Annual service. Done properly.
Full OFTEC service for single-stage pressure jet oil boilers across Knaresborough, Harrogate, Ripon and rural North Yorkshire. Parts included. Documentation issued on the day. The job done the way it should be done — not rushed in 20 minutes.
An annual service earns its keep.
An oil boiler isn’t a fit-and-forget appliance. It runs hot, dirty, and constantly. A proper annual service keeps it efficient, safe and within manufacturer terms — and almost always pays for itself.
Manufacturer warranty
Most boiler warranties require an annual service by a qualified engineer to remain valid. Skip a year and the manufacturer can refuse a claim — even for unrelated faults.
Home insurance
Most home insurance policies require evidence of annual servicing for any claim involving the heating system. A missed service can invalidate cover when you need it.
Efficiency & fuel cost
A dirty boiler burns 15–20% more fuel than a clean one. At current oil prices, the annual fuel saving from a clean burn typically exceeds the cost of the service itself.
Safety
Combustion testing, flue inspection, CO checks, fuel line integrity. Catches the slow problems — leaks, dirty burn, marginal CO — before they become emergencies.
Lockouts in winter
The vast majority of January no-heat callouts trace back to a missed summer service. Dirty nozzles, water in fuel, blocked filters — all preventable, none of which you want at 9pm in February.
Documentation
You get a written service record on the day — useful for insurance, mortgage surveys, and selling the property. Landlords get a separate CD/11 certificate as required.
Every visit follows the same checklist.
Some engineers do a 20-minute “service” — quick combustion check, fresh sticker, off to the next job. Ours takes 60–90 minutes and follows the full OFTEC procedure. Here’s exactly what gets done.
Burner Strip & Rebuild
Burner removed and stripped down. Clean burner head and fan. Check & clean photocell. Check / replace electrodes. Fit new manufacturer-spec nozzle. Check ignition leads & transformer. Set air shutter to spec.
Fuel System
Replace fuel line filter cartridge (part included). Clean fuel pump filter screen. Inspect fuel line for leaks & damage. Check tiger loop (where fitted). Test fire valve operation. Check supply pressure at pump.
Heat Exchanger & Internals
Clean & descale primary heat exchanger. Clean & descale baffles. Remove, clean & refit turbulators where present. Check combustion chamber rope seal. Vacuum out soot & debris. Wipe down appliance casing.
Flue & Condensate
Visual inspection of flue terminal. Check flue for obstruction or damage. Verify flue seals & clearance. Clean condense trap. Check condensate discharge route.
Controls & Safety
Test thermostat operation. Check pressure gauge reading. Check pressure relief / safety valve. Test overheat stat reset. Verify boiler control sequence end-to-end.
Tank & Supply
Visual tank inspection. Check for corrosion / bulging / leaks. Check tank base & bund condition. Check vent & oil gauge. Note any findings on the service record.
Final Tests
Flue gas analysis (CO, CO₂, efficiency, smoke number). Tune combustion to manufacturer spec. Run-test boiler under load. Fit service sticker. Issue written service record.
Tidy Up
Dust sheets down throughout. Boots off in the house. Vacuum the work area before leaving. Boiler cupboard left cleaner than we found it — every time.
Two tiers. Honest pricing.
Most homes only need the Standard service. The Premium adds fuel polishing — worth doing every few years, especially before winter, or if the boiler is starting to lock out.
Standard Service
- Full OFTEC combustion service & flue gas analysis
- Burner strip, clean & rebuild
- New nozzle, fuel filter & pump screen clean
- Baffles, turbulators & heat exchanger cleaned
- Controls, safety devices & flue inspected
- Service record issued, sticker fitted
Premium Service
- Everything in Standard Service
- Pre-polish fuel sample & lab-grade dip test
- Full tank polish (up to 1000L)
- Water, sludge & particulate removed
- Post-polish sample & condition report
- Tank visual inspection & bund check
When to pick which: Standard is right for ~80% of homes — yearly servicing with reasonable fuel quality. Pick Premium if your boiler has been locking out, the tank is more than 5 years old without a polish, the fuel looks cloudy, or it’s been over 3 years since the last polish.
Scope: Single-stage pressure jet burners up to 70kW only. Twin-stage burners and larger commercial appliances are outside our scope. Landlords needing a CD/11 — see Landlord Annual.
From enquiry to sticker on the boiler.
Booking a service shouldn’t be complicated. Here’s the process from start to finish.
Send an enquiry
Drop a line via the form or phone direct. Tell us your boiler make/model if you know it, your postcode, and roughly when you’d like a visit. No pushy follow-up.
