How long can you keep a boiler going for?

[Dan S. MacAbre]

I just replaced the top socket and thermocouple in our old Thorn Apollo. The pilot light kept going out, and I find I have to replace them every five years, or so. No big deal - they don't cost much, and I've order replacements for the next time. But I can't help wondering - how long can the thing last? There doesn't seem to be much that can seriously go wrong with it, apart from maybe the gas valve. But will it make the house difficult to sell, if we ever decide to?

One of the reasons I ask is that my sister had a new boiler fitted a couple of years ago (because she was told 'you can't get the parts for these', which I don't believe), and has to have someone out to it about once a year. Also, it had to be sited in a different place, and now she has a long gas pipe running along and up the outside wall, which doesn't seem right.

[Simon Mason]

On Tuesday, 18 October 2016 10:03:43 UTC+1, Dan S. MacAbre wrote: There doesn't seem to be much that can

I keep getting hassle off BG to get a new boiler for my Ideal Standard Mexi co which is 25 years old and still going strong as it is built like a tract or. I tell them that I'm not interested.

In any case, that factory is just up the road and I can get a new boiler fo r £600 and get someone to fit it for £200. BG charges £4000.

[Tim+]

Short answer, as long as you don't mind the inefficiency costs and you can carry on making economic repairs.

For sure new boilers aren't lasting as long as the old cast iron lumps so efficiency isn't the only consideration but sooner or later the old boiler will become uneconomic to repair.

Tim

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I replaced my still functioning OK cast iron BF BE boiler some years ago. It had as sophisticated controls as was possible. Changed it at the same time as a major alteration to the area it was situated in. And since I don't do that sort of thing every year, decided that was the time to update. Went for a Veissmann with weather compensation - bought at the best price and self installed. According to my records, it saved its cost in just over 4 years. Of course winters etc are never identical. It's a four bedroom Victorian semi with solid walls, so gas use is higher than many.

The sums would have been very different if I'd paid BG etc to fit what they tend to recommend. Ie, the boiler they make the biggest profit on.

[Michael Chare]

You can always try and see if you can get spare parts using google. You could also work out what you would do for a replacement, which would be useful if you existing boiler fails in the winter and you want to replace it quickly.

[John Rumm]

Unless the HE springs a leak or the gas valve fails then there is not much else to go wrong. Having said that, for every quids worth of gas you feed it its probably throwing 35 to 40p of straight out of the flue. So you would have to do the sums based on your gas bill to see where it becomes more expensive to keep it going.

Unlikely IME. Having CH matters, but the actual details seem to have little effect on buying decisions or asking price.

There is nothing actually wrong with running a pipe externally - its commonly done to keep disruption and costs down. However I would not do it myself...

[therustyone]

Same problem with my Glow-worm Space Saver 50, installed circa 1975 I believe, two house-owners ago. Built like a steam engine.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

And about as efficient. Ever wondered why you don't see steam engines in use these days?

[damduck-egg]

In power plants and nuclear submarines they are still common. Your point stands for smaller set ups like railway locomtives road transport,and agriculture.

G.Harman

[Dan S. MacAbre]

In one of Ronald Top's 'Industrial Revelations - Europe' programs, there's this wonderful steam-powered log sawing machine. They just throw the offcuts into the firebox to keep it going.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Problem with steam is power to weight.

so BIG fixed installations, or a very very efficient low weight boilers like a nuclear reactor that doesn't need thousand of tonnes of coal.

[rick]

The answer is two-fold, you can keep it going as long as you can get spares or can repair broken items. Or you want a much more modern boiler, .... it could be you want to get rid of pilot, want a small fan assisted condensing unit.

When it comes to selling house not having an A rated bolier will be noted, but if it is working and you have a gas safe certificate for it ... unlikely to affect sale.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Using gas to heat water, as in a domestic boiler? Or oil?

[damduck-egg]

What the source of heat is is irrelevant to your question " Ever wondered why you don't see steam engines in use these days?" as you wrote it.

If you wanted to break it down into subsets of steam engines and how their steam is produced you should have been more specific.

G.Harman

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Simply pointing out that an ancient boiler doesn't make any sense these days. Same as steam engines.

Unless your boiler is nuclear powered, of course.

[damduck-egg]

I don't dispute that, just that many people think Steam engine = something like Thomas the tank engine and forget about the turbines in power plants.

An they are an important component of CCGT power plants where the boiler is heated by the exhaust of the gas turbines , it is one of the things that make the whole approach of CCGT plants achieve some reasonably high efficiency figures.

G.Harman

[therustyone]

My gas spend is about £600 per year, so a new boiler twice as efficien t and costing £3K would pay for itself in 10 years. But I gather from comments in this group that the new generation of boilers don't last too l ong and another new one would be needed at 10 years. So am I really saving ?

[The Natural Philosopher]

Your boiler will be at least 70% efficient. Good luck with finding one that is twice as efficient..

[Dan S. MacAbre]

It would be interesting to see if an old boiler could be made more efficient. A longer heat exchanger with larger fins, perhaps?

[Dan S. MacAbre]

My main objection is reliability, too. Both as a result of what I've read here, and from my sister's experience. They also sound complicated. I don't like buying things that I don't understand how they work - I have what you might call 'trust issues' with the professionals, and don't like to have to rely on them. Maybe I need to find out a bit more about how modern boilers work? It might put my mind at rest.