What kind of homes does Ealing have?

Ealing covers a wide stretch of west London, and the age of a house usually says a lot about its heating. Around Ealing Broadway, West Ealing and Hanwell, many streets were laid out in the late Victorian and Edwardian years, and a good number of the larger houses have since been divided into flats. Acton has a similar mix of period terraces and conversions, with council estates and new apartment blocks near its stations. Greenford, Perivale and Northolt grew mostly between the wars and after 1945, so semis, short terraces and maisonettes are typical there. Southall combines older terraced streets with large recent developments.

Which heating setups are common in each part of Ealing?

Converted flats in Ealing, West Ealing and Acton usually have one combi boiler per flat, often fitted in a kitchen wall cupboard.
Interwar semis in Greenford and Northolt were often built with a hot water cylinder, and many have since moved to a combi when the old boiler failed.
Terraced houses in Southall and Hanwell vary a lot, because many have been extended at the back or into the loft and the heating has been altered along the way.
Newer flats in Southall and Acton are more likely to have a modern combi, or in some blocks a shared heating system run by the building.

If you are not sure which type you have, a photo of the boiler and of anything in the airing cupboard is usually enough for the engineer to tell.

What usually goes wrong with boilers in Ealing homes?

Faults often show up when the heating is switched on for the first cold spell of autumn, after a boiler has done little but heat water all summer, and that is when many people first look for boiler repair. Typical symptoms are pressure that will not stay up, a fault code on start-up, radiators that stay cold at the bottom and hot water that runs warm rather than hot.

Big period houses with long pipe runs can be slow to heat the rooms furthest from the boiler. That often points to a system that needs balancing or cleaning rather than a new boiler. In converted flats, a leak from the boiler can reach the flat below, so turn off the water supply to the boiler if it is safe to do so and report a drip early.

Is my Ealing home in a conservation area?

Ealing Council lists 30 conservation areas, grouped around Ealing itself, Acton, Hanwell, Northolt and Southall. Part of Bedford Park, on the Acton side of the boundary with Hounslow, is among them. In these areas a flue terminal or new pipework on a front elevation can need more care, and some streets have extra planning controls. A like-for-like swap in the same position is usually simpler, but say so in your enquiry if you know your street is covered.

When is a good time to book a service in Ealing?

A yearly boiler service is a sensible way to catch the faults that tend to show up in winter. Late summer and early autumn are popular times to book, because the boiler gets checked before it has to work hard. If you let a flat in the borough, you can ask for the landlord gas safety check in the same enquiry.

What happens when I enquire from Ealing?

Your details go to one heating engineer who works in your part of Ealing. They call or email to talk through what you need, book a visit if it makes sense and confirm the cost with you before any work is done. There is no fee for making an enquiry and no obligation to go ahead.

Who you will hear from

We pass your enquiry to one local heating engineer who covers your postcode. It is never sent to a list of companies.

We only pass enquiries to heating engineers whose registration we have checked on the Gas Safe Register. Ask to see their registration ID card when they arrive.