More than 30% of  boiler breakdowns last winter could have been avoided through better planned maintenance, according to a recent survey. A high proportion of boilers that broke down had not been serviced for some years and the weather was the final straw.

All Gas Appliances should be safety checked and serviced annually anyway, but sometimes people forget until the bad weather comes. This year why not have your appliances serviced in the summer while our Gas Engineers are quiet. Contact Hometech to find out more

Some properties, mainly flats and apartments, have been built with boiler flues which cannot be inspected because they are hidden behind walls or ceilings. The boiler flues that this information relates to are connected to room-sealed fan assisted boilers.  If you live in one of these homes then please read on for more information so you know what to do.

Gas Safe registered engineers need to be able to see the flue − which take fumes away from the boiler − as part of essential safety checks whenever the boiler is worked on. A flue in poor condition, combined with a boiler that is not working properly, could put you and your family in danger from carbon monoxide poisoning, which can cause death or serious injury.

If your boiler is situated on an outside wall, it is unlikely you have this type of flue. Alternatively, if your engineer can see all of the flue, you will not need to take any further action in relation to this matter.

If you do have a boiler where all, or part of, the flue cannot be seen, you, or your landlord, will need to arrange for inspection hatches to be fitted. This does not mean that your flue system is suddenly unsafe. As long as the boiler passes a series of safety checks − including having audible carbon monoxide alarms fitted − it can be used normally for the time being.

Carbon monoxide alarms are not an alternative to being able to see the flue and you will still need to have inspection hatches fitted. You have until 31 December 2012 for this work to be completed. It is recommended that inspection hatches are fitted as soon as you are able to do so. From 1 January 2013, any Gas Safe registered  engineer will turn the boiler off and formally advise you not to use it  until inspection hatches have been fitted in appropriate places

Although most of the affected boiler and flue systems are relatively new (installed since 2000), the risk of faults leading to the release of carbon monoxide increases as the system gets older, especially if it is not serviced regularly. It is important that you have your gas appliances serviced annually.

You need to take action now

If your property is less than two years old then contact your builder. If your property is between two and ten years old contact your home warranty provider, as you may be covered by them if there are defects in the flue. A list of the main home warranty providers is shown below. If your property is 10 years or older you should contact a Gas Safe registered engineer.

If you are a tenant, it is the responsibility of your landlord to ensure that inspection hatches are installed and that the boiler and flue are checked every year.

If you require any further advice, please contact Hometech of Harrogate or go to the Gas Safe Register web site.

This advice has been developed by the Flues in Voids cross-industry team. It is made up of representatives of Gas Safe Register, house builders, home warranty providers, registered gas engineers, appliance manufacturers (including HHIC) and others and assisted by HSE, to provide clear communication to industry and consumers around the issue of flues being located in voids which do not allow inspection.

During the current period of very cold weather, we are receiving enquiries from  homeowners and tenants whose boilers’ do not appear to be working.

If the temperature outside is below freezing and you have a modern condensing boiler, you may have a frozen condensate pipe.

Based on our experience, the problem particularly seems to affect early Worcester Bosch Greenstar models.

(If you have a Worcester Boiler go to http://www.worcester-bosch.co.uk/homeowner/customer-service/common-winter-boiler-enquiries for specific details).

The condensate pipe is a plastic pipe (usually white), coming from the bottom of your boiler. If this pipe is less than 32mm in diameter and runs outside of the property or through a non-heated area then it should be fully insulated with waterproof lagging. If it is not fully lagged it will be prone to freezing in the winter.

For more details about possible solutions from Hometech, please contact our Customer Service team.

A Pub chain  has been fined £300,000 after a Landlord dies from Carbon Monoxide poisoning.

The court found that only 394 out of the chains 868 tenanted pubs had up to date Gas Safety Inspection records.

All Landlords and their agents are reminded that in Law, a Gas Safety Inspection MUST be done at least every 12 months.

Hometech are highly experienced in attending to the specific needs of  Landlords and tenants.

From response maintenance and repairs, annual Gas and electrical safety checks to all water, gas and electrical installations.

We have friendly office staff who will  take care of all the arrangements for you. Why not call (or email) us today and see how we can help.

TrustMark is a government incentive to help consumers find reputable firms to carry out repair, maintenance and improvement work in homes or gardens. The government consumer line receives more calls for regarding trades people than second-hand cars and they now advise the general public to use a TrustMark registered company.

TrustMark members are deemed to be not only technically competent but also carry out business ethically and deliver a fair job at a fair price with no hidden costs and can insure their work, in the case of NAPIT members it is 6 years. Tradespeople and firms can only get the TrustMark logo by signing up with one of TrustMark’s approved scheme operators such as NAPIT displays the TrustMark logo the firm has been checked and found that it meets certain standards the Government has set out.

For more information, or to arrange your FREE estimate for Plumbing, Heating or Electrical work either call us on 01423 54 6641 or email us from the contact us page

Pegler Yorkshire have announced the arrival of the i-Temp, a electronic programmable radiator valve that could save up to 30% on your heating bills by controlling the individual temperatures of each room electronically for different times of the day, often without any major changes to your heating system. The Valves replace the “head” of the standard TRV or Thermostatic Radiator Valve, without having to drain down the central heating system.

For more details and a FREE compatibility survey (if you live in the Harrogate, Knaresborough, Ripon and Wetherby areas) please call us on 01423 546 641 or you can email us from the contacts page

From the 1st October 2010 changes to Part L of the Building Regulations take place effectively outlawing SEDBUK Band B GAS Boilers.

As a concession any Band B boilers that have been quoted, ordered and paid for may be fitted in homes up to the beginning of April 2011.

Hometech have been recommending Band A boilers such as the Worcester Greenstar, Vaillant EcoTec and Viessmann Vitodens as they can save significant amounts of money on your GAS bills each winter.

Anybody wishing to find out more should contact us on 01423 546 641, or you can email from our contacts page

With many new students (perhaps your Sons or Daughters) taking up places at college and university this autumn, dont forget to ensure they are gas safe as well as academically prepared!

By Law ALL rented properties with Gas, (including student accommodation) MUST be checked annually by a Gas Safe Registered Engineer. Tenants are entitled to see a copy of the certificate produced.

To find out more, download the Gas Safe Registers Student Fact Sheet here, or call Hometech for advice.

You never expect a boiler breakdown and you probably dont plan for it financially, so to help Hometech are offering the facility to pay by credit and debit cards.

Hometech of Harrogate now accept Maestro, Visa, Visa Debit, Visa Electron, Mastercard & Solo.

Surcharges may apply, please ask for details.