When Keith Bourne was told he needed to replace his boiler, his heart sank. But installer Kane Duffy, from Plumbtek, was able to offer an alternative solution that has not only dramatically improved the system’s efficiency, but meant they both also won back the cost of a month’s gas heating bill.
Back in December 2022 during the cold snap, Mr Bourne’s heating started working only intermittently, which meant the house would get cold very quickly. Mr Bourne’s wife is disabled and it’s detrimental to her health if she is not warm enough so he’d ended up buying a number of expensive portable electric heaters as a short term solution.
“I knew this wasn’t something to sustain long term,” commented Mr Bourne. “The boiler in our house is coming up to ten years old and we’ve had it serviced regularly over that time. But when the snow lingered for a number of days and the temperature plummeted, it just wasn’t performing efficiently enough to keep the temperature consistently warm.
“I phoned a number of different heating engineers who all suggested the boiler needed replacing. However, Kane from Plumbtek took a closer look and was the only one to offer an alternative solution, and one that was more cost effective. He recommended flushing the heating system first and then replacing the filter.”
“When I visited Mr Bourne’s home, the conversation quickly turned to the rise in energy bills and the potential implications an inefficient heating system could have on his wife’s condition as she requires their home to be consistently warm due to her disability,” said Kane who is based in Rubery, Birmingham. “The existing filter had been fitted in the wrong place and wasn’t performing as it should be. The magnets were not powerful enough so a lot of debris was getting through which was clogging up both the system and the exchange in the boiler.”
Ahead of installing the MagnaClean Professional2 filter, Kane used MagnaCleanse to flush the system to remove the build-up of sludge that was causing the system to run inefficiently. Once the filter was installed, he was then able to show Mr Bourne the debris that had collected around the magnets on both the existing and new filters so he could see the difference.
“I find it really helps to bring the benefits of the MagnaClean to life when you can show the customer what’s been captured by the magnet,” said Kane.
“I was so relieved and thankful when Kane explained the benefits of the MagnaClean filter,” continued Mr Bourne. “He told me it can look after your heating system and how it would not only increase the lifespan of our existing boiler, but also be a more efficient and cost effective way to improve heat output in our home. For me it cemented the decision to install it.”
The icing on the cake was that both Kane and Keith were also picked at random as monthly winners in ADEY’s Win Back Your Heating Bills competition. Run over three months, the company rewarded installers, and their homeowners, for reducing gas energy bills by up to 7% through taking steps to make their central heating more efficient.
After installing a MagnaClean filter and registering the warranty in ADEY ProClub, both Kane and Mr Bourne each received the cost of their respective monthly gas heating bill back, up to the value of £500, as their prize.
“I’m delighted to have won. It was such a surprise,” commented Kane. “Mr Bourne was thrilled when I shared the news with him too. It couldn’t have come at a better time really. Like a lot of people, the rising cost of energy bills has been a cause for concern, especially over the winter months, so it’s brilliant for both of us to win.”
“Having the MagnaClean fitted has made a huge difference,” concluded Mr Bourne. “Since it has been installed our heating is so much more efficient and our home is a lot warmer which is such a relief after so many cold spells this winter. Our heating is working better now than it ever has. The system heats up more quickly than it did previously, so I’m relieved and really happy with the outcome. Winning back the cost of our heating bill for December was an added bonus. I was delighted, for both of us.”
