Servicing a very old gas boiler - still done?
 

I've been asked about getting a very old gas boiler serviced.
I think it is from the 1970s when the house was built.
It certainly looks very much like the one we found when we moved into a
house in 1984.

For our old boiler a service was basically lifting out the very large
burners (about the size and shape of a loaf of bread with holes in the
top) and wire brushing them.

Run a vac around the area to clean out any dust and stuff and Robert is
your relative of choice.

The only problem we had was fine dust blocking up the pilot light jet
(remove, clean, replace) and the occasional thermocouple. Amazingly simple
bit of kit.

I think we had it done professionally (safety check) about every 5 years
and it just kept on working.

I would fettle it between the formal checks.

I'm now looking back about 15 years, so I have no idea if this is still
the case.
Is there a risk that the boiler could be condemned just because it is old?
If so, February is probably not the best time to have it serviced.

Cheers



Dave R



--
AMD FX-6300 in GA-990X-Gaming SLI-CF running Windows 7 Pro x64

Servicing a very old gas boiler - still done?
 

David wrote:
I'm now looking back about 15 years, so I have no idea if this is still
the case.
Is there a risk that the boiler could be condemned just because it is old?
If so, February is probably not the best time to have it serviced.

We used to have one of those until about a decade ago - a big Potterton cast
iron lump.

First (90s) BG refused to cover it under their service contract.
Then they refused ad-hoc servicing as 'we'll never get parts for that'.
We went somewhere else, and it kept on working.

I'd find a good independent to service it - less likely than BG to condemn
it because they can't be bothered. But if anything breaks be prepared to
have trouble getting parts - unlike a contemporary Morris Minor there isn't
the aftermarket, unless you have someone who can machine a new one from
scratch.

Theo

Servicing a very old gas boiler - still done?
 

On 12/02/2020 18:39, Theo wrote:
David wrote:
I'm now looking back about 15 years, so I have no idea if this is still
the case.
Is there a risk that the boiler could be condemned just because it is old?
If so, February is probably not the best time to have it serviced.

We used to have one of those until about a decade ago - a big Potterton cast
iron lump.

First (90s) BG refused to cover it under their service contract.
Then they refused ad-hoc servicing as 'we'll never get parts for that'.
We went somewhere else, and it kept on working.

I'd find a good independent to service it - less likely than BG to condemn
it because they can't be bothered. But if anything breaks be prepared to
have trouble getting parts - unlike a contemporary Morris Minor there isn't
the aftermarket, unless you have someone who can machine a new one from
scratch.

Go for a small local independent Gas Safe technician. My mother's boiler
is around 25+ years old and still working OK. She gets an annual service
done by a local family firm who have given the warning that it may not
be repairable if it goes wrong.


--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

Servicing a very old gas boiler - still done?
 

On Wednesday, 12 February 2020 18:25:28 UTC, David WE Roberts (Google) wrote:
Is there a risk that the boiler could be condemned just because it is old?
If so, February is probably not the best time to have it serviced.

Regulations have changed; one that catches people in flats is that flues have to be visible their whole length for inspection.

Owain

Servicing a very old gas boiler - still done?
 

Hmm, I don't think so normally. If you just want to keep it going and you
have the sensors to protect the rest of the people in there, then do it, but
the way things are going such things might be too expensive to run soon in
any case.
Brian

--
----- --
This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...

Blind user, so no pictures please
Note this Signature is meaningless.!
"David" wrote in message
...
I've been asked about getting a very old gas boiler serviced.
I think it is from the 1970s when the house was built.
It certainly looks very much like the one we found when we moved into a
house in 1984.

For our old boiler a service was basically lifting out the very large
burners (about the size and shape of a loaf of bread with holes in the
top) and wire brushing them.

Run a vac around the area to clean out any dust and stuff and Robert is
your relative of choice.

The only problem we had was fine dust blocking up the pilot light jet
(remove, clean, replace) and the occasional thermocouple. Amazingly simple
bit of kit.

I think we had it done professionally (safety check) about every 5 years
and it just kept on working.

I would fettle it between the formal checks.

I'm now looking back about 15 years, so I have no idea if this is still
the case.
Is there a risk that the boiler could be condemned just because it is old?
If so, February is probably not the best time to have it serviced.

