The Gas Man Cameth ...

[Appelation Controlee]

We had the National Grid engineer here yesterday to do a gas meter swap-out and, in the course of this, he did a pressure test on our installation which resulted in him giving the thumbs down to our central heating boiler because its gas control valve seeps when rotated (although not when it's in the service position).

So, I'm looking for a new valve.

Our boiler is old, it's a Crane Cavalier dating from, quite possibly, the sixties, and the valve fitted -

- was long ago discontinued by Honeywell.

The gas fitter I've called in has dismissed the possibility of fitting an alternative unit as he says the collateral work created isn't practicable plus, in fairness, the working space isn't generous.

Does anyone know of a source of discontinued/re-furb'd, but serviceable, boiler parts?

We really don't want to contemplate having a new boiler, as we hope to sell and move from here early next year.

Any suggestions will be seized upon gratefully - it's cold in here.

TIA.

[Dave Liquorice]

Hum, with a boiler that old it's going to knock a few grand off the price of the house or at least give any buyers a reason for making reduced offers. It's also not a good selling point, where as a new boiler is...

Have a couple of cents...

[Appelation Controlee]

Point taken, but it's a floor-standing beastie with a huge flue terminal. The impact on the kitchen of having such work done would be really major. e.g. I can't visualise such a job being done without removing the worktop that bridges the boiler, and that also carries the kitchen sink.

[Tim Downie]

Is it not possible to service the old valve? I would have thought that a bit of disassembly, cleaning and reassembly with a suitable lubricant would fix the problem.

Alternatively, I wonder if it would be legal to fit a new isolation valve in series with the existing one?

Tim

[Man at B&Q]

The new occupants will probably want to remodel it all anyway. If they've any sense they will appreciate it being left as it is.

Stupid previous owner of our hoouse replaced a huge cast iron floor standing lump of a boiler like for like just before selling the house. It went for scrap within 6 months.

MBQ

[Man at B&Q]

Are you being funny?

MBQ

[The Natural Philosopher]

This is true except that it is used as a bargaiing point when negotiating teh proce. Happened to me when selling mums house.

'Boiler isn't certificated, 5000 off my offer' 'the boiler is however safe, if old and inefficient, piss off'

Basically you want the house to be functional and complete. I.e. it pays to put in a new shit kitchen, even if you know the whole lot will be ripped out and skipped within 6 weeks anyway.

I remember wryly shredding the damp and rot guarantees after I had demolished the damp rotten shell of this house.

[Adrian]

The Natural Philosopher gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Guaranteed to be damp and rotten?

[Tim Watts]

What does "certified" mean? A brand new boiler may have installation certification but a few years down the line it is all meaningless.

Quite right.

What I have done is to have a boiler service and a landlord's gas safety check done and offer that as standard - it costs a hundred quid (plus boiler service) and is about the most meaningful thing to offer IMHO.

[Tim Watts]

"Ideal for Fungiculture"

[Dave Liquorice]

making

That is also valid. There is no right answer. If the kitchen is otherwise "modern" rather than also 1960's then a new boiler is probably worth it even with the disruption of switching to a balanced flue wall mounted jobbie. It's something that the new occupants "won't have to do". How ever if the place is in need of general refurbishment, plumbing, wiring, kitchen. bathroom etc leave it as a blank canvas on which they can make their mark.

[John Rumm]

Estate agent speak: "You won't be claiming there is not mushroom in this house!"

[Appelation Controlee]

Lube for gas valves turns out to be of a special type, presumably with specially chained molecules, or whatever.

Anyway, the stuff I have here is a 50g tube of Rocol (R) M23660 Gas tap lubricant. £18½ of your English pounds. (!)

Mucky stuff it is too.

Anyway, took the top off the gas valve controller and find it's a pretty rudimentary device. I've dismantled and cleaned it, lubed the moving bits and got as much grease as possible up the channel that the shaft from the control knob passes through.

Re-assembled, re-fitted and there's now no "puff" of escaping gas when the knob is depressed (which is what led the engineer to leave us in a disconnected state).

Boiler is now running, but, lo and behold, there's a bit of a seep from the inboard union attached to the gas meter... can't make my mind up whether or not it's a left-hand thread. Anyone know?

[The Natural Philosopher]

To be fair most of the bits that had been treated were OK.

Just not much HAD been treated and the maintenance was absysmal. water was getting in at bargeboard level and dripping inside the timber walls and there was rising damp round the lovely porous brick fireplaces.

I had always meant to totally redo it, and it was cheap. But a total refurb turned into a new build once we started poking into the structure...

[The Natural Philosopher]

Groan!

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember Appelation Controlee saying something like:

Gas meters have two ordinary threads, iirc.

[Appelation Controlee]

Thanks.

[Andrew Gabriel]

Reminds me of a work colleague 25 years ago, who got a mushroom kit and started growing them in the loft. The following year, they started growing all over the loft, not just in the growing trays...

[Appelation Controlee]

Yup - all sorted now, apart from SWMBO having misgivings about safety. :-(

I already knew about the "méthode de l'eau savonneuse" thanks. :-)

[cran]

replying to Appelation Controlee, cran wrote: As a gas engineer I am looking for a gas valve for the same boiler customer wants to keep the one pipe system.( does not want the upheaval of updating the system (£6000.00) gas board estimate..........its a honywell v8267..a1228 24v ...........I need to kick ass at honeywell .....you mean you don't have parts for your 30 year old boilers.....disgracefull! ....cran