Services
Heating, plumbing and gas services
Everything Dale covers beyond boilers: central heating, radiators and controls, power flushing, landlord gas safety checks, LPG work, gas appliances and everyday plumbing across Plymouth, Devon and Cornwall.
For a new boiler or a replacement, the boiler installations page is a better starting point. For a boiler that is misbehaving, see servicing and repairs.
Central heating repairs and installations
Whether the whole system is new to you or it has been in for years, Dale works on central heating from the boiler out to the last radiator.
- New central heating systems designed around the property and how you use it.
- Replacing or upgrading parts of an existing system rather than starting again.
- Tracking down faults where the heating is inconsistent, noisy or simply not working.
- Fitting magnetic filters and system protection so the water stays clean.
- Bleeding, balancing and setting the system up so every room actually warms up.
Radiators, valves and thermostats
Small jobs matter, and a radiator that never gets warm is one of the most common complaints Dale is called about.
- Radiators replaced, moved or added — including swapping old panel radiators for more efficient ones.
- Radiator valves replaced, including thermostatic valves that have seized up.
- Cold spots at the bottom of radiators investigated and put right.
- Room thermostats and cylinder thermostats replaced or repositioned.
- Radiator removal and refitting when you are decorating or having building work done.
Smart heating controls
Smart controls can genuinely cut bills and make a house more comfortable, but only if they are set up for how you actually live.
Dale will show you how to use whatever he fits before he leaves. If you would rather have something simple you can operate from the hallway, say so — that is a perfectly reasonable choice.
- Smart thermostats and heating controls supplied and fitted.
- Controls connected to your phone app and set up so they work the way you expect.
- Existing controls replaced because they have failed or nobody can work them out.
- Zoning and programmable schedules arranged around your routine.
Power flushing
Over time, heating systems collect sludge and debris. Power flushing clears it out rather than just hiding the symptoms.
Dale will tell you honestly if a power flush is the right answer for your system, or whether something simpler would do the job.
- Radiators that are hot at the top and cold at the bottom.
- Noisy boilers, kettling, or a system that takes a very long time to heat up.
- Black water when radiators are bled.
- A new boiler being fitted onto an existing system that needs cleaning first.
- Repeated pump or valve failures caused by dirty water.
Landlord gas safety checks
Landlords and letting agents across Plymouth, Devon and Cornwall use Dale for gas safety checks and certificates, because he turns up when he says he will and the paperwork is done properly.
Dale is happy to deal with tenants directly to arrange access, or to work through you or your letting agent — whichever is easier.
- Annual landlord gas safety checks on the gas appliances you are responsible for.
- Gas safety certificates issued so you can pass them to tenants and keep your records straight.
- Checks arranged around tenancies, access requirements and void periods where possible.
- Work on gas cookers, hobs and fires that come up during a check, within Dale's registration.
- Boiler servicing arranged at the same visit if you want both done together.
LPG work
Not every property in Devon and Cornwall is on mains gas. Dale is registered for domestic LPG work as well as natural gas.
LPG properties are often rural and further out. Tell Dale your postcode when you get in touch and he will confirm whether he can cover you and whether any travel charge applies before anything is agreed.
- Domestic LPG boiler work, servicing and repairs.
- LPG cookers, hobs and fires.
- LPG installation pipework within domestic premises.
- Central heating and water heating on LPG.
Gas cookers, hobs and fires
Gas appliances other than the boiler still need someone properly registered to work on them.
All of this sits within Dale's verified Gas Safe registration, which covers domestic natural gas and LPG. Anything outside that scope he will refer on rather than attempt.
- Gas cookers and hobs installed, connected, disconnected and safety checked.
- Gas fires and space heaters serviced and safety checked.
- Gas installation pipework within the property.
- Combustion performance analysis when an appliance is not burning correctly.
General plumbing, leaks and taps
The everyday jobs that are easy to put off and annoying to live with.
- Leaks found and repaired, including the ones that are hard to trace.
- Taps, mixers, showers and valves replaced or repaired.
- Toilets, cisterns and overflows sorted out.
- Stopcocks, isolation valves and pipework repaired or renewed.
- Hot water cylinders. Unvented cylinders need a separate qualification — ask Dale and he will confirm.
- Overflowing or dripping outside pipes and tanks in the loft.
From a real job
What comes out of a heating system
This is a magnetic filter from a customer’s heating system, opened during a service. The black material is magnetite — rust and sludge carried around the system in the water, which is what blocks radiators, strains pumps and shortens the life of a boiler.
The filter traps it so it does not keep circulating. It still has to be cleaned out, which is one reason a proper service is worth doing rather than just ticking a box.
Where a system has built up this much, cleaning the water out properly — sometimes with a power flush — is often what a new boiler needs before it is fitted. Otherwise the problem simply moves into the new appliance.
Scope
What is covered, and what is not
Dale’s Gas Safe registration covers domestic natural gas and LPG.
He works for homeowners, landlords and letting agents, but commercial gas engineering is a separate qualification he does not hold. If you have commercial gas plant, tell him what you have and he will say straight away whether he can help or whether you need someone else.
Gas safety
If you smell gas, call the free national emergency line
The National Gas Emergency Service is operated by the gas networks, is free to call and is available 24 hours a day. If you smell gas or suspect a leak, that is the number to ring — not a heating engineer.
Call 0800 111 999While you wait for them
- Do not smoke, light matches or use naked flames.
- Put out any cigarettes or other naked flames.
- Open doors and windows to ventilate the property.
- Turn off the gas supply at the meter if you can reach it safely.
- Do not turn electrical switches on or off.
- If the smell is strong or you feel unwell, leave the property and tell the emergency service where you are.
Guidance summarised from the gas networks’ published safety advice. In an emergency always follow the instructions given to you on the call.
Not sure whether Dale covers it?
Ask. A short message with your postcode and what you need is enough for a straight answer, and he would rather tell you honestly than waste your time.
Enquiries and requested dates are not confirmed bookings until Dale replies and agrees them with you.