Cheers



Dave R



--
AMD FX-6300 in GA-990X-Gaming SLI-CF running Windows 7 Pro x64

Servicing a very old gas boiler - still done?
 

On Wednesday, 12 February 2020 18:25:28 UTC, David WE Roberts (Google) wrote:

I've been asked about getting a very old gas boiler serviced.
I think it is from the 1970s when the house was built.
It certainly looks very much like the one we found when we moved into a
house in 1984.

For our old boiler a service was basically lifting out the very large
burners (about the size and shape of a loaf of bread with holes in the
top) and wire brushing them.

Run a vac around the area to clean out any dust and stuff and Robert is
your relative of choice.

The only problem we had was fine dust blocking up the pilot light jet
(remove, clean, replace) and the occasional thermocouple. Amazingly simple
bit of kit.

I think we had it done professionally (safety check) about every 5 years
and it just kept on working.

I would fettle it between the formal checks.

I'm now looking back about 15 years, so I have no idea if this is still
the case.
Is there a risk that the boiler could be condemned just because it is old?
If so, February is probably not the best time to have it serviced.

Cheers



Dave R

Also need to check the heat exchanger for soot buildup & flame colour, and that the flame pattern is ok. And that the thermocouple cutout works. Flue gases would also be checked and the gas power input, and the flue condition & suitable termination. If not room sealed, and 1970s ones weren't, it would be condemned in a rented property for that. You can look up how many people boilers killed a year back when that was the norm, I forget the numbers.. Each generation older killed more per year.

Servicing a very old gas boiler - still done?
 

On 12 Feb 2020 18:25:25 GMT, David wrote:

I've been asked about getting a very old gas boiler serviced.
I think it is from the 1970s when the house was built.
It certainly looks very much like the one we found when we moved into a
house in 1984.

For our old boiler a service was basically lifting out the very large
burners (about the size and shape of a loaf of bread with holes in the
top) and wire brushing them.

Run a vac around the area to clean out any dust and stuff and Robert is
your relative of choice.

The only problem we had was fine dust blocking up the pilot light jet
(remove, clean, replace) and the occasional thermocouple. Amazingly simple
bit of kit.

I think we had it done professionally (safety check) about every 5 years
and it just kept on working.

I would fettle it between the formal checks.

I'm now looking back about 15 years, so I have no idea if this is still
the case.
Is there a risk that the boiler could be condemned just because it is old?
If so, February is probably not the best time to have it serviced.

Cheers



Dave R
I had a big old Potterson cast iron thing, in the house already when
we moved in, 1976. Looked after it much the same way as yous your've
described. 2009 decided to update modern condensing boiler (Worcester
Bosch Greenstar). Our annual gas consumption went down by over 30%.
Good enough reason on it's own to update from the old one I would have
thought. Mind you, I don't expect that WB boiler to last as long as
the old Potterton one did - that's just progress for you!!

Servicing a very old gas boiler - still done?
 

On 12/02/2020 18:25, David wrote:
I've been asked about getting a very old gas boiler serviced.
I think it is from the 1970s when the house was built.
It certainly looks very much like the one we found when we moved into a
house in 1984.

For our old boiler a service was basically lifting out the very large
burners (about the size and shape of a loaf of bread with holes in the
top) and wire brushing them.

Run a vac around the area to clean out any dust and stuff and Robert is
your relative of choice.

The only problem we had was fine dust blocking up the pilot light jet
(remove, clean, replace) and the occasional thermocouple. Amazingly simple
bit of kit.

I think we had it done professionally (safety check) about every 5 years
and it just kept on working.

I would fettle it between the formal checks.

I'm now looking back about 15 years, so I have no idea if this is still
the case.
Is there a risk that the boiler could be condemned just because it is old?
If so, February is probably not the best time to have it serviced.

Cheers



Dave R




A good maxim is "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" - particularly in
February.

