All, My boiler is 22 years old, not bad service, but is getting in need of replacement. Can anybody give me a simple overview of the current regs,do and don'ts, relating to swapping this boiler. I.E like for like, cast iron boiler for combi, cast iron for condensing? I heard mention of a scary date of 1st April 2005 makes a big difference any advice info much appreciated. Ben.
After April all boilers must be condensers, with the odd exception. You can change the boiler for a combi as long as you are "competent". You do not require CORGI registration.
If replacing an old boiler use a flushing agent before you rip out the old boiler. Flush a few times and fit a strainer on the return pipe to the new boiler to catch crud. Insert inhibitor when finished.
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Where is it located and what type of boiler is it? Floor standing/wall hung/back boiler, against an external wall? What size of house? How many people: generally bath or shower?
Try a Worcester Bosch Greenstar 40kw combi or an Alpha CB50. great showers.
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Measure the flow rate from your cold water main first however (stopwatch and a container of known size at your best mains fed tap) before going the combi route. It is all well and good buying a top end combi that can deliver 15 lpm if the mains will only do 10! (replacing the mains pipe right back to the street may fix that, but can be pricey/disruptive).
Just to pick up on a small point of Dr Evil, as he says you can work o
gas if you can prove competence; I don't know of any test cases in la which establish what competence is in this case.
Manufacturers say they won't honour gurantee, but nothing can b assumed until a legal precedent is set. I'm not sure any case has bee tested in court.
As corgi fitters we come across obvious diy stuff frequently. The mos common one is the boiler never gets a proper service (because the aren't aware of what to do, but when after 20 years service they hav to change the thermocouple to get it going again, that's all they do When it goes wrong again and thermocouple doesnt do the trick we ge called. We find a boiler that to all intents and purposes hasn't bee serviced in it's entire life, and we have a lifetimes soot and lint t disperse and come away looking like chimney sweeps. We love you really
-- Paul Barker
The law says "competent", not a member of corgi. Corgi is only for people who make money from gas.
Makers deny anything that makes them honour their commitments. Tell them the law and they back down.
That is ignornance, nothing else. We have one regular contributor here who likes to assetively give advise on all thing watervabd gas and this is what he said.. is Dave Plowman giving advice on CH boilers...........read on...it make your hair curl...........
"Mine managed over 10 years without being touched before it needed a clean. 'Sooting up' once it starts, happens very quickly."
He didn't have his gas boiler serviced for over 10 years, and thinks knows all the answers in this field. Only on the Internet you see this. These people are dangerous, very dangerous, as people may take what they say literally.
Tell them to get a new condensing job. A top mounted downward firing burner mean the thing doesn't need cleaning. If it is firing incorrectly it goes into lockout. Then they have to get it fixed by a pro.
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This is legally a moot point anyway, as a consumer your contract is with the retailer, not the manufacturer. Hence it is them who are required to provide you with your statutory rights. Whether the manufacturers back up the retailer with a warranty _should_ be of no direct concern to the customer (although worth having in case the retailer goes titsup). The fact that many makers will take on the responsibility for end user backup is more of a concessionary service to the retailers to make it more attractive to them to supply those makers products.
If you buy direct from the maker, and it is clear you are an end user and not a business, then the maker would be required to furnish your statutory rights. If however you buy from the maker as a business then they are free to state whatever terms they like (within the limits of the unfair contractual terms legislation) since the consumer protection legislation does not apply.
Why is part of your standard advice, "Its gone wrong, don't bother to repair it, buy a new one"? If it *needs* replacement, sure replace it with a good efficient boiler. If not, then fix it.
That is not my standard advice, although these days it is better financially to do so in many cases. I know a DIYer who fitted in a cheap combi. He could clean the heat exchanger and change a pump and no more. If the boiler had major faults he would just replace it type to type, a couple of hours work. It worked out cheaper doing it this way, as he saved £80-£100 a year service costs. If he changed the boiler every 3 to 4 years he was still ahead of the game.
It is clear these people will neglect the boiler until dooms day. They will only give attention if it brakes down, and call a pro only when they have to. If they have a boiler which is near foolproof, then it is better for everyone all around. They could have an explosion in a block of flats, causing death, because of their ignorance.
The right boiler minimises potential danger. It is best to get them to but a condensing boiler that is self cleaning and has lockout for serious problems.
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Think you might get another account pulled if you keep telling these half truths.
I said the whole idea of an annual service where the boiler was dismantled for cleaning was a nonsense, since the introduction of natural gas which burns far more cleanly than the earlier town gas. But never suggested to dispense with an annual safety check. However, this cash cow was still milked by many unscrupulous plumbers like yourself by attempting to put the fear of god into the punters. And doing plenty of damage to the boiler by dismantling it unnecessarily.
And indeed, BG etc agree with me, since they no longer dismantle a boiler for cleaning every year.
But you carry on in your little fantasy world, where your main object seems to be to waste other's money.
-- Paul Barker
"Paul Barker" wrote | We find a boiler that to all intents and purposes hasn't been | serviced in it's entire life, and we have a lifetimes soot and | lint to disperse and come away looking like chimney sweeps. | We love you really.
If you don't like servicing gas boilers, enquire at your local library or careers office about how to retrain as a San!flo Emergency Call-Out Operative.
Owain
Oh and one other thing while I find my self in Dr Evil's cam
momentarily, make sure it's a boiler on a jig. Swap over should take a hour at the most.
Actually, I have in mind such a strategy for a business proposition but venture capitalists you can keep your hands off
-- Paul Barker
Full truth my boy! I cut and pasted from actual post, that is why it is in quotes. And you said you fitted the boiler yourself too.
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What? Make universal jig?
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Yes pet. You're adapt at snipping and selective quoting. I'll give you that.
Still working perfectly at around 30 years old - with no service costs.
And pennies worth of repairs. To wit, a set of O rings and one thermocouple.
But you don't understand economics anymore than efficiency, do you?
Not servicing for 10 years is NOT economics it is irresponsibility and danger. Please do not comment on heating and water systems, your sort of advise is not wanted by anyone. Stick to microphones.
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I was not suggesting that one keeps bodging back together something that falls into the bad money after good camp. However if you have had 15 years solid service from a boiler without any failures, and there is no reason to suggest that at least another five more are not available, why bin it? The knee jerk reaction of our morphing troll here seems to be yells of "rip it out and replace it" at the slightest provocation. (Typically with an Alpha CB50, claiming 40% reduction in bills in the process)
Don't suppose you would comply with that request yourself by any chance?
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