Service
Central Heating Repairs in North Devon
Cold radiators, noisy pipes and pressure issues, diagnosed and fixed properly.
If the boiler's firing happily and the house still isn't warm, the boiler probably isn't your problem. It'll be somewhere out in the system: a blockage, a pump on its way out, a valve that isn't opening, or pipework that's been quietly silting up for years.
That's why resetting the boiler never fixes it. I diagnose and repair heating faults across Barnstaple and all of North Devon.
Common Central Heating Problems I Fix
Cold radiators, some or all. The most frequent complaint. Sludge blocking flow, a pump that can't circulate properly, or air locks. The fix might be a bleed and balance, a power flush, a pump replacement, or a combination.
One cold radiator when the rest are hot. Usually a stuck thermostatic radiator valve or a localised blockage. Cold at the top and warm at the bottom means it needs bleeding.
No heat upstairs. Often pump pressure or flow, or a zone valve not opening fully. Can also be sludge concentrated in the upper part of the system.
Banging, gurgling or kettling. Banging points to air in the system or a pump running too fast. Gurgling means trapped air or low pressure. Kettling, a rumble from the boiler, is usually limescale on the heat exchanger.
Pressure keeps dropping. A small leak, a failing expansion vessel, or a pressure relief valve discharging. Worth finding early: persistent low pressure wears the boiler.
Heating doesn't reach temperature. Pump, sludge reducing flow, or a TRV set too low. Sometimes it is simply a system that has never been balanced.
Central heating leak. Visible or hidden, in pipework, fittings or at a radiator connection. Located and fixed before it damages anything.
Pricing for Central Heating Repairs
The full minimum applies if the visit takes less than 60 minutes. Parts and materials are extra. If more is needed: a TRV or radiator valve swap, system bleed and balance, pump or zone valve replacement, power flush, or magnetic filter fit — you'll get a fixed-price quote before that work proceeds.
Travel beyond 25 miles from South Molton carries a £30 including-VAT travel charge, disclosed before the booking is confirmed. All prices include VAT.
Attendance and diagnosis, travel within 25 miles of South Molton, and up to 60 minutes at the property
What You Can Expect
How the job actually goes.
Gas Safe Registered
Legally required for all gas work in the UK. Reg: 515374.
A Two-Hour Window, and a Tracking Link
Not a whole day waiting in. Watch me approach on a map, and hear it from me if anything changes.
Diagnosis, Then a Fixed Price
I find the real fault and quote any parts before ordering them. Published prices include VAT.
Tidy Work and the Paperwork
The area is protected and cleared up, and you get the written record on the day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is one radiator cold but the rest are hot?
Most likely a stuck or faulty thermostatic radiator valve (TRV), or a localised blockage. If the radiator is hot at the bottom but cold at the top, it has air trapped in it and needs bleeding. If it's cold throughout, the TRV or lockshield valve is likely the culprit. Both are straightforward fixes.
How much does a central heating repair cost in North Devon?
The minimum repair charge is £105 including VAT. It includes attendance and diagnosis, travel within 25 miles of South Molton, and up to 60 minutes at the property. The full charge applies even if the visit takes less than 60 minutes. Parts and materials are extra, and I give you a fixed-price quote before any further work proceeds.
Do you charge a call-out fee?
No. There is no separate call-out fee on top of the labour. A repair visit has a £105 including-VAT minimum charge, and that one figure covers attendance, diagnosis, travel within 25 miles of South Molton, and up to 60 minutes at the property. The full £105 applies even if the visit takes less than 60 minutes. Parts and materials are not included, and any further work is fixed-price quoted before it proceeds.
My heating is making a banging or gurgling noise, what's causing it?
Banging (water hammer) usually means air in the system or a pump running at the wrong speed. Gurgling indicates trapped air and often resolves with a system bleed. A persistent rumbling sound from the boiler area (kettling) typically means limescale on the heat exchanger. I'll diagnose which it is when I come out.
When You Book Me
You'll get an answer. Ring or message during the working day and you'll hear back the same day; evenings and weekends, it'll be the next working day. And if it isn't a job for me, I'll tell you that and point you at someone who can help, rather than going quiet on you.
When you book, I'll confirm it and give you a two-hour window rather than a whole day sat at home waiting. On the morning you get a text with a tracking link, so you can see where I've got to instead of wondering. Traffic and the job before yours are real, so it's a window rather than a promise to the minute, but if it slips you'll hear it from me first.
I'll cover up where I'm working, clear up after myself, and run the boiler through a full cycle before I go. You get the house back as you left it, minus the fault.
Parts I fit are guaranteed for 12 months, and that covers the labour to put it right as well as the part. What it doesn't cover is the rest of a boiler I didn't supply, boilers over 10 years old, or damage caused by sludge and scale in the system. If any of that applies to yours, I'll tell you before the work, not after it.
Every visit starts with finding out what's actually wrong, not with a quote for a new boiler. I'll show you what I've found and what it means, and you'll have a fixed price before I go any further. I don't earn commission on boiler sales, so there is nothing pulling me towards telling you to replace something that can be fixed.
Power Flushing
A power flush is the most effective way to clean a central heating system that has accumulated sludge, rust, and debris. A dedicated power flush machine is connected to the system and forces water and cleaning chemicals through at high velocity, dislodging and flushing out the contamination.
When is a power flush recommended?
- Radiators are cold in patches or won't heat up despite the boiler running
- The system water is visibly dark or dirty when bled
- You're installing a new boiler. Fitting a new boiler onto a dirty system reduces its efficiency and lifespan significantly
- The system is more than 10 years old with no previous flush
- Repeated pump failures suggest contamination
How much does a power flush cost in North Devon? A typical domestic power flush (up to 10 radiators) includes chemicals and a magnetic inhibitor dose. Systems with more radiators or severe contamination cost a little more, and you get a fixed quote before I start.
A magnetic filter is strongly recommended afterwards. It captures magnetite (black sludge) before it re-enters the system, and I can fit one on the same visit.
A power flush is not a DIY job: the machines run at far higher pressure and flow than anything available to hire, the chemicals need proper handling and disposal, and the pipework needs inspecting before and after.
Central Heating vs Boiler Fault, How to Tell
The two get confused because the symptoms overlap. A rough guide:
Likely a central heating system issue if:
- The boiler fires up normally (you can hear it light) but rooms don't heat up
- Only some radiators are affected, not all
- The boiler shows no error code
- Pressure is fine but radiators are cold
Likely a boiler fault if:
- The boiler won't fire at all
- There's an error code on the display
- Hot water works but heating doesn't (or vice versa)
- The boiler fires but cuts out before the system reaches temperature
When in doubt, call me and describe what you're seeing. I can often give a reasonable indication of the likely cause before I come out.
Central Heating Work I Cover
Radiator replacement, thermostatic and lockshield valve replacement, circulating pump replacement, power flushing, magnetic filter installation, and radiator bleeding and system balancing.
Old and awkward is normal work here, not a reason to be turned away. Back boilers, open-vented systems, system and regular boilers, microbore pipework, boilers sited where somebody put them forty years ago and nobody has fancied since. The one honest catch is parts: if a component isn't made any more, I'll tell you that before you spend anything.
Everything except the repair visit itself is quoted before the work starts, because the price depends on the parts and the property.
Central heating repairs across North Devon
Select your area for specific information about central heating repairs near you.