I'm reluctantly accepting that my 30-year-old Baxi Solo is going to have
to be replaced soon because some parts - particularly things like
baffles - are no longer available. I'm doing my best to nurse it along
at least until the weather is a bit warmer. I've had to clean out the
pilot assembly today because the high winds has blown some crud into it.
I'm pretty sure that BG would condemn it, so I'm not going to let them
get anywhere near it. I suspect that an independent might also condemn it.
--
Cheers,
Roger

Servicing a very old gas boiler - still done?
 

Roger Mills posted

I'm reluctantly accepting that my 30-year-old Baxi Solo is going to
have to be replaced soon because some parts - particularly things like
baffles - are no longer available. I'm doing my best to nurse it along
at least until the weather is a bit warmer. I've had to clean out the
pilot assembly today because the high winds has blown some crud into
it. I'm pretty sure that BG would condemn it, so I'm not going to let
them get anywhere near it. I suspect that an independent might also
condemn it.

Does anyone know what is going to happen to energy bills when they ban
the installation of gas boilers in new homes in 2025 or whatever? Gas is
about a fifth the price of electricity per kWh, and it comprises the
majority of my house's energy consumption. Have people cottoned on to
this yet?

--
Max

Servicing a very old gas boiler - still done?
 

On 23/02/2020 18:45, Maxwell Boltzmann wrote:
Roger Mills posted

I'm reluctantly accepting that my 30-year-old Baxi Solo is going to
have to be replaced soon because some parts - particularly things like
baffles - are no longer available. I'm doing my best to nurse it along
at least until the weather is a bit warmer. I've had to clean out the
pilot assembly today because the high winds has blown some crud into
it. I'm pretty sure that BG would condemn it, so I'm not going to let
them get anywhere near it. I suspect that an independent might also
condemn it.

Does anyone know what is going to happen to energy bills when they ban
the installation of gas boilers in new homes in 2025 or whatever? Gas is
about a fifth the price of electricity per kWh, and it comprises the
majority of my house's energy consumption. Have people cottoned on to
this yet?


The mind boggles! I actually spend more on electricity than on gas even
though I use far less of it and all my space and water heating uses gas.
The cost of heating with electricity would be colossal. What I really
need is a gas-powered generator to provide my electricity. [Not sure how
efficient they are].

I was recently looking at the economics of heat pumps. It seems that, to
produce X kW of heat you need to supply X/4 kW of electricity. If that
is true, it would cost me more in electricity to drive the pump than it
currently does to do the whole job with gas - even though the heat
itself would be "free"!
--
Cheers,
Roger
____________
Please reply to Newsgroup. Whilst email address is valid, it is seldom
checked.

Servicing a very old gas boiler - still done?
 

On 23/02/2020 18:45, Maxwell Boltzmann wrote:

Does anyone know what is going to happen to energy bills when they ban
the installation of gas boilers in new homes in 2025 or whatever? Gas is
about a fifth the price of electricity per kWh, and it comprises the
majority of my house's energy consumption. Have people cottoned on to
this yet?

You will have to fit an air source heat pump which can give 5KWh heat
output for every 1KWh electricity input (in the Summer)!

Has the Government considered where all this EXTRA electricity will be
coming from with gas, petrol and diesel all being replaced by electric
sources of power?

--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

Servicing a very old gas boiler - still done?
 

On Sunday, 23 February 2020 21:56:23 UTC, alan_m wrote:
On 23/02/2020 18:45, Maxwell Boltzmann wrote:

Does anyone know what is going to happen to energy bills when they ban
the installation of gas boilers in new homes in 2025 or whatever? Gas is
about a fifth the price of electricity per kWh, and it comprises the
majority of my house's energy consumption. Have people cottoned on to
this yet?

You will have to fit an air source heat pump which can give 5KWh heat
output for every 1KWh electricity input (in the Summer)!

Has the Government considered where all this EXTRA electricity will be
coming from with gas, petrol and diesel all being replaced by electric
sources of power?

from gas? At great expense.

Servicing a very old gas boiler - still done?
 

Servicing a very old gas boiler - still done?
 

On Tuesday, 25 February 2020 11:32:04 UTC, #Paul wrote:
tabbypurr wrote:

Has the Government considered where all this EXTRA electricity will be
coming from with gas, petrol and diesel all being replaced by electric
sources of power?

from gas? At great expense.

