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Oil combination boiler updates Kent Oast House

Our customer had very recently moved to a picturesque Oast House near Headcorn, Kent. Oast Houses are typically found in Kent and although no longer used for their original purpose, retain the round towers and pitched roofs so beloved by picture postcards. Our customer wanted to maximise their internal space, which is always at a premium in a round house and this meant the larder had to be vacated of a poorly maintained Firebird heat only oil boiler; and the bright yellow oil fired AGA also had to go. Sadly, oil fired AGAs are no longer desirable, being temperamental, old, […]


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Archie Kidd boiler replaced (*) with another oil boiler pioneer

Our customer lives in Kent in a 1890s set of railway construction workers cottages. When the property was refurbished in 2004, he specified an Archie Kidd (Thermal) VHE Model 1 oil boiler. This was before the UK Government had latched onto condensing boilers being the future. In fact Archie Kidd had designed his Model 2 prototype in 1959 as part of his strive for energy to be conserved and not wasted needlessly. The Kidd Model 1 should last in excess of 30 years, so it was a shame to remove this now discontinued British leader in the history of heating […]


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Johnson & Starley warm air replaced by Worcester Bosch boiler and EasyControl

This case study begins in a terraced house in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. A kitchen renewal has a short while ago necessitated the warm air heater being relocated into the garage. Our customer had some concerns over the way this part of the work had been carried out, and it turned out they were right to be worried. Generally speaking, moving a warm air unit is not easy… there’s ductwork deep under the floors, which are usually concrete, and most older warm air units have a vertical ‘open’ flue, akin to a fireplace. So moving the box itself isn’t difficult, it […]


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ATAG Opentherm Evohome Sevenoaks

Today we are in Sevenoaks, Kent, in a road where we now have installed at least three boilers, and three Evohome multi zone systems too! Our customer knew about heating systems, and chose an ATAG i series boiler. He wanted a unit that was of high quality manufacture, and one that could use Opentherm controls, so that the house could modulate the boiler intelligently. As the local ATAG and Honeywell Evohome specialists, we were asked to advise and quote for the job. A leaking Ideal condensing boiler was scrapped, and the plan was to fit the ATAG in the same […]


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Barn conversion near Tonbridge, Kent

Here we find ourselves down a rural unmarked lane in Kent, the site of a large barn conversion. It comprises a two storey hallway, and many original features. Much of the house is already underfloor heated, using an L&K system with around 14 separately controlled zones. What makes this system unusual is the various heat sources used to create the heating and hot water. There’s two fuel burning stoves, some solar thermal on the rooftop, and a Rayburn solid fuel stove. This was all installed by the present owners, who were almost singlehandedly responsible for the design and execution around […]


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Move boiler to cellar and convert to unvented hot water

We are in the Camberwell area, close to London. Our customers have a lovely Victorian house, but unfortunately, the boiler and the hot water cylinder are in a cupboard in the master bedroom. This makes the room unnecessarily warm in the summer, and of course, you can hear the boiler operating. Our customers wished, if possible, to relocate the boiler into the cellar area. Unfortunately the cellar area was underground, with no apertures to ground level, and it had no drainage. And restricted headroom. So that’s all good then. We found a small bookcase in the hallway that had originally […]


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Improving water supply and Acorn heating pipework issues

Our customer lives in a remote rural location near Warlingham, in Surrey, UK. They asked us to provide a proposal to update their old Grant boiler. Interestingly, it had rotted through a few years previously, and their heating technician had located a comparatively healthy heat secondhand heat exchanger in Cornwall, which he had successfully fitted. The ladder type steel radiators suffered from perpetual air and some had stopped working, others had lost the upper sections and were partially cold, something which venting could not cure. I was intrigued because although the system was fitted with a header tank, there was […]


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Remove Ideal iStor boiler and fit super new Viessmann and Fabdec system

We’ve published a similar story here before, which is one of the reasons why our customer in this case study called us. He recently bought a relatively new property (2011) with an Ideal iStor on the second floor, it wasn’t working properly, and he had been advised that it had been a money pit since virtually day one. The other reason he got in contact with Hot Water & Central Heating Ltd was that he had used us for boiler installation before, in this case around 11 years ago (not in this house!).  A refreshing number of our early customers […]


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Fabdec unvented cylinder, cows, – and mother in laws – in Minehead

In our industry, there are few genuine innovations.  When you look behind the hype, very little is new. The unvented mains pressure hot water cylinder existed for years on the continent, but in the UK it has only been permitted for domestic applications since 1986!  This is because storing significant quantities of pressurised hot water brings certain risks, the one people get excited about being explosion. Unvented cylinders deliver mains direct hot and cold services to all outlets in the house, dispensing with the need for a water tank in the loft.  They are typically the next stage up in […]


