On Wed, 16 Apr 2008 12:27:53 +0000, Fred wrote:

Hello,

When I recently moved house, I kept my old house and rented it out. It's
my first experience as a landlord and things have not got off to a good
start ;(

Just before we left, the Glowworm combi boiler (model compact 100e)
packed-up and the cause was a bypass valve which had to be replaced by a
plumber for many pounds.

Today I had a phone call saying that now the CH works but not the HW. I
have phoned around a few plumbers from the Yellow pages and they all
seem to loose interest the minute I say "combi". Why is that? What is so
frightening about combi boilers?

1) The problem will require Glowworm specific parts, it's hard to get
people to pay for you to go shopping on their behalf, the parts are
likely to be expnsive.

2) Frankly there are a proportion of installers who diagnostic skills
need upgrading.


A chap is going to visit this afternoon but he thinks it may be the
diverter valve and says it costs £190 for the part, plus £60 call out
plus £60 labour. Ouch!

Well yes that's is ONE possibility.
The hot water flow detector is also a possibility.
Cheaper boiler have expensive spares (see Boiler Choice FAQ).


I understand the boiler is discontinued. I don't know how old it is
exactly but it was there when I moved in in 2001, so at least 7 years
old.
Spares should be available for many years after a model is discontinued.

What is the life span of a boiler and since it seems to be falling
to pieces, would it be cheaper to rip it out and fit a new one?

Low end combis maybe around 10 years, good ones 20+ years.
See Boiler Choice FAQ.


Whenever someone asks about gas, they seem to be politely reminded that
if they don't know, they shouldn't touch.
I disagree they are usually told: You may if you are competent.
But if you need to ask if you need to ask very basic stuff about gas
fitting then you are probably not competent.

I quite agree but how can
people learn if they don't ask questions?
By working under the supervision of a suitably qualified person, where
they can ask all the questions they like.

I have never worked on gas and
I don't intend to but I would like to learn a bit more so that when the
plumber says part x needs replacing for y pounds, it would be nice to
know what x does and whether it really needs replacing and whether it
really is worth y pounds. Where can I learn more?



The FAQs.

Working on the waterside of a boiler is, by the book "gas work" but many
people here would say provide you don't need to dismantle gas carrying
parts then it's not.






--
Ed Sirett - Property maintainer and registered gas fitter.
The FAQ for uk.diy is at http://www.diyfaq.org.uk
Gas fitting FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/GasFitting.html
Sealed CH FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/SealedCH.html
Choosing a Boiler FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/BoilerChoice.html