Christmas Opening Times 2022-2023

By PaulS | Blog

We know that things can sometimes go wrong with your heating, when you least expect or need it to, so over this holiday period we will be open and available on the days given below, including by phone.

Just a couple of things to note:

1. Although we are open, quite a lot of staff are taking holidays, so we will be working with reduced numbers.

2. Our usual emergency engineer out-of-hours cover will be available every day, except the Public Holidays.

3. Days marked with an asterisk (*) may have slightly earlier closing times than normal.

* Opening & closing times may vary.

Gas Service Engineer job

By PaulS | Blog

We’re hiring a gas service engineer

Are you looking for your next challenge?

Join the Stevenson Heating team as a domestic gas service engineer.

The gas service engineer role involves visiting customers across south east London and parts of Kent for pre-arranged appointments to service and repair their heating systems. You will carry out diagnostics and annual servicing checks, as well as deal with boiler breakdowns and emergency repairs.

Domestic Gas Service Engineer

£35,000.00-£39,500.00 per year (depending on experience. Overtime available)

Full-time | Permanent

Required: ASAP

West Wickham BR4 0RL

Your key tasks and responsibilities will be:

✔ Receiving daily appointments via a handheld device.

✔ Visiting customers with pre-arranged appointments, where you will carry out a variety of gas engineer work. This will mainly be diagnostics and annual servicing, along with breakdowns and emergency repairs.

✔ You must be capable of delivering excellent customer service and top quality solutions.

✔ You will need to be confident in your diagnostics skills.

Knowledge, skills and experience required for this role:

✔ Domestic ACS, Gas Safe certificate or equivalent is essential for the role

✔ Previous experience within a similarly diverse role is desirable

✔ A full, and preferably clean, driving licence is required.

Our customers are vitally important to us, as are you. Your own interpersonal skills, professionalism and knowledge will already be clearly visible. We want to ensure our customers receive the best service possible that we are known for, while ensuring both you and they are safe.

Who is Stevenson Heating?

Since 1928, Stevenson Heating Ltd has provided more than 50,000 customers with efficient, quality gas heating installations. Our attention to detail and commitment to achieving the highest standards of work make us one of leading installers in the country. A significant proportion of our work is repeat business from satisfied clients.

What we can offer you:

We offer a great starting salary, alongside a bonus package, a company vehicle and 20 days holiday a year, not including UK bank holidays. You will also be provided with a handheld device, phone and work wear.

Sound like you?

If you think you fit the bill to be a gas service engineer with us, please send an up-to-date CV to info@stevensonheating.co.uk.

Christmas Opening Times 2020-2021

By PaulS | Blog

We know that things can sometimes go wrong with your heating, when you least expect or need it to, so over this holiday period we will be open and available on the days given below, including by phone.

Just a couple of things to note:

1. Although we are open, quite a lot of staff are taking holidays, so we will be working with reduced numbers.

2. Our usual emergency engineer out-of-hours cover will be available every day, except the Public Holidays.

3. Days marked with an asterisk (*) may have slightly earlier closing times than normal.

* Opening & closing times may vary.

Carbon Monoxide: The Silent Killer

By PaulS | Blog

Carbon Monoxide has been in the news recently as “the silent killer” but what exactly is it and what can you do for you and your family?

What is Carbon Monoxide?

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colourless, odourless, tasteless, poisonous gas produced when burning fossil fuels such as gas, oil, wood and coal.

Normally most of the CO is burnt off but if the fuel does not burn properly excess CO is produced.

CO has no smell or taste and cannot be seen but it is poisonous. When it enters the body (through breathing it in), it prevents your blood from getting oxygen to your cells tissues and organs.

Harm to Health

Even if you are exposed to low levels of CO that do not kill, it can still cause serious harm to health, when breathed in over a long period of time.

Long-term effects of exposure to carbon monoxide include paralysis and brain damage. Even short-term inhalation can cause:

• headaches
• dizziness
• nausea
• breathlessness
• collapse
• loss of consciousness

Carbon monoxide symptoms are very similar to flu, food poisoning, viral infections and simply tiredness, which is why it is common for many people to mistake CO poisoning for something else.

How can I protect myself and my family?

Gas Safe and the Health and Safety Executive both advise 2 steps you should take to reduce the risk of CO poisoning:

1 . Making sure that your fossil fuel burning appliances (and flues) are regularly checked by competent engineers.

These include:

– Your heating boiler, no matter whether it burns gas, oil, wood or coal

– Any stoves or additional fires or heating appliances that burn fossil fuels

– That your chimney is clear and regularly swept.

2 . And secondly that you have a CO alarm fitted near the appliance and/or flue.

In Northern Ireland fitting a CO alarm is mandatory. In England and Wales, the 2010 Building Regulations Part J states carbon monoxide alarms need only be fitted in the same room as new or replacement solid-fuel heating appliances.

What is a CO Alarm?

A CO alarm is similar to a smoke alarm except that it alerts you to the presence of carbon monoxide (a smoke alarm will alert you to smoke and NOT carbon monoxide).

They are small battery operated units, normally with a guarantee of 5 years, which are mounted or sit near a gas appliance.

Unlike the cheaper “black spot” cards, they sound an alarm when they detect carbon monoxide and only need to be periodically checked to make sure the battery is still operating, just like a smoke alarm.

However, a carbon monoxide alarm is no substitute for correct installation and servicing of your gas appliances. So always make sure you get your gas appliances checked by a Gas Safe registered engineer every year.

What alarm should I fit?

Gas Safe Register recommends the use of audible carbon monoxide alarms. It should be marked to EN 50291 and also have the British Standards’ Kitemark or another European approval organisation’s mark on it.

