Questions and answers

Go to gassaferegister.co.uk, enter the registration number or the business name, and check the engineer is listed for the type of work, for example domestic boilers. Ask to see the ID card on the day. Ian's number is 6061489.

A heating engineer installs, repairs and services boilers and central heating. A plumber works on water supply, drainage, taps, toilets and bathrooms. Ian does both, but by law only a Gas Safe registered engineer can work on a gas boiler. Plumbing has its own page.

Yes. Ian is OFTEC registered, number 11834, which is the register for oil heating. He services, repairs and fits oil boilers as well as gas and LPG. Oil boilers.

Turn the supply off at the meter if it's safe to, open the windows, don't switch anything electrical on or off, and ring the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 before anyone else. Ring Ian afterwards if the appliance needs looking at.

Yes. Ian carries public liability insurance, and is happy to show you the certificate if you'd like to see it before he starts.

Top it up to about 1 to 1.5 bar using the filling loop, following your boiler manual. If it drops again within days, there is a leak or a faulty expansion vessel, and it needs a Gas Safe engineer. The pressure guide has the steps.

Codes differ by make. Note the code and ring. Some point to a blocked condensate pipe in cold weather, which is a quick fix; others point to the fan, pump or ignition. Repeated resets can make a fault worse, so try once and then ring.

On a combi it is often the diverter valve or the hot water sensor. On a system with a cylinder, check the cylinder thermostat and the timer first. The no hot water guide goes through what to check before you ring.

Ian works seven days a week and fits breakdowns in where he can. Ring rather than filling in the form, say what the boiler is doing and your postcode, and he'll tell you when he can get to you. If it's urgent, say so and he'll see what he can do. There's no extra charge for evenings or weekends.

Ring and tell Ian what the boiler is doing. He'll talk it through with you and give you an idea of the cost before he comes out. Anything bigger than usual is priced once he has seen it.

All the main makes: Worcester Bosch, Vaillant, Ideal, Baxi, Glow-worm, Viessmann and the rest, on gas, LPG and oil. Tell Ian the make and model when you ring, and the fault code if there is one, and he'll know what he's coming to.

Once a year. Most manufacturers make the warranty depend on it, and a service catches small faults, like a tired expansion vessel or a blocked condensate trap, before they stop the boiler in January. Boiler servicing.

Ian takes the case off and inspects the boiler, flue, pipework and controls, checks the gas pressure, takes flue gas readings with an analyser and tests the safety devices. The condensate trap, filters and burner are cleaned where they need it. It usually takes 45 minutes to an hour, and you get a written service record before he leaves. Boiler servicing.

Ring with the make of the boiler and whether it runs on gas, LPG or oil, and Ian gives you the price on the phone. Boiler servicing.

Yes. Ian checks every gas appliance and flue in the property and issues the certificate the law requires every 12 months. He can service the boiler on the same visit. The tenant's copy is left at the property and the landlord or letting agent gets theirs, and Ian sends a reminder when the next one is due. Landlords.

Every 12 months, by law, on every gas appliance and flue the landlord provides in a rented home. The tenant must be given a copy of the certificate within 28 days, and a new tenant before they move in. Certificates are kept for two years.

Most homes with one bathroom suit a combi, which heats water as you use it and needs no cylinder or tanks. Two bathrooms in use at the same time usually means a system boiler with an unvented cylinder. A regular boiler with loft tanks is usually only fitted as a like for like swap in an older house. Ian will say which fits your house when he visits. The guide goes into more detail.

A well serviced gas boiler is commonly expected to last 10 to 15 years. Once repairs start costing a large share of a new boiler, or parts are no longer made for it, replacing it is usually the better spend.

Up to 12 years' manufacturer warranty when the boiler is serviced every year, depending on the make and model. Ian is a Worcester Bosch Accredited Installer, which brings the longest Worcester warranties. Other makes come with the manufacturer's standard warranty, and he'll tell you what that is when he quotes.

