October: getting AGAs ready for winter

Ian · 30 October 2026

October is always busy for me. People want their AGA ready for the winter, and the services and repairs they've put off until they need the cooker can't wait any longer. This year October felt busier than usual, probably because people put the work off at the tail end of a very hot summer. Twenty-two of this month's jobs are on the website, which gives you an idea of what it's like.

Getting ready for the season

Most of the month was annual services, a lot of them for regular customers. Many of these cookers needed a new part as well. In Edgbaston I fitted new door ropes so the doors seal properly for the winter. In Sedgley the insulation was very low, so I topped it up and fitted a new top blanket. One customer in Staffordshire has already booked in for next year.

The ones that couldn't wait

Other calls came in because the cooker wasn't working when it was needed. A propane AGA in Atherstone needed a new pilot assembly, and its ignition wasn't sparking. In Coleshill an inherited AGA hadn't been serviced for a couple of years and wouldn't stay alight, and one in Tamworth wouldn't stay lit either. An old Mk1 in Lichfield town centre wouldn't light, and I found a gas leak. The furthest north I went was Ashbourne in Derbyshire, where a 30 amp electric AGA wasn't getting up to full temperature, so it had new elements.

The job that stood out for me was the propane AGA in Atherstone. There are a few chimneys on the property, so we traced the flue all the way through to find the right one. The smoke came out of the flue with no problem and was exiting the terminal perfectly.

What I replaced most

I replaced five gas valves, in Edgbaston, Baxterley, Droitwich, Lichfield and Albrighton. Three were letting by, which means gas could still get through when the valve should have been shut off. I also fitted three pilot assemblies, three thermocouples and two thermostats. In Albrighton a flue spillage stat kept tripping out, and at a holiday let in Stowe-by-Chartley a Rayburn's fan had got very noisy, so I replaced both of those too.

Gas, oil, LPG and electric

Most of October's cookers were on natural gas. There were three oil AGAs, including one near Alton Towers that was converted from solid fuel, two on LPG and the electric one in Ashbourne. Three of the jobs were Rayburns.

Booked back in

A few of October's customers have already booked me back. The Atherstone AGA is getting new door ropes and lid cords, the oil AGA near Alton Towers needs a new oil control valve, and the power flue AGA in Albrighton is due to be booked in for a mini refurb and a re-enamelled top.