My brother-in-law, who lives with my sister in what was my parents retirement home is considering his options with respect to the scrappage scheme. The Baxi Boston boiler (installed 1994), a floor mounted open flue type with a permanent pilot light, would appear to qualify but as I can?t find it on the Sebuk site I can?t be sure. However the major problems are what to replace it with and where to site the replacement.
In 1994 the hot water tank circuit was still gravity fed but the system is now fully pumped and there are no plans to shift to a combi. The house is a chalet type bungalow with a loft conversion and there is nowhere suitable on the outside walls for a balanced flue due to the many windows, etc. and access to what is now a very small loft is too poor to consider mounting a boiler there either. I don't know whether open flue boilers are still an option but I would not want to see a replacement open flued boiler so the replacement will have to have a balanced flue.
ISTM that there are only 3 realistic mounting options.:
- A wall hung boiler in the kitchen with a balanced flue threaded up the existing flue but that would involve a flue of at least 20 feet.
- A wall hung boiler in the bedroom immediately above utilising the same flue as option 1. That would reduce the flue length to about 12 feet.
- A wall hung boiler again in the bedroom above but with a flue exiting the roof either vertically or horizontally. Flue length 6 to 8 feet. With a 45 degree roof sealing the roof would be equally awkward either way. (Is a 45 degree flue available for some makes?)
With all 3 options the condensate drain might bring problems as there is currently no access to the void beneath the suspended ground floor and no realistic prospect with options 2 or 3 of reaching the upstairs drainage on the other side of the house.
Neither my B-I-L or my sister are techno freaks so whatever is chosen has to be easily installed by the local heating engineer and easily operated by the residents. The late lamented Andy recommended:
"If you want to choose from among the best quality products, then look at MAN Heiztechnik
Some of Dribble?s recent pronouncements might also have merit if the lily gilding is ignored but I doubt that the local plumber would be happy with something exotic.
John Stumbles, who as an installer should be in a better position than most to know about poor product, seems to have been a consistent supporter of Worcester-Bosch but is there anything else out there with a comparatively good service record?
I have not been as assiduous as I once was in reading the ng but ISTR that long balanced flues were restricted to Keston who have had reliability problems if the comments I have read are anything to go by.
To sum up:
Am I right in assuming that Keston is the only make for mounting option
1 and possible option 2 as well and if not what else is available?Is there a reliable alternative to Worcester-Bosch for mounting option
3? And can any of the boilers have a 45 degree flue instead of a horizontal or vertical one?