No heat. Call now.
OFTEC-registered emergency engineer for oil heating breakdowns across Knaresborough, Harrogate, Ripon and rural North Yorkshire. Pick up the phone — you’ll get a real engineer on the line, day or night.
If any of these are happening, phone now.
Some boiler faults need attention tonight. Others can wait until morning. Here’s how to tell — and when in doubt, phone us. Triage is free over the phone.
Smell of oil
Inside the property, around the tank, or near the fuel line. Indicates a leak somewhere in the supply. Fire and environmental risk — phone immediately.
Smoke or soot
Visible smoke from the flue or boiler casing, or sooty deposits inside the property. Bad combustion plus CO risk. Make safe and ventilate immediately.
CO alarm sounding
Get everyone out of the property. Phone 999 first if anyone has symptoms — headache, dizziness, confusion. Then phone us to make the appliance safe.
Visible oil leak
Drips from the tank, fuel line, fire valve or filter. Environmental hazard and a fire risk. Isolate the supply if you can do so safely, then phone.
Burning smell
From the boiler casing or near electrics. Could be an overheating component or wiring fault. Switch off at the spur, leave it alone, phone direct.
No heat · deep winter · vulnerable
Elderly, young children, anyone with health conditions — no heat in sub-zero temperatures becomes urgent quickly. Phone same evening, not next morning.
Can usually wait until morning: simple lockouts (reset button visible), heating-only or hot-water-only failures, low pressure, one cold radiator, mild summer breakdowns. Phone us first thing — standard daytime rates apply.
From your call to a working boiler.
Most emergency callouts follow the same pattern. Here’s how it goes once you pick up the phone.
Phone Triage
You describe what’s happening. We ask targeted questions — fault code, smell of oil, when it last worked, what you’ve tried. Often the fault is identifiable from this alone, free of charge.
Honest Assessment
If it can safely wait until morning, we’ll tell you. If we need to come out now, we’ll give you an ETA and confirm the rate before setting off. No nasty surprises on the doorstep.
Make Safe On Site
Isolate fuel, isolate electrics, contain leaks. Property left in a safe state before any diagnosis or repair work. No exposure to CO, oil, or unsafe appliances.
Diagnose & Fix
Lockout interrogation, combustion analysis, fuel sampling, electrical testing. Common spares carried on the van mean most faults are fixed in one visit.
Written Report
Clear written summary of the fault and the action taken. Photos where useful. Useful for insurance claims, landlord records, and your own peace of mind.
Return If Needed
If a part needs ordering, the return visit is at standard rate — no second callout fee. The original emergency closes out properly, never held to ransom.
What we see most often.
Most oil boiler emergencies trace back to one of these. Familiar territory for an OFTEC engineer — usually diagnosable in the first 15 minutes on site.
Boiler in lockout
Flashing reset light. Boiler tried to fire, failed to ignite, locked out for safety. Usually a fuel issue, photocell issue, or nozzle / electrode problem. Diagnosable in minutes.
Won’t ignite at all
Boiler tries to fire but no flame. Electrode wear, ignition transformer failure, or a fuel supply blockage. Common after a tank refill that’s stirred up sludge.
Smoke or soot
Bad combustion — dirty burner, blocked flue, or wrong air/fuel ratio. Needs sorting urgently. Soot inside the property means CO is a real risk.
Water in fuel
Condensation in the tank, especially common in older steel tanks. Causes lockouts, sooty burn, nozzle blockages. Polish the tank and the problem usually clears.
Oil leak
From the tank, fuel line, fire valve, or filter housing. Environmental and fire risk. Isolate, contain, repair — sometimes a tank replacement is the only long-term answer.
No hot water · heating fine
Cylinder fault, diverter valve, immersion stat, or zone valve stuck. Boiler itself is healthy — the distribution side needs attention. Different fix, same engineer.
Published rates. No tricks.
No “we’ll see when we get there” prices. No call-out fee on top of the hourly rate. Same flat rate any time outside standard hours.
Emergency Callout
- One hour on-site included
- Phone triage is always free
- Make-safe priority
- Diagnosis & written report
- Same rate any time outside standard hours
Continued Work
- Continued repair work
- Parts confirmed with you before purchase
- No second-callout fee on return visit
- Standard daytime rates Mon–Fri 8:00–17:30
- Saturday morning at standard rate
Travel: First 25 miles from Knaresborough included on every callout. 60p per mile beyond, quoted up-front so you know the total before we set off.
Scope: Single-stage pressure jet burners up to 70kW only. Twin-stage burners and larger commercial appliances are outside our scope — we’ll tell you on the phone before setting off.
24/7 emergency cover across North Yorkshire.
Knaresborough hub, 25-mile radius included on every callout. Most rural North Yorkshire villages sit within the included zone — call to confirm.
Questions people actually ask.
If you’re hesitating at 11pm with a freezing house, these are the things you’re probably wondering.
Will you actually answer at 2am? +
Yes. The number rings the engineer’s mobile directly. If for any reason it goes to voicemail (genuinely rare, but I’m one human and very occasionally I’m on another job or briefly without signal), leave a message and you’ll get a call back within minutes. No call centre, no triage script, no waiting on hold.
How long until you’re on site? +
Within the standard 25-mile area, typically 30 to 90 minutes depending on time of day, weather and where I’m coming from. The ETA is confirmed honestly during the phone call before we set off — no “yes we’re on the way” theatre when we’re not.
What if you can’t fix it tonight? +
If parts need ordering — which sometimes happens with older boilers or unusual makes — the boiler is left in a safe state, the situation is fully documented, and we arrange a return visit at standard daytime rate. No second emergency callout fee. The original fault is closed out properly.
Will I get a sky-high bill? +
No. £150 covers the first hour on site. £85 per hour beyond that. Any parts are confirmed with you before they’re fitted — you see the cost up-front, not hidden in a “miscellaneous” line on the invoice. Most genuine emergencies are fixed within the first 1–2 hours, so the total is usually £150–£235 plus any parts.
What if it turns out to be something simple? +
Sometimes the fix is a 5-minute reset or a £1.50 fuse. The £150 first-hour rate still applies — you’ve still called out an engineer at 11pm who’s loaded the van and driven to you. But you also get a full diagnostic check while we’re there, so the visit isn’t wasted. Better to call than sit in a cold house second-guessing.
Do you work on all oil boiler brands? +
Yes — OFTEC qualification covers single-stage pressure jet burners up to 70kW, which is virtually every domestic oil boiler in the UK. Worcester, Grant, Firebird, Warmflow, Trianco, Mistral, HRM, Boulter Camray, EOGB, Riello burners — all standard work. Twin-stage commercial burners and units over 70kW are outside our scope; we’ll be honest about that on the phone before setting off.
Should I phone you or 999? +
If there’s a fire, active smoke filling the property, or anyone showing symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning (headache, dizziness, confusion, nausea), phone 999 first. Get everyone out of the house. Then phone us once you’re safe — we’ll deal with the appliance once the immediate danger is handled. For everything else — oil smell, no heat, lockouts, water in fuel, leaks — we’re the right first call.
Pick up the phone.
We’ll take it from there.
No call centre, no triage script, no waiting on hold. A real engineer answers, listens, and gives you an honest assessment — day or night, free over the phone.
One number for everything — routine bookings, quotes, advice, breakdowns and out-of-hours emergencies. You’re straight through to the engineer, day or night. Out-of-hours rates apply on evenings, weekends and bank holidays.