30 years of gas and heating in Surrey: Carlton Fuller on how the trade has changed

Carlton Fuller founded Carlton Fuller and Sons - CAF Heating - in 1996, two years after qualifying as a gas engineer. Three decades later, his sons Simon and Stephen work alongside him, and the business covers Surrey and South London from its Horley base.

The biggest technical shift

When Carlton started, back boilers were everywhere - the unit behind the gas fire that heated the whole house. Replacing those with modern combis kept the trade busy for years. The bigger shift came in 2005 when condensing boilers became the legal standard for new installations. Overnight, the job got more technical - flue siting, condensate drainage, modulation settings. Engineers who did not keep up were quickly left behind.

What has improved

• ◆Boiler efficiency - modern ErP A-rated boilers use around 30% less gas than the equipment being replaced in the late 1990s
• ◆Diagnostics - fault codes and intelligent controls mean most faults are identified before the boiler casing is opened
• ◆Parts availability - the Vaillant network in particular has deepened significantly since the early years
• ◆Digital certificates - the end of paper CP12s means landlords get their records faster and there is no risk of losing a paper copy

What has not changed

The fundamentals of gas work have not changed: a gas-tight installation, clean combustion, and a flue that takes the products of combustion away from living space. Get those three right and the boiler will run well. Problems arise when people cut corners on those basics - rushed installations, incorrect flue siting, no tightness test. That is where incidents happen.

The family business

Having Simon and Stephen on the tools is the part Carlton is proudest of. Both are qualified to a higher level than Carlton was when he started - the training requirements are much more rigorous now. What he has tried to pass on is the attitude: go in, do the job properly, leave it cleaner than you found it, be straight with the customer.

The next decade

Heat pumps are coming. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is growing and the government's long-term direction is clear. But gas will be here for another decade-plus in the Surrey housing stock. Most homes in the area are not ready for a quick transition to heat pumps. The job now is to keep existing systems running well and help customers make the right call when the time genuinely comes for a change.

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