Central Heating in London (102)

As you might have guessed by their title, a central heating engineer is a tradesperson who specialises in installing and maintaining central heating systems.

All central heating engineers are Gas Safe engineers. That means they’re qualified to work on gas central heating systems, gas appliances, pipework, and any associated fixtures and fittings that are part of a central heating system.

Some central heating engineers will work on both residential and commercial buildings, but others will often specialise in either domestic central heating while others focus primarily on larger scale commercial central heating systems.

Common jobs for a central heating engineer

Whether it’s a domestic or commercial system, a central heating engineer’s main priority is ensuring that the building they’re working on has a safe and efficient heating system.

Here are some of the most common jobs that a central heating engineer will carry out in the UK:

• Installing central heating systems and heating appliances, such as boilers and radiators

• Carrying out maintenance work on central heating systems and equipment

• Reviewing existing central heating systems to make sure they’re working efficiently

• Repairing any damaged or faulty heating appliances, pipework and/or fittings

• Testing central heating system controls and safety devices

• Providing advice and guidance on the central heating systems, safety and energy efficiency

Benefits of hiring a central heating engineer

There are a number of very good reasons why hiring a central heating engineer to install or service your heating system is a good idea:

• Central heating systems can be complex and require skills and experience to be properly installed and maintained

• Experienced central heating engineers can offer advice on the best type of central heating system to install for your home

• A central heating engineer knows what to look out for to improve your home’s energy efficiency, and avoid issues in the future

• It gives you peace of mind that your central heating system is being managed by a qualified tradesperson

Want to speak to central heating engineers working in London?

Sometimes it helps to have a quick chat with locally-based central heating engineers to understand what options are available in your area and how much they’ll cost.

If you’re ready to reach out to central heating engineers working locally in London, we can help you find the best tradespeople in your area with our quick and easy.

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Or try our request a quote, we'll do the searching for you where we'll reach out to get multiple central heating experts to contact you directly.

Central heating engineers are trained to install, repair and maintain various heating systems - such as boilers and underfloor heating.

Work carried out by central heating engineers includes:

• Boiler installations

• Troubleshoot central heating issues

• Fix leaks

• Install new radiators

• Perform maintenance work and checks on heating systems

• Power flush radiators

• Fix gas/electric boiler issues

If you are not sure what is wrong with your central heating, hire a qualified engineer to discover the source of the problem.

If you need help with your central heating system, you might be wondering if you need a central heating engineer or a gas engineer.

We have many homeowners asking, ‘is a heating engineer the same as a gas engineer?’. And the answer is… sometimes. Some central heating engineers are also qualified gas engineers and will be Gas Safe registered. But not all.

For that reason, when looking for a tradesperson to get work on your central heating system, it’s always important to check that the person you’re speaking with has the necessary skills, experience and qualifications to work on it.

If you have a gas central heating system, always make sure that they are actively registered on the UK Gas Safe Register (their membership needs to be renewed every year).

The difference between central heating engineers and gas engineers

When it comes to heating and gas engineers, here’s a summary of the two trades:

Gas engineer:

• Are specifically trained to work with gas appliances

• Usually cover a wide range of gas appliances and systems, including central heating

• Are legally required to be registered for each of the services they offer with the UK Gas Safe Register

• Have the knowledge and skills to work with gas safely.

• Will have an official ID card to prove that they’re Gas Safe registered (make sure their card is valid and not out of date)

Heating engineers:

• Can provide all the same services as a gas engineer, as long as they are currently Gas Safe Registered

• Will only be able to carry out work on the non-gas components of a heating system if they’re not Gas Safe Registered – such as heat pumps, thermostats, power showers, water heaters and electric boilers

• Are able to install a gas boiler but will require a Gas Safe engineer to carry out the gas work and commissioning

• Can perform maintenance and cleaning services of central heating systems

Choosing the right engineer for your central heating system

You’ll find that many heating engineers are also Gas Safe registered, which means they can carry out all works on gas or non-gas central heating systems.

That said, it’s important that you check exactly which gas services they are licensed to provide, so that you can be confident you’re hiring the right tradesperson for the job.

If in doubt, the UK Gas Safe Register will have a record of all the training that the heating / gas engineer has undertaken so far.

Just because an engineer is registered to work on gas cookers doesn’t mean they can work on central heating systems – so check the register and make sure the tradesperson is registered for the services you’re hiring them for.

It is important that you hire the right tradesperson to fix your central heating. Plumbers are qualified to fix some central heating issues but not all.

You will need to hire a Gas Registered heating engineer for the following jobs:

• Fixing a gas leak

• Installing a gas boiler

• Fitting new gas pipes

• Repairing a gas boiler

While only a Gas Safe registered tradesperson can carry on the above tasks, a plumber will be able to fix several other common central heating problems.

Central heating fixes provided by plumbers include:

• Change radiators

• Powerflush radiators

• Fit TRV (thermostatic radiator valve)

• Install towel rails

Read our expert guide to find out whether you need to hire a plumber or a heating engineer.

We also recommend discussing the details of your job before hiring a tradesperson to make sure you are hiring the right tradesperson for your needs.

