Oil line filters - do YOU clean/ change them?

[Bunker]

So many of my new customers are amazed when I attend the in-line filters or strainers. "Last bloke never did that" they cry. Most of the time you end up pulling out a black soggy lump of paper then peel the tin lids from the filter bowl.
WHY do so many engineers not bother with this? Even the Craptkinson valves are just plastic and require a swill out - its EASY (except when the clown installer has failed to give any room under neath it).

I love changing the elements, the Crossland ones cost a couple of Bob, I make a profit and a proper job.

 

[Best]

I would think £60 is a lot of money to ask a customer to pay for a one hour standard service of an oil boiler if it's within a few miles. Plenty of engineers would be happy to get that amount, 4 times a day in an 8 hour day, even allowing for expenses!
If that £60 was entire "profit" above cost of a faulty part in a breakdown, then perhaps ot won't cover you if you had a new part breaking down inside it's warranty & you had to fit it free.

 

[peteheat]

Maybe your business model is different to mine and most that I know in my area, today I have more work than I can handle.

Come April / May the boiler servicing will die as fast a death as the it takes the temperatures to rise in summer, then I will be lucky to see two oil services in a week.

If I depended on the service end and got six good months based on those figures I would gross around 25,000 in a full year.

I don't know the actual numbers but a married couple in the south of Ireland will get in excess of 20,000 a year from social welfare,
no need for vans, liability cover, health cover etc etc

Yes my warranty is good but the customer deserves to feel they have achieved both efficiency and value for the full heating season,
if the burner / boiler is old obviously they don't get what would be a fools warranty, they often get a free service to take them through
to April when I will install a new boiler.

The worst thing that can happen any customer is to try making a phone call and discover the person who knows their heating system
has gone out of business, therefore I believe it is our duty to charge realistic figures for the services we provide.

Nobody will ever thank you for losing money in business.

 

[Dannypipe]

Got to say, I think Pete is talking a lot of sense. Quite like the warranty idea. Might pinch that one!

 

[Bunker]

Rates round here seem quite alot higher than most places but so are houses. For the money I charge my customers they get to call me anytime and Ill attend. Im out at least one night every week and often its not the boiler - 830pm last night I was out a week after the service, problem turned out to be batteries in the Drayton SCR. I didnt charge them.

 

[Bunker]

Im reviving this thread as I had a classic today. Went to a wall hung Grandee (eeeughh). This is single pipe config with a clear hose. There was a nicely plumbed in isolator and a check valve under the boiler but I still couldnt draw the oil in. I tried for ages before I realised I should have checked the tank filter earlier (lesson 1 of this afternoon: do oil line filters FIRST). SO yes, tank filter absolutely BLACK and sludged up - deeesgustin. Despite annual services by Mc**** - filter never checked. So, hoorah problem found......not. Still same problem so I went looking at the oil line route for more problems - Huzzah!! Another filter, hidden under a box in the mud! (Lesson 2 of this afternoon - always check the entire visible route FIRST).. Dug the Crossland out and hey presto, another cylinder of total slurry. Quick 11mm spanner job and a new element in place.
Back inside, gave the manual oil pump another push and Wooooosh - loads of dark brown oil gushing freely up the clear tubes, eventually becoming normal colour - a beautiful sight.
All back together and jobs a guddun.

Only hangover is the only clear hose in my wagon had 1/4 ends and fitting adapters stopped the case fitting on properly so gotta go back (HWOS dont sell 3/8 clear male to cranked).

Anyway - PLEASE FOR GODS SAKE-----CHECK THE FIILTERS!!!!!

 

[Roger Welton]

Had a similar experience on Saturday cust had run out of oil, so needed to bleed lines to aga and boiler, boiler went off easily, aga was a real pain.

checked tank filter to find no element inside body! Couldn't pull oil through with suction pump so quick trip home to collect compressor, blew through half bucket of muck, back together with nice new 489 fitted, lovely flow to cooker.

 

[peteheat]

Guys, now you see why I charge more for boilers I'm servicing for the first time.

If we install the system or serviced it to our standards last year then we know what we are walking into this year (usually a pleasant experience all round).

On the plus side you didn't have a few more boring straight forward jobs

 

[Lou]

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