Boiler repair visit
Minimum charge including attendance, diagnosis, travel within 25 miles of South Molton, and up to 60 minutes at the property. Parts, materials and further work are quoted separately.
Combe Martin, North Devon
Boiler Repairs in Combe Martin
Combe Martin runs about a mile and a half up its valley from the seafront, which makes it one of the longest village high streets in England — buildings pressed together either side of the road, hills
Boiler repairs in Combe Martin
Combe Martin runs about a mile and a half up its valley from the seafront, which makes it one of the longest village high streets in England — buildings pressed together either side of the road, hillsides climbing steeply on both flanks. It's a distinctive place, and from where I'm standing the properties are just as distinctive. Older terraced cottages near the bay, some carrying decades of piecemeal heating modifications. Newer builds further up the valley with far more conventional setups. Holiday lets sitting next door to permanent homes.
I cover Combe Martin all year as part of my Barnstaple and North Devon patch. I'm George Lane, Gas Safe registered, over 25 years at it. I quote the job and do the work myself — nobody else turns up in my place — and you get a fixed price before I start anything.
If your boiler's stopped in EX34, give me a ring. Same-day attendance is almost always possible.
Why homeowners in Combe Martin choose me
Gas Safe Registered
Legally required for all gas work. Reg: 515374. Verify at gassaferegister.co.uk.
25+ Years Experience
All major brands: Worcester Bosch, Vaillant, Baxi, Ideal, Glow-worm, Potterton.
Transparent Pricing
Fixed price after diagnosis before any work starts. No hidden fees.
Same-Day Where Possible
Serving Combe Martin and surrounding areas from South Molton.
Prices for Boiler repairs in Combe Martin
All prices include VAT. Travel within 25 miles of South Molton is included. Beyond that area, a £30 travel charge applies and is confirmed before booking.
My Boiler Repair Process
Call me with the details.
Make and model if you can find them, any fault code on the display, and what it's doing. That's usually enough for me to come prepared and often to know the likely fault before I arrive.
On-site diagnosis with a fixed price before work starts.
I diagnose with test equipment, explain what I've found in plain language, and give you a firm price. Nothing happens until you've agreed it.
Repair, or an honest view on replacement.
If the repair makes sense, I do it. If the boiler's age and condition make it a poor bet, I'll tell you straight. I don't patch boilers I know won't last.
Full test before I leave.
I run the boiler through the whole cycle, heating and hot water, check nothing's lingering in the fault log, and make sure it's all working before I go.
Common Boiler Faults I Fix in Combe Martin EX34
Pressure loss: Worcester F22, Vaillant F22, Baxi E119, Ideal F1 Dropping pressure is my most common call anywhere in North Devon. In Combe Martin's older terraces — the cottages and Victorian houses nearest the seafront — ageing pipework and radiator valves are usually where it's escaping. I trace the cause rather than topping it up and heading off.
Ignition faults: Worcester F28/EA 227, Vaillant F28/F29, Baxi E133, Ideal F1 When a boiler won't light, or fires for a second and cuts out, it's usually the spark electrode, the flame sensor or the gas valve. On older Vaillant ecoTECs the F75 fault (pressure sensor or pump) is a regular one. I carry test equipment to tell them apart, because getting the right part first time is the difference between a modest bill and a wasted one.
Diverter valve failure Hot water but no heating, or heating but no hot water — the diverter valve is the first thing I'd look at. It's the part inside a combi that sends flow to either the heating or the hot water circuit, and when it sticks or the seals go, one side gets nothing. Replacement valves for the Worcester Bosch Greenstar and Baxi 800 series, the two I see most in Combe Martin, are easy enough to get.
PCB failure (printed circuit board) The PCB runs the whole boiler. When it fails you get repeated lockouts, a boiler that won't start, or fault codes that don't line up with anything else. I prove PCB failure with test equipment before I recommend replacing one, because they're among the pricier parts on a boiler.
Expansion vessel failure A waterlogged expansion vessel can't absorb pressure changes any more. Pressure builds when the boiler fires, the PRV opens and drips, and you're topping up every few days. Re-pressurising or replacing the vessel puts a clean end to it.
Heat exchanger scaling and kettling Kettling, or a steady rumble from the boiler, means limescale or magnetite on the primary heat exchanger. Ignore it long enough and the heat exchanger cracks, which is an expensive day. Deal with it at the kettling stage with a power flush and inhibitor to BS 7593 and it's a much smaller job.
Pump failure A seized pump — more common on systems that haven't been serviced, and on holiday properties that have stood idle for months — means no heat reaches the radiators even though the boiler is firing away happily. Replacing it is routine work.
