THE WORK
What the job involves
If your boiler has stopped working, lost pressure or is throwing a fault code, Nelson Plumbing & Heating repairs boilers across Greater Manchester. Our Gas Safe registered engineers diagnose the fault, explain what is wrong in plain English, and quote a fixed price before any work starts. We carry common parts on the van, so a lot of repairs are finished on the first visit.
What's included
Full fault diagnosis, not guesswork
A fixed repair price before we start
Honest advice if the boiler is beyond economic repair
Pressure and combustion checked after the repair
What usually causes a boiler breakdown
Most call outs come down to a short list, and knowing which one you are looking at changes what the repair is worth.
Low pressure. If the gauge sits below about one bar the boiler will lock out to protect itself. Topping up gets the heating back on, but a system that needs topping up repeatedly is losing water somewhere, and that is the actual fault.
A failed diverter valve. The classic sign is heating that works while the hot water has gone cold, or the other way round. The valve decides where the heat goes, and when it sticks it sends it to only one place.
A blocked condensate pipe. Almost always in the first hard frost. The pipe carries acidic condensate outside and freezes if it is undersized or badly routed. It usually presents as a boiler that has stopped with no obvious reason on the coldest morning of the year.
Sludge and blockages. Circulating debris settles in the heat exchanger and the pump. Symptoms are noise, radiators hot at the top and cold at the bottom, and a boiler that overheats and cuts out.
Ignition and flame sensing faults. The boiler tries to light, fails and locks out. Often an electrode or a sensor rather than anything expensive.
A fault code is a starting point, not a diagnosis. Manufacturers reuse codes across symptoms. The code narrows it down, then the readings decide it.
Repair or replace: how to judge it
Nobody should spend four figures on a boiler that owes them nothing. The honest test is a few questions.
How old is it? Most gas boilers are designed for a service life in the region of ten to fifteen years. Past that, one repair tends to be followed by another.
Are parts still available? Once a model is obsolete, the wait for parts gets longer and the price goes up. Some parts simply stop being made.
Is this the second or third fault this year? A pattern of failures is a different situation from one component letting go.
What is the repair against the replacement? There is no fixed percentage rule worth quoting, but a repair costing a large fraction of a new install on an old boiler rarely makes sense.
Is the efficiency costing you? An old non condensing boiler wastes gas every day it runs, and that is a cost even when nothing is broken.
A repair should come with a straight answer about which of these applies. If an engineer will not tell you the boiler is finished, that is worth noticing.
What a proper repair visit includes
Diagnosis before parts. Fault codes read, gas rate checked, combustion tested where relevant. Guessing at parts is how people end up paying twice.
A fixed price for the repair before it starts. You should know what the job costs before anyone opens a box.
A working boiler tested under load, not just fired up and left. Heating and hot water both proved.
An honest verdict on what caused it. A pressure loss that is not traced will be back.
The safety side checked. If an engineer finds something unsafe they are obliged to act on it, and that includes situations where an appliance has to be turned off.
REVIEWS
Rated 9.86 from 483 Checkatrade reviews
Every review below is from a real Nelson Plumbing and Heating customer across Greater Manchester.
CheckatradeCommunication with the company was fantastic. Turrell came round to complete the job for us and was very professional and friendly. Would use again.
CheckatradeI had a great experience from start to finish. Communication was excellent, they always arrived on time, and I am very happy with the quality of the work. A special mention to Ryan, who was professional, friendly, and amazing with my German Shepherd.
CheckatradeGreat service from start to finish. I had inadvertently purchased the wrong replacement part, but the plumber sorted it with the minimum of fuss. He cleared everything away once the job was complete and shared some useful information for future maintenance.
CheckatradeJob completed to a high standard, operatives were prompt, polite and professional.
CheckatradePrompt answer, arranged for a plumber to visit the next morning, plumber arrived on time and carried out the work efficiently and to a great standard.
CheckatradeSuper friendly, quick response, sorting my leaking shower quickly. Thanks.
GoogleI arranged for a plumber from Nelson Plumbing and Heating to replace an isolation valve at a property in Salford. The plumber turned up on time, did a fast and professional job. Price was cheaper than the estimate. Great service and will be my go to plumber for any further work required in the Manchester area.
GoogleThey arrived promptly as arranged and both introduced themselves and interacted very well with our dog. They installed our new boiler very efficiently and professionally, giving honest advice on which services we may require in the future.
GoogleI cannot recommend Turrell highly enough. He was an absolute pleasure to deal with and professional from start to finish. He took his time to explain everything clearly, which immediately put me at ease, something that is a massive deal for me when dealing with the building trade.
GoogleReally happy with the annual boiler service provided by Tom. Turned up on time, got everything done quickly. Friendly, professional and would definitely use again.
GoogleVery happy with Nelson Plumbing. I am always a bit wary when it comes to jobs around the house, but these guys were very professional, prompt on arrival, got the job done nice and tidy and very pleasant. Would recommend, and the price was very reasonable.
GoogleFriendly and helpful service. I was really impressed with Tom who undertook diagnostic testing and then the replacement of parts on my water system in the house. Thank you for the quick turnaround and efficient service.
FAQS
Questions we get asked
Straight answers before you book. If yours is not here, pick up the phone and ask.
Call 0161 515 9977
GUIDES
Worth reading first
Questions we get asked all the time, answered properly.
SERVICE AREA
Where we work
Manchester, Salford, Trafford, Stockport, Sale and the towns around them.
MORE
Other things we do
Plumbing, heating and gas across Greater Manchester, all handled by the same team.
