Boiler installation
From £1,999 fitted
Unvented Hot Water Cylinders, Birmingham
We install, service and repair unvented hot water cylinders — Megaflo, Range, Gledhill and similar. Unvented work requires a separate G3 qualification on top of gas registration. An annual service is £120 on its own, or £90 if booked alongside a boiler service on the same visit. Cylinders need this every year to keep the warranty valid and to test the safety discharge arrangements.
Request an engineer
Four details and we will get back to you to arrange a time. Prefer to talk? Call 07413 385767.
Unvented cylinder repairs £99 for the first hour in office hours, parts quoted first. Immersion heater and vented cylinder repairs are quoted after a £99 diagnosis. Unvented cylinder annual service £120 (£90 with a boiler service).
No travel charge within 10 miles of B20 2JS. Further out, £2 per mile may apply — always agreed before anything is booked. Full price list
Smell gas now? Do not use this form or wait for a reply. Call the National Gas Emergency Service free on 0800 111 999 (24 hours). If you are using a mobile, make the call from outside. Open doors and windows, do not switch electrics on or off, do not smoke or use naked flames, and turn the gas off at the meter if it is safe to do so, unless the meter is in a cellar or basement. Once the supply has been made safe, we can trace and repair the fault.
When an unvented cylinder beats a combi
In a house with two or more bathrooms, or where more than one shower runs at the same time, a combi struggles — the flow rate simply divides. An unvented cylinder stores hot water at mains pressure and delivers strong, simultaneous showers. In large Sutton Coldfield and Solihull properties it is usually the right specification, and we would rather sell you the right system than the cheaper one that disappoints.
Not every tall white tank in a flat is an unvented cylinder. If yours is a Gledhill PulsaCoil or another electric thermal store, see PulsaCoil and thermal store repairs: we repair those too.
Annual servicing is not optional
An unvented cylinder is a pressure vessel. The safety chain — expansion vessel charge, pressure reducing valve, temperature and pressure relief valve, tundish and discharge pipe — needs testing every year. Manufacturers make the warranty conditional on it, and the failure mode of a neglected unvented system is genuinely serious rather than merely inconvenient. An annual service is £120, or £90 if you book it alongside a boiler service on the same visit — one appointment covers both appliances.
Faults we see
- Water dripping from the tundish or outside discharge pipe — usually a failed expansion vessel or a passing relief valve.
- Pressure dropping at the taps — often the pressure reducing valve or a partially blocked strainer.
- Hot water running out quickly — immersion or coil problem, or a thermostat set too low.
- Banging on shut-off — expansion vessel losing its air charge.
Most of these are repairs rather than replacements, and re-charging an expansion vessel is a routine part of the annual service.
Cylinder not heating, dripping or leaking now? See hot water cylinder repairs, or immersion heater repair and replacement if an electric element has failed.
Recent cylinder work
No hot water from an electrically heated Megaflo in a Birmingham city centre flat. At the tenant's request we drained the cylinder down and replaced both immersion elements, which came out scaled and corroded, then refilled and tested them: hot water back on the same visit. Read the case study, with photos.
The Tempest unvented cylinder we installed in an Edgbaston garage last year came back round for its first annual service, done on the same visit as a full strip-down on the Viessmann boiler that feeds it. Read the case study, with photos.
A 300-litre unvented cylinder in Edgbaston had corroded internally and was leaking beyond economic repair. We sourced a matching 300L replacement, removed the old cylinder, installed and commissioned the new one, and had hot water back the same weekend.
In Hockley, the expansion vessel on a Megaflo had fallen off the wall because its backboard had only been nailed into plasterboard. We fitted plywood across a wider area on heavy-duty fixings and remounted the vessel so the wall carries it, not the pipe. See the photos and the write-up.
A third-floor unvented cylinder in Wolverhampton leaking through the ceiling below. Surveyed, quoted, and replaced with a new 150-litre stainless unvented cylinder to current standards, pipework insulated. Read the case study.