I believe the point is that the needed electricity can come from whatever
happens to be a good way of generating it.

sounds like a great way of missing the point.

So instead of burning gas in the home at 95% or so efficient, you want to build massively expensive power stations to convert gas at 40% efficiency into electricity, which is sold to households at 4x the price per unit as gas.. Oh, and don't forget the vast infrastructure upgrade that would require (£,£££,£££,£££). You couldn't make it up.


And then even if that generation
happens to involve burning fossil fuels, then in a large power plant one
could implement carbon-capture; a practice that would be impractical to
implement on household boilers, or on cars).

Sorry, I mustn't laugh. Carbon capture is a joke played on those that simply have no grasp of much. The cycle of getting energy from carbon is C + O - CO2. Carbon capture is of course CO2 via whatever to C: the exact opposite. IOW it is inherently hopelessly impractical, and less than useless. I realise some don't see why, but it still is.


Further, if you did then
manage to phase out fossil power generation, it wouldn't require (another)
replacement of household systems.

#Paul

If we keep using gas that doesn't require the first replacement of household systems. Or the second!

Let's get a reality check he despite all the rhetoric, we are nowhere near phasing out fossil fuels. Not even slightly. The promises to do so in decades are as realistic as any long distance politician promise: they mean absolutely nothing beyond 'we think you're mugs.'


NT

Servicing a very old gas boiler - still done?
 

Servicing a very old gas boiler - still done?
 

On Wednesday, 26 February 2020 09:32:04 UTC, #Paul wrote:
tabbypurr wrote:

from gas? At great expense.

I believe the point is that the needed electricity can come from whatever
happens to be a good way of generating it.

sounds like a great way of missing the point.

So instead of burning gas in the home at 95% or so efficient,
you want to build ...

I wasn't *advocating* anything, just giving the motivation. And

my point was that there is no motivation, there is no upside.


whatever engineering trade-offs get made in the end, throwaway
remarks like "from gas? At great expense" will not be very useful.


If we keep using gas that doesn't require the first replacement
of household systems. Or the second!

All systems get replaced as they age and fail.

#Paul

Yup. And an added round of compulsory replacement across the board is hardly helpful. The idea is bonkers. Hence greens are all for it.


NT

Servicing a very old gas boiler - still done?
 

Servicing a very old gas boiler - still done?
 

On Wednesday, 26 February 2020 19:32:04 UTC, #Paul wrote:
tabbypurr wrote:

I wasn't *advocating* anything, just giving the motivation. And

my point was that there is no motivation, there is no upside.

There was at least one motivation, which has indeed been advanced
as a future strategy, and I wrote it out for you to read. Just
because you personally do not happen to find it sufficiently
convincing does not make that motivation vanish.

I might, for example, think that someone's motivation for voting
remain (or leave) was somehow flawed. But the existence of that
motivation is not dependent of my view on its merits (or lack
thereof).

you think it makes sense because you don't understand it fully. But we tackled that already.


All systems get replaced as they age and fail.

Yup. And an added round of compulsory replacement across the
board is hardly helpful.

Well, if a change to all-electric (or even all-gas, or all-nuclear)
were part of the natural replacement of systems (perhaps "as they
age and fail", as I had indeed written), it wouldn't be an added
round, would it?

Do you understand what is involved in installing a GSHP system?


NT

Servicing a very old gas boiler - still done?
 

In article , alan_m
scribeth thus
On 23/02/2020 18:45, Maxwell Boltzmann wrote:

Does anyone know what is going to happen to energy bills when they ban
the installation of gas boilers in new homes in 2025 or whatever? Gas is
about a fifth the price of electricity per kWh, and it comprises the
majority of my house's energy consumption. Have people cottoned on to
this yet?

You will have to fit an air source heat pump which can give 5KWh heat
output for every 1KWh electricity input (in the Summer)!


Yes and it can do quite well in winter months. I know someone who's got
one..


Has the Government considered where all this EXTRA electricity will be
coming from with gas, petrol and diesel all being replaced by electric
sources of power?



Small modular nuclear is where it "could" come from, 'tho i very much
doubt it will:(

--
Tony Sayer


Man is least himself when he talks in his own person.

Give him a keyboard, and he will reveal himself.