Plumbing & Heating Guides

A long warranty is a big selling point on a new boiler — but it comes with conditions, and it’s easy to invalidate one without realising. Here’s how they actually work.

Most people want to know one thing before booking: how long will I be without heating and hot water? The honest answer depends on the job, but here’s what to expect.

‘How much for a new boiler?’ is a fair question with an annoying answer: it depends. But it depends on a handful of understandable things, and once you know them you can read a quote properly rather than just comparing headline numbers.

‘What boiler should I get?’ usually comes down to how much hot water you need at once and what your home is set up for. Here are the three types in plain terms.

A boiler on its last legs rarely fails all at once — it tends to warn you first. Knowing the signs helps you replace on your terms rather than in a cold-weather emergency. For the record, we repair far more boilers than we replace.

When temperatures drop, a frozen pipe can leave you without water — or, worse, split and flood your home once it thaws. Here’s how to spot one, thaw it safely, and avoid a repeat.

Two controls can stop an emergency from becoming a disaster: the water stopcock and the gas emergency control valve. Knowing where they are and how to use them — before you ever need to — is well worth five minutes.

No water at the taps is unsettling, but it’s usually one of a few causes — and a couple of quick checks will tell you which, and whether it’s something you can sort or something to call about.

A burst pipe is alarming, but what you do in the first few minutes makes the biggest difference to how much damage you’re left with. Work through these steps in order.

When something goes wrong with the plumbing, it’s not always obvious whether to ring straight away or wait for morning. Here’s a straightforward way to tell — and what to do in the meantime.