Unvented Cylinder Inspections for House Buyers
A G3 qualified inspection of the hot water cylinder before you commit — safety devices, expansion arrangement and discharge pipework checked against Approved Document G3, with a written report and photographs. £140 with no VAT.
checklistWhat You Get
- check_circleFull G3 inspection of the cylinder
- check_circleSafety devices tested
- check_circleDischarge pipework checked against G3
- check_circleWritten report with photographs
- check_circleCosted list of anything needing attention
- check_circle£140, no VAT
Most Surveys Barely Look at the Cylinder
A building survey will note that a property has an unvented cylinder. It very rarely tells you whether the safety devices work, whether the expansion arrangement has ever been commissioned, or whether the discharge pipework actually complies with Approved Document G3.
That matters, because an unvented cylinder is a pressurised vessel. Its safety devices are what stand between normal operation and a genuinely dangerous failure, and Building Regulations require whoever works on one to be competent, and G3 is the recognised route to demonstrating it.
Expansion vessels never commissioned
The most common finding by a distance. A vessel left at its factory pre-charge, never set in line with the manufacturer's instructions for that installation. It works until it does not.
Non-compliant discharge pipework
I regularly find two relief valve discharges combined into a single undersized manifold. In a genuine over-pressure event the pipework has to carry the discharge away safely.
Failed or weeping relief valves
Temperature and pressure relief valves that weep, stick, or fail to reseat after operating. Cheap to replace, expensive to discover after you have moved in.
No service history at all
Very common. If nobody can tell you when it was last serviced, assume never — and factor that into what you are taking on.
What the Inspection Is — and Is Not
Text description of this diagram
The diagram has three columns. On the left, what is checked: cylinder condition and age, the expansion vessel or internal air gap, the temperature and pressure relief valve, the expansion relief valve, the inlet control group and strainer, the tundish and discharge pipework, and stored water temperature. In the middle, what you receive: a written report containing photographs of the findings, an assessment against Approved Document G3, a costed list of remedial work, and the stated limitations. On the right, what the inspection is not: it is not a full building survey, not a guarantee of future performance, and covers accessible parts only, with concealed work noted rather than opened up. The inspection is a point-in-time assessment costing £140 with no VAT; remedial work is quoted separately with no obligation to use me, and the report is yours to share.
What it is. A point-in-time G3 inspection of the accessible parts of the unvented hot water system, carried out by a qualified engineer, with a written report and photographs you can share with your solicitor or use in negotiation.
What it is not. It is not a full building survey, and it is not a guarantee of future performance. I cannot inspect what is concealed, boxed in, or unsafe to reach — and where that is the case, the report says so plainly rather than glossing over it.
Remedial work. Anything found is quoted separately at a fixed price. There is no obligation to use me for the work, and the report is yours either way.
Pre-Purchase Inspection Questions
Book an Inspection Before You Commit
£140 with no VAT, written report and photographs, across Orpington, Bromley, Chislehurst, Sidcup and Sevenoaks.
call07717 846247