Oil central heating serviced

[Gwenoakes]

We have an oil central heating boiler, Worcester. It has 'supposedly' been serviced for the last two years by a local plumber.

I say 'supposedly' because this time he removed a nozzle because it was dirty from inside the boiler and replaced it with a new one. Then he went outside and changed the filter at the oil tank. He said he couldnt do the timer because there was no manual, so left us with the heating working, after he replaced the pump which he said had gone. Shortly after he left there was thick and I mean thick black smoke coming out the vent and it was sooting up on the wire round the outlet pipe. I rang him and he said, 'Oh dear', which didnt impress me, but said it was OK to carry on using. A couple of hours later there was a real obnoxious smell that filled the kitchen and bathroom above when the window was open. I switched it all off.

He came back the next day replaced the new nozzle with the old one that he had taken out and said he still couldnt do the timing because of no manual, left it working saying he would come back the next day. This was just about a week ago and since then it has been working fine, no black smoke and water and heating OK. He sent us the bill for £300 plus and this was two days after his first visit and I wont pay it, as the job has not been completed.

When we had gas central heating after servicing they put a sticker on the inside of the front of the fire with date and who had serviced it. Do they have to do this with oil boilers, because if they do he has never done that?

We have a carbon manoxide thing that is in the kitchen, just in case, but I really dont feel very safe tbh. Help please.

[HappyBob]

Ring the plumber and tell him you dont feel safe and get some more reasurrance off him. At the same time ask him for a dated receipt and a servicing sheet of some sort stating exactly what work including new parts inc part numbers he has used.

Then ask when he intends to finish the job. I,m not sure if he needs to be registered etc to sevice oil boilers, maybe some one else may chip in with some advice . But he seems to go about his buisness in a very ad hoc sort of way. Hope everything works out well for you.

[silverback]

Hi Gwen, sorry to hear of your issues with your boiler service!. Your oil fired boiler should by serviced by an OFTEC registered engineer, is your engineer registered?, if not then I would find one that is IMHO!. Try not to worry to much, you have a carbon monoxide alarm in place for protection, just check and see if he is registered with OFTEC! .

[Gwenoakes]

Thanks guys, will be onto it. I am not sure if he is registered with OFTEC or not because I couldnt remember who he should be registered with!

[Gwenoakes]

On the invoice there is OFTEC with the gas flame symbol also a number underneath which is C11480. Will that be his registration number do you think? I presume he is registered with Gas Safe Register as well as there is a number underneath that symbol also it has approved plumber on there too, along with Anglian Water, whatever that means.

[LittleBrownFrog]

That'll be his number, and you should be able to check him out on the OFTEC website: http://www.oftec.org/technicians/index

[Gwenoakes]

Cant get onto that, LBF - says server error.