Do you cover the whole of Melksham and the SN12 postcode?
Yes. Philip Cheeseman and Sons covers the entire SN12 postcode area from our base at 2 Marti Close in Melksham. That includes the town centre, Bowerhill, Berryfield, Beanacre, Shurnhold, Shaw, Whitley, Atworth, Semington, Seend, Broughton Gifford and Melksham Without. Because we work from premises inside the town rather than from a regional depot, our engineers are usually only a few minutes from any Melksham address. We also cover Trowbridge, Chippenham, Westbury, Devizes, Bradford on Avon and Bath. Melksham is where the company started, not a territory assigned to us from elsewhere. Philip Cheeseman began working as a plumber here in 1976, and his sons Jamie and Luke now run the business as directors. Every engineer sent to a Melksham address is Gas Safe registered and employed directly by us. If you are unsure whether your address falls inside our area, call 01225 705626 and we will tell you straight away.
How long does a new boiler installation in Melksham take?
A straight boiler swap, where the new appliance goes in the same position as the old one and the system stays the same type, is usually completed in a single day. A conversion takes longer. Changing from a vented system with a loft tank to a combi boiler, or fitting an unvented pressurised cylinder, typically takes two days because pipework has to be rerouted and the old tanks removed. Older stone properties in central Melksham sometimes add time because pipework has to be traced through solid walls. We tell you the expected duration in the written quote before the job is booked, so you can plan around it. Every installation includes a full system flush and a magnetic filter, and we handle the building control notification on your behalf. If the property sits within the Bowerhill or Berryfield estates, where microbore pipework is common, we also check whether a power flush is needed during the same visit.
How do I know when my boiler needs replacing rather than repairing?
The clearest signals are age, part availability and repeat faults. A boiler over ten years old will run at a noticeably lower efficiency than a current A rated appliance, and manufacturers eventually stop producing spares for discontinued models. If you have needed more than one repair in a heating season, if the boiler locks out repeatedly, or if it cannot maintain hot water while the heating runs, replacement usually makes more sense than another fix. We will always tell you when a repair is the sensible option. Our engineer inspects the appliance in your Melksham property and explains both routes before you decide anything. Where replacement is the right call, we are accredited installers for Worcester Bosch, Vaillant and Viessmann, and guarantees of up to fifteen years are available depending on the model chosen. We size the new boiler to your actual hot water demand rather than simply matching the output of the old appliance, which is often the real reason an older unit felt underpowered.
Why do radiators in older Melksham houses go cold at the bottom?
Cold radiator bottoms are caused by magnetite sludge, a black iron oxide deposit that forms inside a heating system over the years and settles at the lowest point of each radiator. It is very common on the nineteen seventies and eighties estate housing around Bowerhill and Berryfield, because those homes were plumbed in microbore pipework which blocks far more easily than modern larger bore pipe. The fix is a power flush to clear the deposits, followed by fitting a magnetic filter and dosing the system with inhibitor to stop it returning. Left untreated, sludge shortens the life of both the pump and the boiler heat exchanger. It is a job our engineers carry out somewhere in the SN12 area most weeks. A power flush together with a magnetic filter and inhibitor typically restores even heat across every radiator, and we test each radiator individually before leaving to confirm the fix has worked.
How often should a boiler be serviced?
Once every twelve months. An annual service keeps the appliance running efficiently, identifies wear before it causes a breakdown and is a condition of most manufacturer support arrangements. For rented property, an annual gas safety check by a Gas Safe registered engineer is a legal requirement, and we can carry out the service and the safety check in the same visit. Most Melksham customers book their service in late summer or early autumn, before the heating goes on for the season. That is the sensible time, because any fault found can be corrected before the cold weather arrives rather than during it. Every service includes a full strip down and flue gas analysis rather than a quick visual check, and common spares are carried on the van so a minor fault found during the service can often be fixed there and then. For landlords, we can combine the service with the gas safety check in one visit.
Which boiler brands do you install in Melksham?
We are accredited installers for Worcester Bosch, Vaillant and Viessmann, three of the most reliable brands available in the United Kingdom. Accreditation means our engineers are trained by the manufacturers on their specific appliances and we can access the full range. We do not fit the same model into every house. The recommendation depends on the hot water demand, the number of bathrooms, the incoming mains pressure and flow rate at your property, and where the flue can legally terminate. For heat pumps we are trained installers with Grant UK and Clivet Group UK, and our engineers hold G3 qualification for unvented hot water cylinder work, which covers pressurised systems commonly fitted alongside a new boiler in Melksham's taller stone properties. Whichever brand and system type suits your property, the quote is confirmed in writing before any work is booked in, and there are no hidden costs added once that quote has been accepted.
