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LPG boiler installation and replacement across Bristol and the surrounding villages. LPG qualified, Gas Safe registered, and Worcester Bosch accredited.
Almost all of Julian's work comes from repeat customers and recommendations. Over forty years, that is the only measure that means anything.
Not every home around Bristol is connected to mains gas. Plenty of properties in the villages out towards Pucklechurch, Wick and the South Gloucestershire lanes run on LPG instead, stored in a tank or bottles outside the house.
Julian is LPG qualified as well as Gas Safe registered, reg. 198984, so he can install, replace and service LPG boilers. Not every heating engineer holds the LPG qualification, which is why finding someone for this work can take a few phone calls.
LPG boilers work in much the same way as natural gas boilers. The main difference is the fuel and the jets inside the burner, which are sized differently because LPG burns hotter. A boiler set up for natural gas cannot simply be connected to an LPG supply.
As a Worcester Bosch accredited installer, Julian fits Greenstar LPG models with up to a 12-year manufacturer guarantee, exactly as he would on a mains gas installation.
A separate certification on top of Gas Safe that many engineers do not hold.
Worcester Greenstar LPG models fitted with the same accredited installer cover.
LPG costs more per unit, so correct sizing and good controls repay faster.
Part of gas engineer services in Bristol.
LPG is liquefied petroleum gas, usually propane for heating. It is delivered by tanker into a storage tank in the garden, or supplied in bottles for smaller demands, and it burns at a higher temperature than mains gas.
That temperature difference is why the burner jets and gas valve settings are different. Most modern boilers are made for natural gas and converted with an LPG kit during installation, and the conversion has to be done and commissioned properly or the boiler will not burn cleanly.
Because LPG is heavier than air, it sinks rather than rises if it leaks. That changes where pipework can run and where the tank can sit, and it is why LPG installations have their own regulations around ventilation, drainage and clearances from doors, windows and drains.
Tank siting is normally handled by your LPG supplier, who owns and maintains the tank. Julian works from the tank onwards, covering the pipework into the house, the boiler and the controls.
Running costs are higher per unit than mains gas, so making the boiler as efficient as possible matters more. Correct sizing, good controls and a well balanced system all pay for themselves faster on LPG than they would on the mains.
Most properties heated by LPG use a bulk tank, either sited above ground in the garden or buried with only the lid visible. Deliveries are made by tanker, and many suppliers offer automatic top-ups based on a telemetry reading so you are not monitoring the gauge yourself.
Smaller demands, or properties where a tank cannot be sited with the required clearances, run on bottles instead. Bottles are changed manually and suit a cooker or a small heating load rather than a whole house.
Either way the supply arrangement is between you and the LPG company. Julian works from the point the gas enters the property onwards, and will tell you plainly if a problem sits on the supplier’s side of that line rather than charging you to look at it.
Replacing an old LPG boiler is the most common job. Older units are often well below current efficiency standards, and on a fuel that costs what LPG costs, the saving from a modern condensing boiler is worth having.
New LPG installations are also covered, including full central heating systems where a property is coming off oil or electric heating. That takes in the boiler, radiators, pipework and controls.
Annual servicing is just as important on LPG as it is on mains gas, arguably more so given the pressures involved. The service covers the burner, the gas pressures, the flue and a full safety check, with a written record at the end.
Gas safety inspections and landlord certificates for LPG properties are also available. If you rent out a property running on LPG, the same legal duty applies as it would on mains gas, and Julian can issue a landlord gas safety certificate.
All work is carried out within Julian’s usual ten mile service area from Staple Hill, which covers the villages east and north of Bristol where most local LPG properties sit.
LPG costs more per unit than mains gas, so everything that reduces consumption pays back faster. An oversized boiler cycles on and off rather than running steadily, wasting fuel you have paid a premium for.
A programmer, room thermostat and thermostatic valves let you heat only the rooms in use at the times they are used. On LPG that is the highest-return change available for the money.
Most LPG homes use a bulk tank refilled by tanker, often with automatic top-ups on a telemetry reading. The tank is owned and maintained by your supplier; Julian works from the point gas enters the property onwards.
Many boilers are made for natural gas and converted with a manufacturer kit that changes the burner injectors and gas valve settings. Not every model has a kit, and the conversion must be commissioned and gas-rated properly afterwards.
Running a house on LPG is not difficult, but it is different from mains gas in ways that are worth understanding before a new boiler goes in rather than afterwards.
Gas arrives by tanker into a bulk tank or in exchangeable cylinders, rather than through a pipe from the street. That means monitoring the level, and it means efficiency has a direct and visible effect on how often the tanker comes.
Because the fuel is metered by delivery rather than trickling through a meter, the difference between an old non-condensing boiler and a modern condensing one shows up plainly in delivery frequency. It is usually the strongest argument for replacing an ageing LPG boiler.
Bulk tanks have separation distances from buildings and boundaries, and the tanker needs to reach them. Where a tank is already in place this is settled, but it is worth checking before assuming a new appliance can simply go anywhere.
LPG work sits under Gas Safe registration exactly as mains gas does, with LPG held as a separate category on the card. Landlords letting an LPG property need a gas safety certificate in the normal way, every twelve months.
No. LPG is a separate qualification on top of Gas Safe registration. Julian holds it, which is why he can take on this work when some engineers cannot.
Many models can, using a manufacturer conversion kit, but not all. It depends on the make and model, and the conversion must be commissioned properly afterwards.
No. The tank is normally owned and maintained by your LPG supplier. Julian handles the pipework, boiler and controls.
Per unit of energy, LPG usually costs more than mains gas. That makes a correctly sized, efficient boiler and good controls more valuable, not less.
Yes, once a year, exactly as with mains gas. It keeps the boiler safe and efficient and protects the manufacturer guarantee.
If you have been told elsewhere that your LPG boiler cannot be replaced, it is usually because the engineer you spoke to does not hold the qualification rather than because the job cannot be done. It is always worth a second opinion.
See also boiler installation, central heating installation, boiler servicing and gas safety inspections. See the areas we cover.
LPG work covers the villages and outlying properties within roughly ten miles of Staple Hill. Call Julian on 07831 718509 and let him know the boiler make and whether you are on a bulk tank or bottles.
LPG is a separate qualification held on top of Gas Safe registration. Gas engineer services explains what else that covers.
Call Julian for a free, no-obligation quote on LPG boiler work.