Confirm a date
We come back within the same working day with a couple of date options and a fixed price. You pick what works. Reminder text 24 hours before.
Arrive on time
Two-hour arrival window (e.g. 9–11am). Phone call when we’re 30 minutes away. Dust sheets, boots off, the boiler cupboard treated like a kitchen not a workshop.
Full service performed
60–90 minutes on site. The full 7-stage OFTEC procedure (above) — not rushed, not skipped. You get to see the flue gas analyser readings before we button it up.
Service record issued
Hard copy left with you, PDF emailed for your records. Sticker fitted to the boiler. Findings explained in plain English — what’s good, what to watch, what to budget for.
Reminder next year
11 months on, a friendly reminder lands in your inbox. No automated nagging. No “limited time offer” theatre. Just a heads-up that your service is due.
What we don’t do.
Honesty saves everyone time. If your job’s outside our scope, we’ll tell you on the phone, save you the call-out, and recommend someone who can.
Gas Boilers
We’re OFTEC-registered for oil only, not Gas Safe registered. If your boiler runs on mains gas or LPG, you’ll need a Gas Safe engineer — different qualification, different scope.
Twin-Stage Burners
Larger commercial twin-stage pressure jet burners are outside our certification. Standard domestic boilers are all single-stage — if yours is twin-stage, it’s commercial-grade kit.
Anything Over 70kW
Domestic oil boilers are almost all under 50kW. Anything 70kW+ is in light-commercial / agricultural territory and needs an engineer certified for that class.
Servicing across North Yorkshire.
Knaresborough hub, 25-mile radius included on every visit. Most rural North Yorkshire villages sit inside the included zone — phone to confirm.
Questions before you book.
The most common things people ask before booking a service. If yours isn’t here, drop us a line — no obligation.
How long does a service take? +
The Standard service takes 60–90 minutes depending on the boiler’s age and condition. Older boilers and ones that haven’t been serviced for a few years take longer — more cleaning, more checks, more verification. Premium with fuel polishing adds another 60–90 minutes for the tank work. Plan for half a morning.
Do I need to be home? +
Someone needs to let us in and out, but you don’t need to hover. As long as the boiler is accessible and we can reach the oil tank, we can crack on. Lots of customers leave us with a key or a code and go to work. You’ll get a phone call when we’re done with a summary of findings.
What if you find a fault? +
We’ll show you the problem, explain what it means, and give you a fixed quote to put it right. Small fixes can usually be done there and then — bigger work (a new pump, a flue replacement, a leaking tank) gets a written quote before any work starts. No “we’ve found something, you have to authorise this now” pressure. Honesty is the only sustainable way to run a service business.
When should I book? +
Summer is the right time — boiler isn’t being used, ground floor isn’t muddy, and you get any issues sorted before the heating season starts. We get busiest in September and October, so if you want a specific date, June through August is the easiest. Boiler not been serviced for 2+ years? Don’t wait — book now regardless of the season.
Do you take card payment? +
Yes — card terminal on the van for paying after the visit, or bank transfer if you prefer. Invoice emailed the same day. No deposit needed for a service booking. Payment due within 7 days of the invoice — most customers pay on the day.
What if my boiler is really old? +
We still service old boilers — anything from a 1990s Camray onwards is fair game. The honest conversation we’ll have is whether it’s still cost-effective to keep going, or whether the annual repair bill is starting to add up to “you’d be better off replacing this.” But we won’t pressure you either way. Plenty of life left in a well-maintained old boiler if you don’t mind it being slightly less efficient than a new one.
Is the price really £129 — no extras? +
Yes. £129 includes parts (nozzle and filter), labour, and the service record. If we find a fault that needs more work, that’s quoted separately and confirmed with you before we start. The only thing that can change the basic price is travel beyond 25 miles — quoted up-front before we set off.
Do you service Worcester / Grant / Firebird / Mistral / Warmflow? +
Yes — OFTEC qualification covers all standard domestic oil boilers. Worcester, Grant Vortex, Firebird, Warmflow, Trianco, Mistral, HRM, Boulter Camray, Riello burners — all standard work. If you’ve got something unusual, ping us the make/model in your enquiry and we’ll confirm we can service it before booking.
Send an enquiry.
We’ll do the rest.
No deposit, no high-pressure sales, no follow-up spam. Just a clear price and a date in the diary. Most enquiries are answered the same working day.
Annual servicing is the simplest booking. Drop a few details on the form and you’ll get back a couple of date options the same working day. No deposit, no sales call, no pressure.