at work. Fleur eventually became the first female OFTEC registered technician in Scotland.
One of their grandsons is now also in the business, helping to ensure that this enterprise will continue well into the next 30 years and beyond.
“You’ve got to move with the times, and you’ve got to think ahead. There might be ups and downs along the way. But if you’re really committed, you’ll survive and thrive,” shares Rose.
To celebrate their 30th anniversary, North East Boiler Sales and Services offers 10% off servicing charges for oil boilers and stoves.
Call 01888 562 943, email info@northeast-boilers.co.uk or get in touch through North East Boilers’ website