Customer FAQs

If you have booked an OVO on demand service, certificate or a repair, or you are thinking about doing so here you can find some useful information

What is OVO on demand and how does it work?

OVO on demand is a platform that connects customers with tradespeople.

You tell us what needs doing and we send a notification to engineers in your area who are qualified to do the job. We'll match you with an engineer whose availability matches yours. The engineer will then call you to confirm the time on the day of the job.

We are part of the OVO Energy family. We work with over 2000 local engineers all over the UK. These engineers work with CORGI HomePlan too so you can be confident your boiler is in good hands!

Are all your engineers Gas safety registered?

YES.

We work with over 2000 local engineers all over the UK. To become part of the network they go through a rigorous process, pass insurance and register checks and have to validate all their skills and qualifications.

How do I make payment?

When the engineer has completed the job we'll send you an invoice with the invoice attached and a payment link where you can pay by card. We are not able to take cash. If you are expecting a certificate this will be sent to you once payment has been made.

What does a boiler service include?

You should have your boiler serviced at least once a year to ensure it functions correctly and does not have any water or gas leaks even if you don't spot any signs of damage or wear and tear. There can be issues that can go unnoticed. Not performing an annual boiler service could affect your boiler's performance, you could experience a boiler breakdown, or you could even invalidate your warranty. Boiler services can vary for each company/engineer but ours will always include the following:

• Inspection of all internal parts for any signs of defect or leakage
• Perform FGA (flue gas analyser), pressure check and clean condensate
• Checking and cleaning any magnetic filter cartridges
• Visual check and bleed radiators as necessary then re-pressurise system
• Re-fit the flue test cap when finished

How often should you service your boiler?

You should have your boiler serviced at least once a year to ensure it functions correctly and does not have any water or gas leaks even if you don't spot any signs of damage or wear and tear. There can be issues that can go unnoticed. Not performing an annual boiler service could affect your boiler's performance, you could experience a boiler breakdown, or you could even invalidate your warranty. After booking your service with OVO we will remind you yearly to make sure you're able to stay on top of your boiler's health.

How long does a boiler service take?

An experienced engineer can complete a boiler service in 20 minutes, but depending on how old your boiler is and how often it has been serviced, this can take up to 1 hour 30 minutes. If you have your boiler serviced annually, this gives you the best chance of a fast service.

After booking your service with OVO, we will remind you yearly to make sure you're able to stay on top of your boiler's health.

Who needs a Gas safety certificate?

Homeowners and Landlords

As a landlord, you have a legal requirement to have an annual gas safety check and provide a certificate as proof. The inspection should be done on all gas appliances in each of your properties, and you should receive a copy of the certificate to keep for your records, as well as providing a copy to your tenants.

As a homeowner, you are not legally required to hold a Gas Safety Certificate but it is strongly recommended to have an annual check or service of your gas appliances to check they are working safely and efficiently. It is worth noting that some home insurance policies require Gas Safety certificates for policies to be valid so it might be worth checking with your provider.

It's also worth noting that having an annual service is also required to ensure the validity of your boiler warranty.

What is a Gas safety certificate?

A Gas Safety Certificate (or record) is a document that should be given to you once a gas engineer has finished any gas work at your property such as a service or safety check, and details specifically what has been inspected and any further issues there may be. It should always include key information such as:

• a description of and the location of each appliance or flue checked
• the name, registration number and signature of the individual carrying out the check
• the date on which the appliance or flue was checked
• the address of the property at which the appliance or flue is installed
• the name and address of the landlord (or their agent where appropriate)
• any safety-related defect identified and any remedial action taken

About your boiler

We have put this guide together on how to identify the most common issues for your boiler and radiators to break down.

Click Here to be taken to the guide.

Here is a summary of what you will find there:

• My boiler timer's not working
• My boiler has stopped working in cold weather
• My boiler is working, but there's no hot water
• I have hot water, but no heating
• Why is my boiler making noises?
• Why won't my boiler fire up?
• Why does my boiler keep cutting out?
• The pilot light on my boiler isn't working
• I reset my boiler but it's still not working

• My radiator is leaking
• Why is my radiator whistling?
• Why is my radiator ticking?
• Why is my radiator making banging noises?

What is a Boiler Flue?

The boiler flue is a large pipe that travels from the boiler to an external wall of the house. It allows the exhaust gases and fumes created by the boiler's operation to escape outside the house instead of inside the home. Looking at your boiler, the flue is the large chimney-like pipe often coming from the top or off the back of your boiler.

A boiler flue is effectively a chimney. The flue brings air into the boiler for combustion and expels the products of that combustion back to the outside. There are typically two waste products that a properly functioning modern boiler creates; carbon dioxide and condensation, both by-products of how boilers heat water. A modern boiler condenses; this condensation runs back through the flue system and collects in the boiler.

What to do if I can smell gas?

Knowing what to do in an emergency could save lives. Whether you're at home or out and about, there are some essential things to do if you suspect a gas leak.

If you think you have a gas leak or can smell gas, leave the house and phone the National Gas Emergencies number immediately on 0800 111 999.

If you're at home, and you can do it safely, turn off your gas supply. The gas mains tap should be beside your gas meter. Move the handle a quarter turn until it's at 90 degrees from the pipe to shut off the gas supply.

What should your boiler pressure be?

The ideal boiler pressure should be between 1 to 1.5 bars on your pressure gauge when your heating is switched off. Around 2 bars is a normal pressure level when your boiler is active/heating up. Anything below 0.5 is too low and must be replaced.

Why does my boiler pressure keep dropping?

It's not uncommon for your boiler to lose a little bit of pressure slowly, and this can usually be resolved very quickly by repressuring the system.

But a rapid drop in pressure, or a repeated drop after you've repressurised, usually means that there's a problem somewhere.

What is a Combi boiler?

Combi is short for 'combination' boiler and is labelled as such since it provides both hot water and heating from a single unit. They are the most popular type of boiler in the UK. In fact, they're used by 74% of households.

Combi boilers are efficient and cost less in heating bills.That's because:

• They only heat water when you need it, rather than storing hot water up
• They're small and compact, as they don't use an external hot water tank

What is an LPG boiler?

Whilst natural gas boilers are, without a doubt, still the most common type of boiler, LPG boilers are still used in some properties across the UK. LPG boilers are still used in most rural locations of the country where natural gas is not available.

An LPG boiler is similar to other natural gas and oil boilers in that the boiler burns the liquefied petroleum gas to produce the energy required to heat water, radiators, and other heating and cooking appliances in your home. To note, the UK government plans to phase out gas boilers and switch to renewable fuel sources in the coming years, so you will be seeing less and less of these in future homes.