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Ideal Istor finally gets the heave ho

Our customers in today’s case study bought a ‘new build’ around 8 years ago, in the Redhill area of Surrey.   Inside, these properties are very spacious, and the rear elevations have got multiple Velux windows, L shaped lounges, very light and open.  Unfortunately, the developers chose to ruin their good work by fitting an Ideal iStor boiler. Our customer had fortunately taken out a British Gas Homecare contract on theirs, but after years of visits including a protracted one from the manufacturer themselves, and having replaced every part, some more than once, plus a powerflush etc, they decided it was […]


Customer Testimonials

Excellent Work

Excellent work , the workers were very efficient, considerate and tidy. They worked with the least disruption possible for an elderly lady. Any unexpected problem was dealt with safely and professionally. The finished heating is to a high standard. K.T. Kent

Jennie 05/05/2017

Very good job

The job was very professionally undertaken on time and budget with no adverse issues raised. Customer satisfaction appeared to be a high priority.

Martin, Kent 25/04/2017

Excellent

Truly excellent, as much technically as aesthetic: clean, prompt, going well beyond expectations.

Nicholas, Kent 14/04/2017

Commercial plumbing

A small to medium sized company capable of installing & maintaining a highly technical modernisation of our heating & h/w systems. The planning, execution & result was truly ‘excellent’.

A J, Surrey 04/04/2017

Very knowledgeable

We needed a replacement boiler & Simon talked us through the options, which manufacturer & what size to go for & saw through the installation, not leaving until he was satisfied that all was in order. All in all very, competent and professional.

Stephen, Kent 16/02/2017

Highly recommended

Not the cheapest but very knowledgeable which gave me confidence that the job would be well done and correctly done. I was not disappointed.

Geoffrey, Kent 06/02/2017

Good standard of work with an ongoing commitment to customer satisfaction

This firm installed a 12 zone Honeywell Evohome central heating and hot water control system for us in October 2014. The quotation was clear and detailed, and the price reasonable. The installation work was personally overseen by the boss, Simon, who also set the rather complex (but powerful) wireless control system to work and gave clear advice on how to get the best from it. He had in-depth knowledge and experience of the control system that is probably second to none. The firm also installed and connected to our boiler a plinth fan heater nicely hidden under a kitchen cupboard Read more…

Mike 28/11/2016

Employed this trader many times

Started and finished on time. Workmanship as good as ever. prices reasonable.

Peter, Surrey 24/05/2016

Smart solution, neatly implemented

Great technical solution to the tricky replacement of a 1980’s warm air unit. Starting with a clear and comprehensive quotation. Careful and tidy installation with minimal disruption. Excellent communication throughout the work.

Martin, Surrey 21/03/2016

Clean + tidy

HWCH installed our boiler a few years ago and have looked after it ever since so I was happy to leave them in the house unaccompanied. We came home to find the installation complete and no mess or trace they had been.

Bryan, London 15/12/2015

Prompt and efficient. Very professional.

My son recommended this firm as I was very apprehensive about having a new boiler. Mr Davies was very clean and helpful and explained everything. The two men who did must of the work were efficient, polite , clean and considerate to me . As far as I can tell I have an efficient job carried out in one long day which helped me.

Jean, Surrey 19/11/2015

Very good job – as always

We have used the company for many years for 2 rental properties & our family home. We cannot fault them.

Stephen, Kent 19/06/2015

Knowledgeable, friendly and efficient

HW and CH knowledgeable, friendly and efficient company we would certainly recommend them.

John, Kent 01/06/2015

Reliable & professional company

Hot Water & Central Heating responded very promptly & installed a new boiler in a quite awkward location. Very helpful

Jerry, London 27/05/2015

Professional & efficient

I have known HW & CH for several years. They installed two large boilers in a church and hall and maintain them annually. I gave recently used them at my home where they did a very clean, neat and efficient job. Supplied excellent product and were very professional.

David, Kent 16/01/2015

Diligent & Efficient

Simon of HWCH takes his job very seriously but is a pleasure to deal with. He assessed our (complicated) situation carefully, recommended the right solution and carried it out promptly and efficiently.

Jay, London 15/01/2015

Expert & professional installation

An intimate knowledge of a rather complex Honeywell Evohome heating control product, combined with an excellent installation crew on the day resulted in a very satisfactory installation. Some tricky rerouting of underfloor pipework was accomplished without fuss, mess or extra charge, highly recommended.

Richard, East Sussex 04/07/2014

Very impressed

Very impressed with work rate and efficiency. Would have no hesitation in recommending them.

Neville, West Sussex 16/03/2014