Boiler service in Streatham

Interwar and Edwardian houses in Streatham often have heating systems that have been added to many times: extra radiators for a loft room, pipes moved for a new kitchen, an old tank left in the loft. Open vented systems like these draw in small amounts of air and fresh water over the years, which causes rust inside radiators. That black sludge settles at the bottom of radiators and gets pulled back to the boiler.

Signs are radiators warm at the top and cold at the bottom, a louder boiler, and dark water from a bleed valve. A service is a good time to clean a magnetic filter if you have one, check the water and inhibitor, and decide whether the system needs more. Our page on the magnetic filter clean and health check explains the options.

Kettling, a rumbling or boiling noise from the boiler, is another sign we expect in older Streatham systems. It can come from sludge, scale or a pump problem, and is worth mentioning when you book.

Mansion blocks on Streatham Hill usually have individual combis in kitchens, with flues to rear walls or lightwells. Converted houses have combis in cupboards. In both, a hot water flow test at the service shows how much scale the hard water has left in the boiler.

Landlords in Streatham need a gas safety check every 12 months on each gas appliance and flue, with a copy to tenants within 28 days. Book up to two months early and the expiry date stays the same.

Streatham homes with older open vented systems tend to show problems when the heating first comes on in autumn, as sludge that settled over summer gets stirred up. A service in late summer catches a struggling pump or a blocked filter before then.

Tell us when you book if you have a regular boiler with tanks in the loft, a cylinder in an airing cupboard, or a combi in a flat. It changes what the engineer checks and how long the visit takes. If your boiler is in a loft, make sure there is a safe ladder and a light.