Are air source heat pumps suitable for older Melksham properties?
Sometimes, but it depends entirely on the building. Heat pumps deliver heat at a lower flow temperature than a gas boiler, so the radiators or underfloor circuits must be large enough to emit sufficient heat at that lower temperature. Well insulated newer homes around Pathfinder Place and Western Way are usually straightforward. Solid wall stone cottages in the older parts of Melksham may need insulation improvements or larger radiators first. Properties off the mains gas network around Beanacre, Whitley and Seend are often the strongest candidates because they currently run on oil or LPG. We carry out a room by room heat loss survey before recommending anything. Our engineers are trained installers with Grant UK and Clivet Group UK, and every installation needs a level base or sound wall outside for the unit, plus space internally for a hot water cylinder. Because the survey is specific to each property, two similar houses on the same Melksham street can receive different recommendations depending on insulation and radiator sizing.
Who is responsible for the gas pipework, me or the gas network?
The gas network operator is responsible for the supply up to and including the meter. Everything after the meter, meaning the pipework running through the property and every gas appliance connected to it, is the responsibility of the property owner. If you smell gas, call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 immediately, turn the supply off at the meter and do not use electrical switches. Once the network has made the supply safe, any repair to internal pipework or appliances must be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer. We are registered and can attend Melksham properties for that work. Once we complete a repair on internal pipework or an appliance, we issue paperwork confirming the work meets current gas safety regulations, worth keeping with your property documents. If a fault turns out to be on the supply side, we will tell you plainly and point you back to the National Gas Emergency Service rather than carry out unnecessary work.
Do you provide gas safety certificates for landlords in Melksham?
Yes. We carry out landlord gas safety checks across Melksham and issue the gas safety record on the day of the visit. Every rented property containing a gas appliance requires a check every twelve months by a Gas Safe registered engineer. The record must be given to existing tenants within twenty eight days and to any new tenant at the start of their tenancy. We work with individual landlords and with letting agents managing multiple SN12 properties, arranging access directly with tenants and grouping visits by area. Boiler servicing can be completed in the same appointment to reduce disruption for the tenant. We also carry out void property work between tenancies, when access is straightforward and larger jobs such as boiler replacements or bathroom refits can be completed without disturbing anyone. For landlords and agents managing several SN12 properties, we group visits by area and send certificates through the same day, keeping renewal dates on track across a whole portfolio.
What should I do if my heating fails outside normal working hours?
Call 01225 705626. We take emergency calls seven days a week for heating failures, burst pipes and leaks across Melksham. Before we arrive there are two things worth doing. If water is escaping, turn the supply off at your internal stopcock, which in most Melksham houses is under the kitchen sink. If the boiler has locked out, note down any fault code shown on the display, because it tells our engineer a great deal before they even open the casing. If you smell gas, do not call us first. Call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999. Our office is staffed Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 17:00, but emergency calls for heating failures, burst pipes and leaks are answered seven days a week, because a cold house or an active leak cannot wait for the next working day. Tell us the property, the symptoms and how urgent it is, and we will explain what to expect before an engineer arrives.
How is a quote provided and is there any obligation?
An engineer visits the property, assesses the system and the site conditions, then confirms the recommended work in writing. We do not quote heating installations over the phone, because the flue route, the pipework condition and the mains pressure all affect what is actually needed and none of that can be judged remotely. The written quote sets out exactly what will be carried out. There is no obligation to proceed after receiving it. We operate a policy of you pay what we quote, so there are no hidden costs once a written quote has been accepted, and finance options are available for customers who qualify. An instant online quote tool is also available on our website if you want a faster initial estimate before booking a full assessment, though the figures are always confirmed following a visit to the property. If you would like to arrange an assessment for a Melksham property, call 01225 705626 or email info@cheesemanplumbing.com.
Can you work on commercial premises in Melksham as well as homes?
Yes. We take on domestic and commercial plumbing and heating work across Melksham, including the Bowerhill industrial estate, shops in the town centre and offices across the SN12 area. Commercial work covers boiler installation and servicing, unvented hot water systems, pipework alterations, leak repairs and planned maintenance arrangements. Planned maintenance is worth considering for any business where a heating or hot water failure would stop trading, because faults get identified during a scheduled visit rather than during a busy period. For larger commercial jobs we can bring a multi trade team on site rather than a single engineer working alone, which matters for a Bowerhill unit or town centre premises that cannot afford extended downtime. We work with landlords, letting agents and business owners across Melksham on the same basis as domestic customers, with every visit confirmed in writing and every gas appliance handled by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Call 01225 705626 to discuss what your premises need.