Servicing your own gas boiler

[Jon Parker]

Hello folks,

How much (if any) buggering about is one allowed to do to one's own gas boiler?

The reason I ask is that my boiler fails to light most of the time during the winter months. Research indicates this is due to a build-up of ally (aluminium?) oxide on the heat exchanger.

Further reading suggests it's not a difficult procedure to carry out, assuming one is competent with a screwdriver etc, which I am. Obvious precautions like turning off the electricity supply and presumably the gas supply too would apply.

Thanks and regards to all. Jon

[Onetap]

You must be competent to do the work. Asking on a DIY forum would suggest that you're not.

[tony sayer]

In article , Jon Parker scribeth thus

As far as I understand it if you deem yourself "competent" then no problem..

[Andy Cap]

Which could equally apply to overhauling the brakes on a car, which people have done for decades, either by seeking advice or reading the manual. Cleaning things is not rocket-science!

Andy C

[Artic]

Jon Parker scribbled...

Other videos are avaiable...

[Fredxx]

Servicing a boiler is not rocket science.

I can't think of a better forum, where many on here will have professional qualifications.

[Peter Crosland]

The fact that you have to ask suggest that you so not have the required level of expertise. Also the boiler should not be failing regularly like this. Get it professionally serviced and repaired as necessary.

[Adrian]

Seems to me that the question was about the legal, rather than technical, ability to do the work - so there's no inferences about competence to be drawn.

[charles]

I wouldn't agree with that diagnosis. I had a local "Gas Safe" fitter round to change the thermocouple in my boiler which he did. However, he couldn't get the piezo igniter to light the pilot. It was lit with match instead. it's been running happily for the last month.

Sometimes expertise comes with having th right spares in the van.

[Tim+]

Yeah but, your boiler is positively dark ages design so I'm not sure you're in a position to offer useful advice about a more modern boiler.

To the OP, if you think you're competent, go for it. You may need new seals if you're opening the combustion chamber.

Tim

[charles]

my boiler may be "dark ages" but I only bought it in 1989. And I wasn't "offering advice" - merely stating that using a professonal isn't always the answer.

[Tim+]

Well you chose to disagree with the diagnosis based on your experience of an old pilot light & thermocouple based boiler when it would seem that the OP has researched the problem and probably has a more modern boiler with electronic ignition (based on the link he provided).

I'm not sure on what you're basing your disagreement with the diagnosis.

Tim

[Adrian]

Pilot? Jesus... Sounds like English Heritage's approval for any work on it would be almost as important as GasSafe's.

[Rick Hughes]

None unless rated as competent ... which currently means GasSafe registered

[Adrian]

No, it doesn't.

[Huge]

[Michael Chare]

Exactly. And I would say that seeking guidance demonstrates some competence.

Last time I installed a gas boiler there was a smell of gas. I remember it well as I was listening to the news on the BBC radio which was about the Guildford IRA bomb.

I evenually found the gas leek on the new Ideal Standard boiler that I had bought.

[Tim+]

Last time I smelled a gas leak was after we'd had the meter moved by Scottish gas. Presumably, their crews are "competent", but that didn't stop them buggering off leaving a big gas leak.

Tim

[Roger Mills]

That might apply if you're doing it for someone else for reward - but not if you're doing it for yourself. In my book, "competent" means that you know what you're doing - *not* that you've got some meaningless piece of paper.

[Graham.]

Only if you are being paid, or there are tennents renting the property.