# Heating and plumbing FAQs

> Answers on boiler servicing costs and intervals, combi conversions, power flushing, SEAI grant eligibility and emergency call-outs.

Canonical page: https://radiantheatingandplumbing.com/faq


### QA test question?

QA test answer.

### Are you RGI registered?

Yes. All gas work is carried out by a Registered Gas Installer and you receive a Declaration of Conformance for notifiable work.

### How much does a new gas boiler cost?

It depends on the boiler, the location of the flue and what condition the existing system is in. We survey the house and give you a fixed written price before anything starts — no hourly surprises.

### Do you charge for quotes?

No. Survey and written quotation for installation work are free.

### Is there a grant for a new gas boiler?

No. SEAI grants cover insulation, heating controls, heat pumps and solar — not a like-for-like gas boiler swap. Heating controls fitted alongside your new boiler can be grant-eligible.

### How long does a boiler installation take?

A straight swap is usually one day. A combi conversion, or moving the boiler to a different spot, is typically two to four days.

### Do you remove the old boiler and packaging?

Yes. Old units, tanks, cylinders and all packaging are taken away as part of the job.

### What areas do you cover?

Bray, Greystones, Delgany, Kilcoole, Shankill, Enniskerry, Killiney, Dalkey, Cabinteely, Newtownmountkennedy and the wider North Wicklow and South Dublin area.

### Do you do emergency call-outs?

Yes — leaks, burst pipes, no heat and boiler breakdowns. Ring and we will tell you straight away when we can be with you.

### How often should a boiler be serviced?

Once a year. It keeps the appliance safe and efficient and is usually a condition of the manufacturer warranty.

### Is your work insured?

Yes, the business is fully insured. Full policy details are available on request.

### Can I get a grant to replace my gas boiler?

No. SEAI does not fund replacing one fossil-fuel boiler with another. There are grants for heating controls, insulation, windows, doors, solar and heat pumps, and if you are moving off gas or oil altogether the heat pump grant is the one to look at. We would rather say that up front than let you plan around money that is not there.

### Which homes qualify for SEAI insulation grants?

For most SEAI individual energy upgrade grants the home must have been built and occupied before 2011. Solar PV uses a 2021 cut-off. We will confirm your eligibility before any work is quoted.

### Do I have to apply for the grant before the work starts?

Yes. SEAI and council grants are both approval-first. If the work is done before written approval issues, the application is refused and there is no way back. Only emergency repairs should ever go ahead before approval, and those are not grant-aided.

### Do you charge a call-out fee?

We quote before we travel wherever we can. For emergency call-outs there is a call-out charge, and we confirm it on the phone before we set off so there is no awkward conversation at the door.

### Do you help with the SEAI grant paperwork?

Yes. We talk you through which grants apply to your home, what order the works should be done in, and what SEAI needs from you. Grant applications must be approved before work starts.

### How often should a gas boiler be serviced?

Annually. Most manufacturers require an annual service to keep the warranty valid, and landlords must have a gas safety check carried out every year. An annual service is also the cheapest way to catch a failing part before it strands you in January.

### Can I get a grant towards a heat pump?

Yes. The heat pump system grant is worth up to EUR 6,500, plus EUR 200 towards the required technical assessment. Your home usually needs a good insulation level first.

### Do you cover Dún Laoghaire and Stillorgan?

Yes. We cover Bray, Greystones and north Wicklow, and across south Dublin including Shankill, Cabinteely, Killiney, Dalkey, Dún Laoghaire and Stillorgan.

### Are your quotes fixed and in writing?

Yes. After we see the job we issue a clear written quote with the price, the boiler or parts specified and what is included. No hourly surprises.

### Do you work on older houses with cast iron pipework?

We do. Older Bray, Greystones and South Dublin homes often need staged repiping. We plan the work so heat and hot water stay on as much as possible.

### Is there a grant to repair or replace heating for an older homeowner?

Yes. Housing Aid for Older People is a local authority scheme for homeowners aged 66 or over, worth up to €10,700, and it explicitly covers the provision or repair of heating, water supply and sanitary facilities. It is means-tested on gross household income for the previous tax year and works must not start before written approval. In Bray and North Wicklow it is run by Wicklow County Council; in Shankill and Cabinteely it is Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. Processing takes months, not weeks, so it is not a route for a boiler that has already failed.