Condensate pipe issues The condensate pipe on a condensing boiler can block or freeze in cold weather. Combe Martin's valley shelters the village from some of the coastal wind, but it can also trap cold air in a hard frost. If your boiler died on a cold morning, that's worth a look before you ring anyone.
Boiler Brands I Repair in Combe Martin
Worcester Bosch Greenstar. The most common premium boiler in North Devon. The Greenstar CDi, 4000 and 8000 are all well represented across EX34. Well built, good parts availability, and the usual faults are the diverter valve, the expansion vessel and the PCB.
Vaillant ecoTEC Plus and Pro. Fitted widely through the 2010s. F75 and F22 account for most of my Vaillant call-outs round Combe Martin.
Baxi 800 series and Duo-tec: a popular mid-range choice, common in rentals and holiday lets. E133 ignition faults are what I'm called out to most.
Ideal Logic and Vogue. Reliable mid-market boilers. Older Logics have a known thermistor fault throwing F1 codes, and it's usually a simple, affordable repair.
Glow-worm Betacom and Flexicom. In some of the older Combe Martin properties. Parts for older Flexicoms are patchy, so I check before I commit.
Potterton Performa and Profile. Still going in some of the older village houses, though the parts supply for the older models keeps thinning.
I also work on Alpha CD25C, Ariston, Ferroli, Main Combi Eco and Viessmann Vitodens. The make and model are on the data plate on the front panel if you want to check.
Properties in Combe Martin I Cover, EX34
EX34 covers Combe Martin and stretches to Ilfracombe and Berrynarbor, taking in a fair spread of property types and ages.
The village itself runs down the valley from the Pack o' Cards pub — one of the more famous landmarks around here, supposedly built in the shape of a pack of playing cards back in the 17th century — all the way to the seafront. The older properties cluster near the bay and along the lower High Street, with the newer builds higher up the valley sides.
Those older terraced cottages near the seafront and the lower High Street have heating that's been changed and added to over many decades. I find older conventional systems, the odd back boiler, and more recent combi installations where the original setup was ripped out. The newer places further up the valley are far more predictable: mostly combis, mostly with parts on the shelf, mostly quicker jobs.
Holiday lets and second homes make up a good chunk of Combe Martin, particularly the cottages near the seafront. If you're a landlord or a holiday let owner, I do annual gas safety checks (CP12) alongside repair work, and a combined service and safety visit covers both in one trip.
Repair or Replace?
Under 8 years old. Nearly always worth repairing. A well-maintained boiler should reach 12–15 years.
8–12 years old — depends on the brand and the fault. A Worcester Bosch Greenstar at ten with a failed diverter valve is worth fixing. A budget brand the same age with a cracked heat exchanger is a much harder sum.
Over 15 years. Time for a proper conversation. Parts availability varies a lot by brand at that age. And for a holiday let in particular, an old boiler with a history of faults is a bigger liability than it would be in someone's permanent home — replacing it before it fails mid-season is usually the easier decision to defend.
I'll give you a straight view once I've seen it. I don't push replacement unless the numbers genuinely back it up.
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.
Book a Boiler Repair in Combe Martin
Call me on 01271 444410 or email info@tarkaboilersbarnstaple.co.uk. I cover Combe Martin EX34 all year: old cottages, holiday lets, modern houses and everything in between.
Areas Near Combe Martin I Also Cover
- Berrynarbor. Within the Combe Martin service area
FAQs: Boiler repairs in Combe Martin
How quickly can you get to Combe Martin?
Combe Martin is about 19 miles from South Molton, half an hour on the road, and I usually do it on the same run as Ilfracombe. Same-day may well be possible depending on where I already am and what's booked. I'll give you an accurate arrival window when you call.
Do you work on older boilers in the village cottages?
Yes. Older conventional and system boilers are common in Combe Martin's terraces and I've plenty of experience with them. The one variable is parts: where a model's parts are discontinued, I'll tell you before you commit to anything.
Do you cover holiday let properties?
Yes. I know what a breakdown means when guests are in the house. Call me and I'll be as quick as I reasonably can. I issue CP12 gas safety certificates too — see the Combe Martin landlord gas safety page.
My boiler is losing pressure constantly, what causes that?
Either a leak somewhere — a radiator valve, a pipework joint, or the PRV itself — a waterlogged expansion vessel, or a PRV starting to fail. I trace the actual source rather than just topping it up.
What should I tell you when I call?
Make and model, any fault code on the display, and what it's doing. And if it's a holiday let with guests in it, tell me that as well.
What does the repair minimum include?
The £105 including-VAT minimum covers attendance and diagnosis, travel within 25 miles of South Molton, and up to 60 minutes at the property. The full minimum applies to shorter visits. Parts and materials are extra, and any further work is fixed-price quoted before it proceeds.