Ian is a Worcester Bosch Accredited Installer and fits them most often, which means the longest Worcester warranties, up to 12 years with annual servicing. He fits other makes on request if you have one in mind. New boilers.

Ian quotes after a visit, because the type of boiler, its output, whether it is moving and what has to change around it all move the price. The guide explains what moves the price and what a fair quote should include.

The boiler is much the same, but it burns propane from a tank or cylinders instead of mains gas, so it needs the right burner setting, the right regulator and a Gas Safe engineer whose registration covers LPG. Ian's does. LPG boilers.

Only if the system water shows it. Radiators cold at the bottom, black water when you bleed them, or a boiler that keeps overheating are the usual signs. Ian tests the water first and recommends a flush only when the sludge is there. Power flushing.

Ian quotes it once he has tested the system water and counted the radiators, because both change the job. Ring and describe the symptoms first: not every cold radiator needs a flush. Power flushing.

Usually not. Cold at the top means air, which bleeding fixes. Cold at the bottom means sludge. Cold all over while the others are hot usually means the valve is stuck or the system needs balancing. A radiator only needs replacing when it leaks or is rusted through. Radiators.

On a Worcester Bosch boiler, Ian usually recommends Worcester's own controls, because they talk to the boiler directly. If you have a preference, Hive, Nest, Tado or another make, he fits that. Any of the main makes will let you control the heating from your phone and set a schedule. Smart thermostats.

Yes. Leaks, dripping taps, toilets that won't stop filling, and outside taps. Ring and describe it, and Ian gives you an idea of the cost on the phone. Plumbing.

Not with Ian. He is NICEIC registered as well as Gas Safe, so the pipework, the shower, the extractor fan and the lighting are done by the same person and certified by him. Bathrooms.

Yes. Ian is an approved installer for Magnet kitchens, and fits the plumbing and electrics that go with them. Kitchens.

Yes. NICEIC Domestic Installer registration means Ian certifies his own work and notifies the council where the rules require it, for example a new circuit or a consumer unit. Electrical work carries a six-year warranty. Electrical.

Ring with the job and your postcode and Ian gives you a price on the phone for repairs, servicing and certificates. Bigger jobs, like a new boiler, a bathroom or air conditioning, are quoted after he has seen the house. Every job is different, and the price comes from the engineer who will do the work.

The price Ian gives you is the price you pay. There's no VAT added on top.

By bank transfer. Repairs, services and certificates are paid when the job is done. Bigger jobs, like a new boiler, a bathroom or air conditioning, are 50% on booking to cover the materials, and the balance on completion.

Yes, for the work described in the quote. If the job turns out bigger once it's opened up, Ian tells you straight away, explains what he's found and agrees the extra with you before carrying on.

Every Wolverhampton postcode, WV1 to WV14, and the DY, WS and B postcodes around it, which takes in Dudley, Walsall and Sandwell. Ian also covers Shropshire, Staffordshire and Worcestershire. The full list is on the areas page.

If it starts WV, DY, WS or B, almost certainly. For the three counties further out, ring with the postcode and Ian will say. He'd rather tell you on the phone than have you wait.

No. Ian doesn't charge for travel time, wherever you are in the area he covers. The price you're given is for the work, and it's the same whether you're in Wolverhampton or out in Shropshire, Staffordshire or Worcestershire.

Ring and ask. Ian will tell you honestly when he can get to you rather than promise a time he can't keep. If it's an emergency, no heating, no hot water or a smell of fuel, say so when you ring and he'll do his best to get to you as soon as he can.

Yes. Ian's Gas Safe registration covers LPG in caravans and park homes, so he can service, repair and safety check the boiler, cooker, fire and pipework. Caravans and park homes.

Yes. Range cookers have their own site at ianagaservices.co.uk, with prices and details. It's the same Ian and the same phone number.