### Is there a grant for a walk-in shower?

Yes. The Mobility Aids Grant covers level-access showers, grab rails and ramps up to €8,000 where gross household income is €37,500 or less. For more extensive adaptations, or where the household is over that limit, the Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability covers accessible showers and downstairs toilet facilities up to €40,000, tapering by income. Both are administered by your local council, are means-tested, and require written approval before work begins.

### How much does a boiler service cost?

It depends on the boiler, where it sits and whether it is gas or oil, so we give you the price on the phone before we book anything. There are no surprise add-ons after the fact, and if the service turns up a fault we will tell you what the repair costs before we do it.

### How often should I service my boiler?

Once a year for both gas and oil. Most manufacturers make annual servicing a condition of the warranty, and home insurance policies often expect it too. If a boiler has been sitting unused for a season, get it looked at before you rely on it in October.

### How long does a boiler service take?

A straightforward gas boiler service usually takes about an hour. Oil boilers take a bit longer because the burner comes out and the nozzle and filter are changed. If we find a fault, we will tell you there and then rather than rushing on.

### Do you service oil boilers as well as gas?

We do. Gas work is carried out under our RGI registration, and we service and replace oil boilers across North Wicklow and South Dublin as well.

### Who is allowed to service or replace a gas boiler in Ireland?

Any gas work has to be done by an RGI registered gas installer. That is a legal requirement, not a preference. Ask for the RGI number and check it on rgii.ie before anyone touches your boiler.

### How do I know whether to repair or replace my boiler?

Age, parts and repeat faults. If the boiler is past fifteen years, parts are getting hard to source, or you are calling someone out every winter, replacement usually works out cheaper over a few years. If it is a one-off part on a boiler in good health, we will say repair it.

### What is a power flush and do I need one?

A power flush pushes water and cleaning chemicals through the heating system at high flow to shift the black sludge that builds up in radiators and pipework. You need one if radiators are cold at the bottom, the boiler is noisy, or the system takes forever to warm up. We use Kamco equipment.

### How long does a power flush take?

Most houses take the guts of a day, depending on how many radiators there are and how bad the sludge is. We finish by dosing the system with inhibitor so it stays clean.

### Why do my radiators get hot at the top and stay cold at the bottom?

That is sludge sitting in the bottom of the radiator, and it is the classic sign a system needs a power flush. Cold at the top instead usually means trapped air, which a bleed will sort.

### Why does my boiler keep losing pressure?

Usually a leak somewhere on the system, a failed expansion vessel or a passing pressure relief valve. Topping it up weekly is a workaround, not a fix, so it is worth having the cause found before it damages the boiler.

### What is the difference between a combi and a system boiler?

A combi heats water on demand and needs no cylinder or attic tanks, which frees up a hot press and the attic. A system boiler works with a cylinder and suits larger houses or homes running several showers at once. We will tell you honestly which suits your house rather than pushing the combi.

### How long does a combi conversion take?

Typically two to four days, depending on the house, the pipework and whether tanks and a cylinder are coming out. You are usually left with heating and hot water at the end of each working day.

### Are there SEAI grants for pensioners or people over 70?

The Warmer Homes Scheme is free for eligible homeowners, and being over 70 with a qualifying payment is one of the routes in. The standard SEAI grants for insulation, heating controls, heat pumps and solar are open to any homeowner whose property meets the build-year rule.

### What is the Warmer Homes Scheme?

It is an SEAI scheme that pays for energy upgrades in full for eligible homeowners on certain welfare payments. There is a waiting list, and SEAI appoints the contractor, so it is applied for directly through SEAI rather than through us.

### Is there an SEAI grant for replacing a gas boiler?

No. A like-for-like gas boiler swap does not attract an SEAI grant. Grants are there for insulation, heating controls, heat pumps, solar and whole-house upgrades. Anyone telling you there is a boiler grant is mixing it up with the heating controls grant.

### Does underfloor heating qualify for a grant?

It can. New radiators and underfloor heating are covered by the EUR 2,000 central heating element of the SEAI heat pump system grant, but only as part of a heat pump installation, not on their own.

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Radiant Heating & Plumbing — RGI registered gas installer and plumber.
175 Charnwood, Bray, Co. Wicklow · 087 212 0814 · Gerard@radiantheatingandplumbing.com
Covering Bray, Greystones, Delgany, Kilcoole, Shankill, Enniskerry, Dún Laoghaire, Stillorgan, Killiney, Dalkey, Cabinteely, Newtownmountkennedy, North Wicklow, South Dublin.