All,
My boiler is 22 years old, not bad service, but is getting in need of
replacement. Can anybody give me a simple overview of the current regs,do
and don'ts, relating to swapping this boiler.
I.E like for like, cast iron boiler for combi, cast iron for condensing?
I heard mention of a scary date of 1st April 2005 makes a big difference any
advice info much appreciated.
Ben.

"Ben Da Menda" wrote in message
...
All,
My boiler is 22 years old, not bad service, but is getting in need of
replacement. Can anybody give me a simple overview of the current regs,do
and don'ts, relating to swapping this boiler.
I.E like for like, cast iron boiler for combi, cast iron for condensing?
I heard mention of a scary date of 1st April 2005 makes a big difference
any
advice info much appreciated.
Ben.

After April all boilers must be condensers, with the odd exception. You can
change the boiler for a combi as long as you are "competent". You do not
require CORGI registration.

If replacing an old boiler use a flushing agent before you rip out the old
boiler. Flush a few times and fit a strainer on the return pipe to the new
boiler to catch crud. Insert inhibitor when finished.



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In article , Ben Da Menda wrote:
My boiler is 22 years old, not bad service, but is getting in need
of replacement. Can anybody give me a simple overview of the
current regs,do and don'ts, relating to swapping this boiler.

Where is it located and what type of boiler is it? Floor
standing/wall hung/back boiler, against an external wall? What size
of house? How many people: generally bath or shower?

--
Tony Bryer SDA UK 'Software to build on' http://www.sda.co.uk
Free SEDBUK boiler database browser http://www.sda.co.uk/qsedbuk.htm

Located kitchen wall, wall hung, balanced flue outside wal,std. 3 bed semi,
family of 5, usually shower. Does that help?
Many thanks for your interest.
Ben.

"Tony Bryer" wrote in message
...
In article , Ben Da Menda wrote:
My boiler is 22 years old, not bad service, but is getting in need
of replacement. Can anybody give me a simple overview of the
current regs,do and don'ts, relating to swapping this boiler.

Where is it located and what type of boiler is it? Floor
standing/wall hung/back boiler, against an external wall? What size
of house? How many people: generally bath or shower?

--
Tony Bryer SDA UK 'Software to build on' http://www.sda.co.uk
Free SEDBUK boiler database browser http://www.sda.co.uk/qsedbuk.htm

"Ben Da Menda" wrote in message
...
Located kitchen wall, wall hung, balanced flue outside wal,std. 3 bed
semi,
family of 5, usually shower. Does that help?
Many thanks for your interest.

Try a Worcester Bosch Greenstar 40kw combi or an Alpha CB50. great showers.



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Dr Evil wrote:

Try a Worcester Bosch Greenstar 40kw combi or an Alpha CB50. great showers.

Measure the flow rate from your cold water main first however (stopwatch
and a container of known size at your best mains fed tap) before going
the combi route. It is all well and good buying a top end combi that can
deliver 15 lpm if the mains will only do 10! (replacing the mains pipe
right back to the street may fix that, but can be pricey/disruptive).


--
Cheers,

John.

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Just to pick up on a small point of Dr Evil, as he says you can work on gas if you can prove competence; I don't know of any test cases in law which establish what competence is in this case.

Manufacturers say they won't honour gurantee, but nothing can be assumed until a legal precedent is set. I'm not sure any case has been tested in court.

As corgi fitters we come across obvious diy stuff frequently. The most common one is the boiler never gets a proper service (because they aren't aware of what to do, but when after 20 years service they have to change the thermocouple to get it going again, that's all they do. When it goes wrong again and thermocouple doesnt do the trick we get called. We find a boiler that to all intents and purposes hasn't been serviced in it's entire life, and we have a lifetimes soot and lint to disperse and come away looking like chimney sweeps. We love you really.

"Paul Barker" wrote in message
...

Just to pick up on a small point
of Dr Evil, as he says you can work on
gas if you can prove competence; I
don't know of any test cases in law
which establish what competence is in this case.

The law says "competent", not a member of corgi. Corgi is only for people
who make money from gas.

Manufacturers say they won't honour
gurantee, but nothing can be
assumed until a legal precedent is
set. I'm not sure any case has been
tested in court.

Makers deny anything that makes them honour their commitments. Tell them the
law and they back down.

As corgi fitters we come across obvious
diy stuff frequently. The most common
one is the boiler never gets a proper
service (because they aren't aware of
what to do, but when after 20 years
service they have to change the
thermocouple to get it going again, that's all they do.

