Home Oil boiler servicing Southampton
Oil boiler servicing in Southampton
Oil heating is rare in the city, but it needs an annual OFTEC service.
The 2021 Census counted 64 Southampton households heating with oil alone, out of more than 100,000. Inside the city, mains gas or electric heating is the norm.
Oil is far more common in the villages beyond the city boundary, so the OFTEC technician who services yours may well be based outside Southampton. Book before the autumn rush.
Southampton at a glance
- Electric heating
- 21.0% of Southampton households (21,438) heated with electricity only in 2021, and 66.2% with mains gas only. Heat networks served 1.5% and oil-only heating just 64 homes. Source
What's done on the visit
On a Southampton oil boiler, the technician cleans the burner, combustion chamber and baffles, fits a new nozzle and oil filter, checks the flue, runs a combustion test and makes sure the fire valve and controls work. Gas Safe registration doesn't cover oil; you need an OFTEC registered technician.
Look after the tank
Ask for the tank, pipework and base to be checked. Signs of trouble include cracks or whitening on plastic tanks, rust on steel ones, and oil stains on the ground. A leak can contaminate soil and drains, and clean-up is expensive. Our heating oil prices guide helps with buying fuel.
Carbon monoxide
Fit a carbon monoxide alarm in the room with the boiler. In rented homes it's a legal requirement where there is a fixed fuel-burning appliance, and oil boilers can produce carbon monoxide if the burner is poorly set or the flue is blocked.
Thinking about a heat pump
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme pays £7,500 towards an air source heat pump, with an extra £1,500 for homes switching from oil or LPG until March 2027. If the house is near a gas main, compare a gas connection too. An MCS installer's heat loss survey gives you the numbers.
Areas covered
Engineers who cover Southampton work across areas including Shirley, Portswood, Bitterne, Woolston, Highfield, Bassett, Sholing, Swaythling, Hedge End and Totton.
Questions people in Southampton ask
My Southampton house has an old oil tank but gas heating. What should I do?
Have it drained and removed by a specialist, with a waste transfer note for the oil. An old tank with oil left in it can still leak.
Does an oil boiler in a Southampton house need servicing every year?
Yes, once a year by an OFTEC registered technician. Gas Safe engineers can't do it unless they also hold OFTEC qualifications.
Where can I find an OFTEC technician for an SO postcode?
Send us your postcode and we share the request with OFTEC registered technicians who cover Southampton and the villages around it.
Sources
Also nearby: Oil boiler servicing in Portsmouth, Oil boiler servicing in Bournemouth, Oil boiler servicing in Reading