We supply and fit the leading brands such as Honeywell or Fire Angel which are both rated at and above the relevant standards.

Where should the CO alarm be fitted?

The recommendation is to fit an alarm in each room with a gas appliance.

Always follow the alarm manufacturer’s instructions on siting, testing and replacing the alarm.

It is important to choose an alarm that will wake you up if you’re asleep, or you may not be aware of early CO symptoms until it is too late.

Is there anything I can do now to check for potential problems?

There are signs that you can look out for which indicate incomplete combustion is occurring and may result in the production of CO:

• yellow or orange rather than blue flames (except fuel effect fires or flueless appliances which display this colour flame)
• soot or yellow/brown staining around or on appliances
• pilot lights that frequently blow out
• increased condensation inside windows.

Other signs that could point to carbon monoxide poisoning:

• Your symptoms only occur when you are at home
• Your symptoms disappear or get better when you leave home and come back when you return
• Others in your household are experiencing symptoms (including your pets) and they appear at a similar time.

What should I do if I experience any symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning?

Get fresh air immediately. Open doors and windows, turn off gas appliances and leave the house.

See your doctor immediately or go to hospital – let them know that you suspect carbon monoxide poisoning. They can do a blood or breath test to check.

If you think there is an immediate danger, call the Gas Emergency Helpline on 0800 111 999.

Get a Gas Safe registered engineer to inspect your gas appliances and flues to see if there is a dangerous problem.

Don’t assume your gas appliances are safe

Remember, get them checked annually by a Gas Safe registered engineer and have a carbon monoxide alarm installed.

If you would like one of our Gas Safe registered engineers to check your boiler or you would like a carbon monoxide alarm fitted, please contact us on 020 8462 8822 or click here to request a callback.

Turning off your water as easily as turning off your lights….

By PaulS | Blog

The Surestop – turning off your water as easily as turning off your lights….

Burst pipes, leaks and easy access for a poorly situated stopcock are all problems that can cause at the least, inconvenience and at worst water damage and a large bill. In fact, in December 2010 there were over 100,000 insurance claims in the UK for burst pipes and water leaks with an average cost of £6700.00.

In most properties, the stopcock is either hidden away at the back of a cupboard or hidden behind furniture and in some cases, the homeowner may not even know where it is. This can be a problem when you want to turn off the mains but a catastrophe if there is a burst pipe or leak with water cascading down the walls.

With Surestop turning off the mains water supply can now be done with a flick of a switch. With a range of British designed and manufactured switches, both on-pipe and remote, that use nothing more than water pressure to isolate the incoming mains water supply (so no batteries or electricity) there is a Surestop to suit every need.

Benefits for the consumer:

• Easy access in the case of an emergency.
• Easy operation, just a simple switch, and no more weeping stopcock spindles and stuck valves.
• Peace of mind when leaving their property (home, caravan, boat, business etc).
• No more struggling to turn off a difficult or stiff stopcock.
• Unaffected by limescale.
• Can be fitted on the pipe itself or remotely on an adjacent wall or surface.

And here are just a few facts which show the potential for damage:

• Every year 1 in 8 homes in the UK is likely to suffer a burst pipe or water leak.*
• 1 in 3 people in the UK do not know where their stopcock is located.**
• Burst pipes and water leaks now cost the UK insurance industry more than claims for burglary or fire***
• Some insurers are raising excess levels for water damage to £250 and more.****

Surestop stopcocks are a low-cost solution to the many problems associated with traditional brass stopcocks and a perfect addition to any job of any size that will benefit both the customer and engineer.

* Research undertaken by Halifax Home Insurance.
** Research undertaken by AA Insurance Services.
*** Industry statistics provided by the Association of British Insurers.
**** Figures provided by The British Insurance Brokers’ Association.

Boiler Plus – What is all the fuss?

By PaulS | Blog

But what does that mean to you?

1. A boiler rated at or above 92% ErP and include an energy efficient
2. Time and temperature controls.
3. If it is a combination boiler it must include at least one energy efficient measure from a list of four available options:

• Flue gas heat recovery
• Weather Compensation device
• Load compensation device
• Smart heating controls.

What if I do not want a new control?

Why are these new rules being introduced?

Christmas Opening Times 2017 -2018

By PaulS | Blog

We know that things can sometimes go wrong when you least expect or need it, so over this Holiday period we will be open and available (that includes the telephones) on the following days:

Just a couple of things to note –

1. Although we are open, quite a lot of staff are taking holidays so we will be working with reduced numbers.
2. All days except the Public Holidays will have the normal emergency engineer out of normal working hours cover.
3. Days marked with an asterisk (*) may have slightly earlier closing times than normal.

* Opening & closing times may vary.

How to thaw a frozen condense pipe.

By PaulS | Blog

Although the winters for the past few years have not been especially severe, there is always a chance of a few freezing days.

If the temperature remains at or below freezing point, some boilers installations may suffer from a frozen condense pipe.

If your boiler has stopped working and the following conditions apply –

• The outside temperature is below freezing and has been for 24 hours or more.
• The condense pipe from your boiler (white plastic pipe that connects the boiler to a drain or soak-away) is outside.
• The condense pipe which is outside is 22mm (can happen with bigger pipes in very cold weather).
• The boiler tries to start but quickly stops or locks-out.

There is an easy short-term solution in the video below:

Please remember –

• Boilers older than 15 years probably will not have a condense drain pipe.
• Most modern installation (especially in the last few years) will either NOT have an external condense pipe OR increase the external pipe size to 1″” or more.