...to think that the free boiler I got last autumn should work properly?

I haven’t got a “free” boiler, but I do have a boiler with pressure dripping every blooming day and I’m lucky to have a really good local plumber.

My advise, check it every day and get a local plumber round!

*advice

PS yes, it should still be working!

Alie2
These are installed by private companies. They bid for the contract. They will be employing people they can pay the lowest wage. Plus the fact that you don’t know if these plumbers have the correct qualifications.
I know this because when we came to view the bungalow we now live in the boiler was in the lounge 😂
Of course it had to be mentioned.
The previous owner had died and his family were dealing with the sale. Between us we had ditched the estate agent.
The previous owner had one of these grants. They told him it was the only place the boiler could go.😡

There is no such thing as a free boiler. Someone is making money from this and it isn't you or the installers.
Report them to the local council- you must have paperwork.

I would NOT have accepted a boiler in the lounge!
This one has taken over my airing cupboard, which is bad enough. Nowhere to put all sheets, towels etc which lived there.
...and a whole lot of stuff I didn't want done, which I didn't know anything about until they got here!

I'm hoping to get a local man in to find out, sort it; - then I have a second opinion?
Surveys of my house beforehand did go to the council - but not sure which council in this area...

What a rotten experience.

No experience with boilers but we’ve recently had free insulation in our loft. All communication was professional, paperwork is on headed stationery, the installers came in a van with logo, were professional and polite. They also left a warranty for installation and quality of insulation.

I would have expected similar professionalism with a boiler and I’m sorry you’ve been let down Allie. I think I’d seek advice from the CAB, no matter who installed it surely there should be a manufacturers warranty for your boiler. If you don’t have one you need advice. If there is one then head to the manufacturer.

Our much older boiler lost pressure recently. A YouTube video showed us how to top it up, it was simple. Are you, a friend or family member able to do that to keep you going until it can be dealt with professionally?

You’re definitely not being unreasonable.

The track record of Government schemes seems pretty woeful.

As soon as a 'free' scheme is announced I'm afraid the cowboy firms appear from nowhere, manage (somehow!) to get themselves on the government approved list, do the job, grab the grant money and often go into administration around the time the complaints start piling up.

Meanwhile, the customer is left with a dodgy boiler or mould-generating cavity wall insulation and is driven round the bend by all the buck-passing.

Never, ever go down the route of a Government 'free' scheme.

At best it will cost you an awful lot of money to put right. And at worst you may end up living in an absolutely uninhabitable home.

It happened to my next door neighbour under the WarmFront scheme. God rest the poor woman's soul.

We had the free boiler. Couldn't be more pleased. The team did the work in one day and although done at a rush, everything explained and no need to go back to them. It did help that DH had installed our previous system 50 years ago and understood everything. Modern boilers take a bit of getting used to

Alie2Oxon

Since I was using the old back boiler here and although it was working I knew it couldn't be repaired, when I got a government leaflet through the door about a free replacement I went for it... I couldn't find a plumber locally who would deal with the old one.

I'll pass over the four (freezing) days the men were here, apart from saying that they mostly didn't speak English and I felt invaded!

Since it was installed in November I has been off once - I was lucky that my neighbour could find someone to fix it.
Now it's off -again-, today... low pressure made it shut down.
I really do not want those people back!

My neighbour thinks I should go back to them - but a visit from Leicester could be very expensive!
Yes, that's where they came from.

Any one else got a free boiler? If so please comment.

I have an old back boiler, no idea how old it is I moved here in 1999 and it was here then and obviously been here for years/ decades? Every now and then it dies, but so far I’m lucky as there is a local older gas engineer who comes and sorts it as a hobble! It costs me about £60 a year to have him repair it. He says that tho old ( and possibly illegal?) it is simple to repair and is a good boiler!
I did see the offer but the boiler is in the back of my living room gas fire and the upheaval needed to change that would have been horrendous … so 🤞🤞🤞 as I’m 80 this year I’m hoping that both the boiler and my repair man stay active til I fall off my perch!

You said it, Midge.
I now have the number of a locally recommended firm
and will speak or leave a message soon - I want them to check the work and put things right!

Check with Google the make and manufacturer of the model and you will find out how long the warranty period is. You can ring their warranty line or email them and they can sort it if it is a problem with the boiler. If it is out of warranty, you can call any boiler engineer.

If your boiler is failing because of low pressure, you should be refilling it regularly. This is a common necessity on sealed systems even with the best of boilers. The boiler handbook will tell you how to do this, it is very easy.

This is exactly why I’m hanging on to my forty year old gas boiler.
It still works fine and I get it serviced regularly.
I just hope it never packs up.

I think you should read the manufacturers handbook instructions about your new boiler, and follow the instructions on checking the pressure and adjusting it if/when necessary. Very simple to do.

Sounds like you need to find out where the pressure valve is. It probably only needs opening up to add water to the system. Do you know anyone who can show you? Dare I say it, knock on a neighbour's door and ask, even if you are only on nodding terms. Believe it or not, most neighbours are only too willing to help.

Our gas boiler is in the loft so I don't see or look at it that often!
If it doesn't work I'll check and invariably it's because of low water pressure.
There's a guage on the boiler that shows this reading.
As other people have said it's a simple procedure to repressurise it, YouTube is your friend here for how to do it.

My service engineer said it's something I can expect to need to do a couple of times a year, any more frequently and I should call him.

We had a free boiler some years ago due to husband's disability. We had problems and when we had it checked we were told it was old stock as parts were hard to get due to its age. The govt are funding these schemes and getting ripped off, at least in some cases.

youtu.be/UhTRIf5ueMo?si=xyl9U92RJkv3Z0fN

This video from Which? is easy to follow.

Regarding the low pressure have you checked that there are no leaks in your radiators.
We had a small leak as in one drip every hour and the next morning the boiler had dropped pressure. Got it repaired and everything is now working properly.

It is easy to repressurise your boiler. Mine is 10 years old but shows an error sign when the boiler needs more water. My taps/levers are upstairs near the water cylinder and both should be turned to horizontal to let water through the pipe. You will hear it, but only do this for about 5 seconds before returning the levers to vertical because too much water could flood the system. The gauge display on the boiler should then show the needle has moved from red back to green and has sufficient water in the system. I hope this works.

We have just had a new boiler installed (we paid). It was the same as the boler in our previous house, the pressure was something you kept an eye on and pressed something if it dropped below a certain figure.

We had a free replacement boiler fitted in 2005 because the original boiler was over 30 years old.It was an up to date Worcester bosch and has worked perfectly since then with a yearly service.There was a small charge and all paperwork was supplied.

Still no central heating. I've left a message on the local man's website, since I couldn't contact him any other way.
If he won't check it out, I have another possible from a friend.

But this evening I don't seem to have the hot water either....
And drying clothes has become very difficult!

Makes me realise how lucky I am not to have central heating 🤣