That is ignornance, nothing else. We have one regular contributor here who
likes to assetively give advise on all thing watervabd gas and this is what
he said.. is Dave Plowman giving advice on CH boilers...........read on...it
make your hair curl...........

"Mine managed over 10 years without being touched before it needed a clean.
'Sooting up' once it starts, happens very quickly."

He didn't have his gas boiler serviced for over 10 years, and thinks knows
all the answers in this field. Only on the Internet you see this. These
people are dangerous, very dangerous, as people may take what they say
literally.

When it goes wrong again and
thermocouple doesnt do the trick we get
called. We find a boiler that to all
intents and purposes hasn't been
serviced in it's entire life, and we have
a lifetimes soot and lint to
disperse and come away looking like
chimney sweeps. We love you really.

Tell them to get a new condensing job. A top mounted downward firing burner
mean the thing doesn't need cleaning. If it is firing incorrectly it goes
into lockout. Then they have to get it fixed by a pro.



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http://tinyurl.com/7y8y4 wrote:

Manufacturers say they won't honour
gurantee, but nothing can be
assumed until a legal precedent is
set. I'm not sure any case has been
tested in court.


Makers deny anything that makes them honour their commitments. Tell them the
law and they back down.

This is legally a moot point anyway, as a consumer your contract is with
the retailer, not the manufacturer. Hence it is them who are required to
provide you with your statutory rights. Whether the manufacturers back
up the retailer with a warranty _should_ be of no direct concern to the
customer (although worth having in case the retailer goes titsup). The
fact that many makers will take on the responsibility for end user
backup is more of a concessionary service to the retailers to make it
more attractive to them to supply those makers products.

If you buy direct from the maker, and it is clear you are an end user
and not a business, then the maker would be required to furnish your
statutory rights. If however you buy from the maker as a business then
they are free to state whatever terms they like (within the limits of
the unfair contractual terms legislation) since the consumer protection
legislation does not apply.

When it goes wrong again and
thermocouple doesnt do the trick we get
called. We find a boiler that to all
intents and purposes hasn't been
serviced in it's entire life, and we have
a lifetimes soot and lint to
disperse and come away looking like
chimney sweeps. We love you really.


Tell them to get a new condensing job. A top mounted downward firing burner

Why is part of your standard advice, "Its gone wrong, don't bother to
repair it, buy a new one"? If it *needs* replacement, sure replace it
with a good efficient boiler. If not, then fix it.


--
Cheers,

John.

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"John Rumm" wrote in message
...
http://tinyurl.com/7y8y4 wrote:

When it goes wrong again and
thermocouple doesnt do the trick we get
called. We find a boiler that to all
intents and purposes hasn't been
serviced in it's entire life, and we have
a lifetimes soot and lint to
disperse and come away looking like
chimney sweeps. We love you really.


Tell them to get a new condensing job.
A top mounted downward firing burner

Why is part of your standard advice,
"Its gone wrong, don't bother to
repair it, buy a new one"?

That is not my standard advice, although these days it is better financially
to do so in many cases. I know a DIYer who fitted in a cheap combi. He
could clean the heat exchanger and change a pump and no more. If the boiler
had major faults he would just replace it type to type, a couple of hours
work. It worked out cheaper doing it this way, as he saved £80-£100 a year
service costs. If he changed the boiler every 3 to 4 years he was still
ahead of the game.

If it *needs* replacement, sure replace it
with a good efficient boiler. If not, then fix it.

It is clear these people will neglect the boiler until dooms day. They will
only give attention if it brakes down, and call a pro only when they have
to. If they have a boiler which is near foolproof, then it is better for
everyone all around. They could have an explosion in a block of flats,
causing death, because of their ignorance.

The right boiler minimises potential danger. It is best to get them to but
a condensing boiler that is self cleaning and has lockout for serious
problems.



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[quote=Dr Evil]
That is not my standard advice, although these days it is better financially
to do so in many cases. I know a DIYer who fitted in a cheap combi. He
could clean the heat exchanger and change a pump and no more. If the boiler
had major faults he would just replace it type to type, a couple of hours
work. It worked out cheaper doing it this way, as he saved £80-£100 a year
service costs. If he changed the boiler every 3 to 4 years he was still
ahead of the game.
[color=blue][i]

I have to agree with you Dr Evil. How many times does it turn out with boilers, just as it does with our vehicles, that many parts and labour down the road the boiler is still likely to go wrong again. It is always good to sit back and take stock before embarking on the repair route. The guy who taught me used to always say, you musn't make their bill more than it's worth paying. He turns down a lot more repairs than I do. Only the other day when I went out to a Saunier Duval, I found out he'd told them he wouldn't even look at it, and Saunier Duval service agent had already failed to fix it and run away saying the part was obsolete (4 year old condensing storage combi boiler by the way). Well there it sits on my front yard waiting for me to butcher it for the few parts I may use somewhere else, I certainly wouldn't touch another one.

