Oil and Gas Boiler Installation & Replacement

About our boiler installations

Choosing the right boiler is an important decision. Green & Reliable Heating fits Firebird, Grant and Worcester Bosch oil boilers, and takes on smaller replacements through to larger projects, with over 30 years' experience and a 10-year guarantee offered.

Which boiler suits your home

• Combi boilers heat water as you use it, with no cylinder, and suit smaller homes with one bathroom. Oil combis are available too.

• System boilers heat water into a cylinder, so several taps can run at once, and suit homes with two or more bathrooms.

• Regular boilers work with a cylinder and loft tanks, and are common in older homes.

Swapping tanks for a combi frees up space, but only suits households that rarely need hot water in two places at once. Our guide to which type of oil boiler you need goes into more detail.

Why oil boilers must be condensing, and who can fit them

A condensing boiler recovers heat from its exhaust that older boilers sent straight up the flue, so it burns less oil for the same warmth.

Oil boiler work should be done by an OFTEC registered engineer. Because we're OFTEC registered, we can self-certify that a new oil boiler meets Building Regulations, so you don't need to arrange a separate inspection from the council. When the job is finished, you get a commissioning certificate showing the boiler has been set up and tested.

Does your oil tank need replacing too?

Not always, but a new boiler is a good time to check. We look at the tank's age and condition, and whether it still meets today's rules on where and how it's sited. Signs a tank may need replacing include:

• cracks, splits, bulging or discolouration on a plastic tank

• rust or weeping seams on a steel tank

• a damaged or missing bund (the outer skin that catches oil if the inner tank leaks)

• oil smells or staining on the ground around it

Some sites need a bunded tank, for example near a watercourse or drain, and tanks need to be kept a safe distance from buildings and boundaries.

What affects the cost of a new boiler

Every installation is priced after a survey. The main things that affect the cost are:

• the type and size of boiler, and whether it sits inside or outside the house

• whether the flue can stay where it is or has to move

• new pipework, an oil supply line or a new filter and fire valve

• extra or replacement radiators

• cleaning out an old system with a powerflush before the new boiler goes in

• whether the oil tank needs replacing

We explain what's included before any work goes ahead.

What to expect on installation day

A straightforward like-for-like replacement is often finished in a day. Moving the boiler, changing the flue or replacing the tank can take longer, and we'll tell you at the survey. On the day, we:

1. protect floors and the work area, and turn off the oil supply, power and water

2. drain the system and remove the old boiler

3. fit the new boiler, flue and any new pipework, and connect the oil supply through a filter and fire valve

4. refill the system and add inhibitor, which slows down corrosion inside the radiators and pipes

5. commission the boiler, testing how it burns with a flue gas analyser and setting the controls

6. show you how it works and hand over the paperwork

For gas boilers, the steps are the same, with the boiler connected to the gas supply and registered with Gas Safe instead.

Repair or replace?

Replacement is worth considering when a boiler is past 10 to 15 years old, keeps breaking down or needs parts that are hard to find. If a fix makes more sense, our boiler repair service covers oil and gas, and our guide to repairing or replacing a boiler helps you weigh it up.