Prices
| Job | Price |
|---|---|
| Unvented cylinder annual service | £120 |
| Unvented cylinder service, bundled with a boiler service | £90 |
| Unvented cylinder repair | £99 first hour, parts quoted |
| New unvented cylinder installation | Quoted after survey |
| System boiler + unvented cylinder package | Quoted after survey |
Service prices are the price for the job as described; the £99 repair charge covers attendance, diagnosis and the first hour in office hours (Mon–Fri 8am–5.30pm) and is not the price of every job. Parts and further work are quoted and agreed before we carry on, out-of-hours work is quoted by phone before we set off, and installations are priced in writing after a free survey. No travel charge within 10 miles of B20 2JS; further out, £2 per mile may apply, agreed before booking. How our prices work.
What it costs
Updated Sept 2026Service £120
Annual service £120 (£90 with a boiler service). Repairs £99 for the first hour in office hours, parts quoted first.
No travel charge within 10 miles of B20 2JS. Further out, £2 per mile may apply — always agreed before anything is booked.
Unvented cylinders
£120 annual serviceCalloutEarliest available visit — ask when you call
OfficeMon–Fri 8–5.30
Emergency24/7
Gas Safe reg.594385
Coverage
From B20 2JSStandard radius10 miles
Installationsup to 50 miles
TownsB'ham, Sandwell, Walsall, Dudley, Solihull
Answers
Unvented cylinders: common questions
What is a G3 qualification?
G3 is the Building Regulations competency required to work on unvented hot water systems. It is separate from gas registration — a Gas Safe card alone does not permit unvented work.
Why is water dripping from the pipe outside?
That is the discharge from the temperature and pressure relief valve, and it means something in the safety chain has operated. Most often the expansion vessel has lost its charge. It should be looked at promptly.
How much does an unvented cylinder service cost?
£120 on its own, or £90 if you book it alongside a boiler service on the same visit — worth doing together since it's one appointment instead of two.
How often does an unvented cylinder need servicing?
Every twelve months. Manufacturers require it for the warranty and the safety devices need testing.
Should I choose a combi or a cylinder?
One bathroom, one to three people — a combi is usually right. Two or more bathrooms or simultaneous showers — a system boiler with an unvented cylinder will serve you much better.
How much does an unvented cylinder repair cost?
In office hours (Monday to Friday, 8am to 5.30pm), £99 covers the visit, the diagnosis and the first hour of work, and any parts are quoted before we fit them. The total depends on the part: an immersion element, a thermostat, an expansion vessel or a safety valve. On a Megaflo in Birmingham city centre with no hot water, the repair was replacement immersion elements. An unvented cylinder should only be worked on by an engineer who holds the G3 unvented hot water qualification; ask to see it. An annual service is £120, or £90 when booked with a boiler service.
Local
Unvented cylinders near you
We cover Birmingham and the surrounding towns. Pick your area for local detail.
- Unvented cylinders in BirminghamB1–B48
- Unvented cylinders in Handsworth WoodB20, B21
- Unvented cylinders in Perry BarrB42, B44
- Unvented cylinders in Great BarrB43, B44
- Unvented cylinders in ErdingtonB23, B24
- Unvented cylinders in Sutton ColdfieldB72–B76
- Unvented cylinders in EdgbastonB15, B16
- Unvented cylinders in HarborneB17, B32
- Unvented cylinders in Moseley & Kings HeathB13, B14
- Unvented cylinders in Selly OakB29, B30
Also
Other services
Boiler repair
£99 in office hours: diagnosis + first hour
Boiler servicing
From £95
Gas safety certificate (CP12)
£90 (boiler + cooker)
24/7 emergency callout
£99 (Mon–Fri 8am–5.30pm)
Gas leak detection
From £99 in office hours
Unvented cylinder due a service or leaking? Call for a straight answer.
We will tell you honestly when we can get to you, and agree the price before any work goes ahead.