Finding a reputable central heating engineer working in London is easy when you follow these simple steps:

• Get recommendations - Do you know someone you recently hired a local central heating engineer? If they had a good experience, ask for the details of the tradesperson they used

• Read customer reviews - Customer feedback is a great place to learn about a tradesperson’s reputation and working standards. Read online reviews and ask a heating engineer for customer references

• Get multiple quotes - Don't just hire the first heating engineer you find. Request quotes from at least 3 tradespeople working locally to find the best price for your job

• Ask questions - Ask an engineer about their qualifications, experience and any guarantees they offer

• Search Checkatrade - Find checked, verified and guaranteed central heating engineers here on Checkatrade. Only tradespeople who pass our quality checks and work to our high standards get the Checkatrade stamp of approval

Use our search tool or Post a Job feature to find tradespeople installing and repairing central heating in London.

When hiring a heating engineer, you want to make sure you're hiring an experienced and reliable tradesperson.

Here are our top tips for choosing the best heating engineers in your area:

1. Use Checkatrade to get recommendations (shameless self-promo!)

Search thousands of verified and guaranteed tradespeople on Checkatrade and have a peace of mind that every tradesperson has to pass up to 12 thorough checks before becoming a member.

All registered Checkatrade members also have to meet our standards in everything they do – and we’re so confident in our members that we guarantee their work for up to a year (T&Cs apply).

2. Request quotes from at least 3 tradespeople

As with all home improvement projects, we always recommend getting at least three quotes for your central heating work. By shopping around you can make sure you’re paying a fair price for the work.

Thankfully, we’ve got a very handy request a quote feature that makes it super easy to get multiple quotes for a job. Simply post details about the work you need doing, and we’ll send it out to tradespeople who work in your local area. Give it a go now!

3. Make sure they have the relevant qualifications

When it comes to central heating systems, especially gas central heating, you want to make sure the tradesperson you hire has the necessary skills and qualifications.

Ask for proof of their training and qualifications and check if they’re registered with the relevant trade associations or national bodies and trade schemes, such as TrustMark, Competent Person Scheme, and the Gas Safe Register.

4. Choose tradespeople with local experience

Hiring a central heating engineer with local experience can be beneficial as they’ll have a working knowledge of the local area, such as energy schemes or initiatives that you could benefit from.

They’ll also have access to a local network of suppliers and labour, and will be close at hand should you need them during the course of your central heating project.

5. Ask for customer references (and contact them)

One of the best ways to choose a reliable and skilled central heating engineer is to get feedback from their previous customers.

Reviews online, such as on their Checkatrade profile, can be very useful. But, if you’ve found a central heating engineer that you think could be right for the job, ask them to provide you with references from previous customers about the quality of the tradesperson’s work, what it was like to work with them, and would they hire them again.

Get more tips on how to find a local gas engineer.

Make sure to hire right and hire once by reading our hiring guide.

There are several reasons why central heating systems stop working. Before you can fix your heating, you first need to find out what the problem is.

Here’s a list of common central heating issues and brief details of how to fix them:

• No heating - Check all boiler and thermostat controls are set correctly. Make sure circuit breaker switch hasn’t tripped

• Only some radiators are working while others stay cold - Bleed radiators and check for items that may be blocking airflow around the vents

• Strange sounds coming from boiler - Check for loose components and bleed radiators to remove air pockets from the system

• Leaking pipes - Locate the leak, turn off the water supply and seal the hole with epoxy putty

• Inaccurate thermostat - Reset the thermostat to receive accurate temperature readings. A replacement may be needed if the problem persists

• Low boiler pressure - Check the boiler pressure gauge. If the pressure is low, follow the boiler manufacturer’s guidelines to repressurise the system

You may need to hire a central heating engineer if none of the above DIY repairs work. Hiring a professional is also often the safest option, especially if you have a gas boiler installed.

The cost of central heating installation depends on the type of system.

For example, oil systems cost about £6,150, electric systems cost £3,790, and gas systems cost £5,250 to install on average.

It’s always worth requesting at least three quotes from local central heating fitters to get the best deal.

There are a few steps you can take to potentially resolve the issue if your central heating stops working:

1. Check appliances and electrical outlets

You may be experiencing a power cut, in which case there’s nothing to worry about. If other appliances are working, move onto the next item.

2. Check the thermostat

Make sure your thermostat is set high enough to trigger the boiler.

3. Check your isolator and trip switches

Something may have disrupted the power supply to your boiler. If these switches are off, turn them on.

4. Check the timer

Make sure the timer is set correctly and adjust it if not.

5. Check for frozen pipes

Frozen pipes are a fairly common issue in winter. You can try to unfreeze the affected pipes by applying a warm compress.

6. Check your radiators

If certain radiators stop working, you may need to bleed the air from them using a radiator key. Be very careful if you attempt this, as hot water can spray out after the air is released.

7. Check the pilot light

Your boiler’s pilot light is supposed to be on all the time. If it’s gone out, this is likely the cause of the issue, and you can relight it by carefully following the manufacturer’s instructions.

Contact a Gas Safe registered engineer if none of these steps work.

If it’s cold or you need to get your central heating back up and running urgently, contact an emergency central heating repair specialist working in your local area.