They are now the prowd owners of a Buderus 28c.

"Paul Barker" wrote
| We find a boiler that to all intents and purposes hasn't been
| serviced in it's entire life, and we have a lifetimes soot and
| lint to disperse and come away looking like chimney sweeps.
| We love you really.

If you don't like servicing gas boilers, enquire at your local library or
careers office about how to retrain as a San!flo Emergency Call-Out
Operative.

Owain

Oh and one other thing while I find my self in Dr Evil's camp momentarily, make sure it's a boiler on a jig. Swap over should take an hour at the most.

Actually, I have in mind such a strategy for a business proposition, but venture capitalists you can keep your hands off.

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
In article ,
http://tinyurl.com/7y8y4 wrote:
That is ignornance, nothing else. We have one regular contributor here
who likes to assetively give advise on all thing watervabd gas and this
is what he said.. is Dave Plowman giving advice on CH
boilers...........read on...it make your hair curl...........

"Mine managed over 10 years without being touched before it needed a
clean. 'Sooting up' once it starts, happens very quickly."

He didn't have his gas boiler serviced for over 10 years, and thinks
knows all the answers in this field. Only on the Internet you see this.
These people are dangerous, very dangerous, as people may take what
they say literally.

Think you might get another
account pulled if you keep telling these half
truths.

Full truth my boy! I cut and pasted from actual post, that is why it is in
quotes. And you said you fitted the boiler yourself too.

snip nonsense



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"Paul Barker" wrote in message
...

Oh and one other thing while I find my self in Dr Evil's camp
momentarily, make sure it's a boiler on a jig. Swap over should take an
hour at the most.

Actually, I have in mind such a strategy for a business proposition,
but venture capitalists you can keep your hands off.

What? Make universal jig?


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In article ,
Dr Evil wrote:
Think you might get another account pulled if you keep telling these
half truths.

Full truth my boy! I cut and pasted from actual post, that is why it is
in quotes.

Yes pet. You're adapt at snipping and selective quoting. I'll give you
that.

And you said you fitted the boiler yourself too.

Still working perfectly at around 30 years old - with no service costs.

And pennies worth of repairs. To wit, a set of O rings and one
thermocouple.

But you don't understand economics anymore than efficiency, do you?

--
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Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Dr Evil wrote:
Think you might get another account pulled if you keep telling these
half truths.

Full truth my boy! I cut and pasted from actual post, that is why it is
in quotes.

Yes pet. You're adapt at snipping and selective quoting. I'll give you
that.

And you said you fitted the boiler yourself too.

Still working perfectly at around 30 years old - with no service costs.

And pennies worth of repairs. To wit, a set of O rings and one
thermocouple.

But you don't understand economics anymore than efficiency, do you?

Not servicing for 10 years is NOT economics it is irresponsibility and
danger. Please do not comment on heating and water systems, your sort of
advise is not wanted by anyone. Stick to microphones.



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Paul Barker wrote:

I have to agree with you Dr Evil. How many times does it turn out with
boilers, just as it does with our vehicles, that many parts and labour
down the road the boiler is still likely to go wrong again. It is

I was not suggesting that one keeps bodging back together something that
falls into the bad money after good camp. However if you have had 15
years solid service from a boiler without any failures, and there is no
reason to suggest that at least another five more are not available, why
bin it? The knee jerk reaction of our morphing troll here seems to be
yells of "rip it out and replace it" at the slightest provocation.
(Typically with an Alpha CB50, claiming 40% reduction in bills in the
process)

--
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John.

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Dr Evil wrote:

danger. Please do not comment on heating and water systems, your sort of
advise is not wanted by anyone.

Don't suppose you would comply with that request yourself by any chance?


--
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John.

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In article ,
Dr Evil wrote:
Not servicing for 10 years is NOT economics it is irresponsibility and
danger. Please do not comment on heating and water systems, your sort of
advise is not wanted by anyone.

As opposed to your unqualified opinions which always involve wasting
other's money?

Stick to microphones.

Stick to driving your van. That is what you do for a living, isn't it? It
sure couldn't be anything to do with heating - no one would employ you.

--
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Dave Plowman London SW
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