Gas boilers

[Drago]

I get an annual check, cheapest in summertime.
My old back boiler was condemned...

Due to rampant haemorrhoids?

 

[Deleted member 26715]

If it is a modern sealed boiler then annual service is a con, there is no

Balanced flue boilers are unlikely to leak CO but you can sometimes get a burn hole or leaking seal in the casing, so it's not certain. A CO detector is a good idea. If it was a rented house, an annual check and certification would be mandatory.

Very sensible answer but nobody is going to listen to you, annual servicing a new style combi boiler is a con, it's a leftover from the old cast/open flue boiler days, but what plumber is going to give up £50-100 an hour for doing bugger all.

 

[rogerzilla]

Well, the early (about 10 years old now) Ideal Icos condensing boilers have a tendency to burn through the burner supports and then the casing. They also don't last long unless the burner is carefully brushed clean at service time. British Gas learnt this the hard way where they were covering them under HomeCare, having first decided they didn't need cleaning.

There's a lot of dust and stuff in mains gas, and carbon builds up eventually in any boiler.

 

[Bazzer]

If the boiler has not been serviced for so long, it may not just be the CO which is a problem. The boiler could be wasting energy because it has not been properly looked after. - For example a check of the heat exchange unit. - If he CBA to look after the boiler, what about all the crap in the radiators?
As to a CO detector, IME it would be mad not to have one. Some years ago my parents had an AGA type cooker, which also heated the house. My Dad was not one to spend money on prevention, (servicing would come under this heading) and one evening my sister and brother in law were staying over. If it was not for my brother in law waking up in the middle of the night with a banging headache, all four would have been dead by the morning. Dad had switched to burning wood and the fire exhaust had burnt through and was not venting properly, with the result carbon monoxide was leaking into the house.

 

[swee'pea99]

If it is a modern sealed boiler then annual service is a con, there is no

Very sensible answer but nobody is going to listen to you, annual servicing a new style combi boiler is a con, it's a leftover from the old cast/open flue boiler days, but what plumber is going to give up £50-100 an hour for doing bugger all.

Innit. We've never had our Worcestor Bosch 'serviced' in the 15 years we've had it. It's needed fixing three times, at which point it was checked out to make sure all was fine 'n dandy, but other than that we just leave it to get on with the job. Probably saved us the thick end of £2,000 over that period. No deaths yet.

 

[ColinJ]

You lot have jinxed my sister... She phoned me to say that a boiler in one of her rental properties has 'popped', spraying water all over its insides and blowing its circuit boards. She checked and it is 6 months out of warranty. She has been quoted £1,200 to have it fixed!

And yes - she does have it gas safety checked and 'serviced' every year, the last time being a couple of months ago. (I'd be asking why the engineer didn't spot the impending failure, but maybe there isn't any sign until (say) the pipe splits.)

 

[pclay]

When I moved into my house the bouler was already 10yrs old. I didn't get it serviced for 5 years and then it failed. Got a new combi boiler in Jan 2019, I'm going to get it serviced every year, otherwise the 10 year warranty is voided.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

I know said the boiler manufacturer CEO to the COO as the boilers now don't need annual servicing we'll write into the guarantee that unless you do give them a non required service then the warranty is void, that'll keep the coffers rolling in.

 

[gbb]

I get mine checked over by my son every 2 or 3 years (hes a gas engineer) plus have a carbon monoxide detector. Good reminder this post, it's about time it was looked at, the pump is occasionally rumbly lately. It'll be a good chance to assess the boilers condition, it's around 20 years old, plus I think the immersion tank is due for renewal, it doesnt seen to hold the same amount of hot water, scale no doubt, it's over 50 years old.

 

[Slick]

I shall inform the Oxford dictionary

I'm sure they already know.

 

[gbb]

How does everyone get on with combi boilers ?...Ive heard so many people rue the fact they'd changed to one, mum and a close friend included, they take an eternity to deliver sufficient hot water particually if you like a bath.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

How does everyone get on with combi boilers ?...Ive heard so many people rue the fact they'd changed to one, mum and a close friend included, they take an eternity to deliver sufficient hot water particually if you like a bath.

It all depends where the boiler is sited compared with where you are drawing water, but yes it does take a while to fill a bath

 

[ColinJ]

My combi-boiler is up in the bathroom.

The hot water comes out of the boiler at a pretty decent flow rate. I very rarely have baths now that I have the alternative of a fantastic walk-in shower, but on the rare occasions that I do fill the bath, I never find myself staring at it and thinking "Fill, for God's sake - I haven't got all day!"

I do find the delay getting hot water down in the kitchen slightly irritating (I have to run the water for about 30 seconds before it warms up) but I can't blame the boiler for that, it is due to the length of hot water pipe. Hot water gets to the bathroom washbasin in less than 10 seconds.

 

[sleuthey]

How does everyone get on with combi boilers ?...Ive heard so many people rue the fact they'd changed to one, mum and a close friend included, they take an eternity to deliver sufficient hot water particually if you like a bath.

Superbly. Before we had our son who require baths, my gas bill for the summer quarter used to be £5. How long they take to fill a bath depends on the boiler model you choose. IE if you want to fill it quickly then spend the extra and get a 42Kw not a 25Kw.

 

[sleuthey]

It all depends where the boiler is sited compared with where you are drawing water, but yes it does take a while to fill a bath

Where the boiler is sited will make negligible difference to the flow rate and a marginal difference to how long it takes to fill a bath. Flow rate is dependent on the boiler wattage, mains water pressure and to a lesser degree the hight it has to travel from ground level.

Where the boiler is sited in terms of pipe distance WILL have a significant impact on how long it takes for the water to become hot when emerging from the tap.