You expect your boiler to work properly 24/7/365, especially with the rather unpredictable weather in Britain. In fact, you probably just take it for granted, thinking that it will provide heat every time you need it to. So, if it breaks down all of a sudden, you just find yourself worried, frustrated, and definitely uncomfortable.
The next pressing question now is, who do you call to service and repair your faulty boiler? Would it be a plumber or a heating engineer?
If you need to restore your home’s heating or stop your boiler from leaking immediately, it can make a big difference if you know who to call.
The role of heating engineers and plumbers may look the same on the surface but these two actually have several key differences.
Can Plumbers Repair Boilers?
Plumbers can work on bathrooms and heating systems with tasks that include changing radiators, fitting towel rails, and fitting TRVs or thermostatic radiator valves. They can also handle repairs to radiators, pipework, blocked toilets, taps, showers, water tanks, gutters, and more.
Although plumbers may have the necessary experience in the different plumbing services and can also handle dishwasher installation, dripping taps, and leaky pipes, it doesn’t necessarily give them the qualification to work on gas boilers.
There might be Gas Safe registered plumbers but it is not the standard for everyone. When you see a plumber that offers gas central heating services at the same time, you might want to check first with the Gas Safe Register to be sure that they have the legal permission to work with gas.
Can Heating Engineers Repair Boilers?
Heating engineers work exclusively on heating in commercial and domestic properties instead of working on various disciplines that pretty much make them heating specialists. This is why it might be better if you call a heating engineer instead of a plumber since they might be more familiar and experienced with your problem.
A heating engineer is an expert on boiler repair and can handle other tasks such as new boiler installation, gas leaks repair, running new gas pipes, heating controls installation, changing radiators, and leak repair.
Once again, it is important to make sure that you hire a Gas Safe registered heating engineer before you let them lay a finger on your precious boiler.
Be Sure to Hire Gas Safe Registered Engineers
Plumbing and heating jobs are quite varied that call for different sets of specialized skills. Yes, there are tradespeople who do everything but still, many of them often specialise in a particular field.
Experienced heating engineers who are skilled in boiler repair might not be involved in heating system jobs at all, while plumbers specializing in bathrooms may perform radiator swaps but won’t handle boiler repairs.
Since a boiler repair job involves working with gas, Gas Safe registered engineers are the only ones who are legally allowed to work on gas boilers. It is one of the main differences between heating engineers and plumbers since plumbers are not required to have Gas Safe qualifications.
The strict regulation of the gas industry is to make sure that all related services are rendered according to the highest safety standards. Thus, whoever you call to service and repair your boiler, always verify if they are Gas Safe engineers in the first place.
