Combi - No heating.

[Rohan]

Hi, You all sound like you know what you are on about so...........
My valliant gas Combi boiler, was fine until last night when the heating stopped working, hot water is fine and the boiler does fire up when the timer/thermostat clicks on but no hot water in the radiators. I haven't heard any movement in them at all. Two weeks ago we put a nail through the hot water pipe that goes to the washing machine and had a plumber out to solder it - but we did switch off all the water then. Could we have an air lock somewhere? i was going to try and bleed the radiators tonight to see if that helped. I don't really want to do too much as i know nothing and am likely to cause more problems. What should i expect a plummer to charge me per hour labour? don't want to pay over the odds.

 

[BDL]

Try a reputable heating engineer instead of plumber. Make sure he is Corgi registered. Price depends where you are. We charge £60.00 per hour plus parts.

 

[oilman]

Make sure he is Corgi registered.

???

Oh! come on BDL! it's a water leak. Why does he need a CORGI unless there's a shortage of work. I'm not CORGI, but I could legally go round and sort this one.

As for £60 an hour I'll have to write a new charges sheet.

 

[drbagiva]

Oilman,
You are incorrect.The Gas Regulations state that if you work on a gas appliance you must by law carry out certain safety checks.Carrying out any work{including work to only the water side of the boiler} is still classed as "work "in the interpretation of the gas reg's.Your attitude is that of a cowboy.

 

[Rohan]

Interesting re CORGI registration discussion, as a punter i would go for CORGI registration just because it sounds like you are guaranteed to get someone who's qualified to do the job - no offence but for someone like me who knows nothing and could be taken for a ride, i would be happier with someone who is CORGI registered even though i have no idea what qualifications you need to have to be registered!

Anyway back to my boiler - its sorted so no worries i bled the radiators last night and got some air out but CH still didnt work. This morning i bled them again and switched the heating on when the pressure was abit low and the pump seemed to get things moving, Voila! hot radiators. I will bleed them again tonight just in case. Oh and i am not CORGI registered just lucky! Now i've said that they wont work tonight will they!

 

[drbagiva]

To be corgi registered you have to go thru a 5 yearly test to prove your competency to work on gas.The only people recognized by the H+Safety Exec. to be competent are those that have Corgi registration.However being corgi registered does not mean that an individual engineer is an expert at every aspect of gaswork.

 

[BDL]

Oilman- I can only assume you have been breathing too many oil fumes lately? The original question was not a water leak, the boiler was not providing heating.

As for Corgi reqd. to work on the gas boiler you must have this registration. Our £60.00 charge is not hefty at all. As we only work on gas boilers we are obliged to ensure/check the safe operation on every call. That includes burner pressure,ventilation etc, a plumber cannot legally do this without corgi registration. (oh and the added expense of the congestion charge, trying to park, paying parking meters etc).

 

[oilman]

Oops, that's told me then. I read it as a water leak, doh! However if you have to do all the testing when you have say, replaced the water pump, it seems like a good reason to have a conventional boiler and not a combi.

drbagiva, when you know me you can chuck insults about. I've seen work by "qualified people" and it wouldn't make good reading, it's worth remembering that any registration doesn't guarantee you haven't employed a cowboy.

 

[PaulAH]

You tell 'em, Oilman. Tell them about the Corgi engineer who fitted a new water pump upside down and finished off my boiler.

I'm sure you guys are good, but it doesn't mean they all are.

Some years back my old widowed mother (cue for violins) let a Corgi engineer fit a new boiler at a price that would have made Dick Turpin whoop with joy. I tracked him down and told him that if he didn't give her a sensible rebate, Corgi would hear about it. Lo and behold, a wad of notes appeared (can't remember how much, but it was a full third of the bill) which he handed over without a murmur. What a nice chap.

As Oilman says, registration is no guarantee. Recommendation is still the best credential.

 

[DP]

Went to see an old couple yesterday who had a local CORGI firm replace their old boiler with a Baxi condensing boiler. CORGI number would suggest he has aquired his registration very recently. I wonder if the installer is one of the many that think heating engineers make millions and he wants a part of that.

The old couple wants remedial work carried to botched boiler change. The most blatant faults are undersize gas line, blank Benchmark logbook and filling loop is in the loft and boiler is in he kitchen. System is loosing pressure so pressurising is a two man effort (perhaps I sould say old man and old woman effort)

Rohan you do not say which Vaillant; Vaillant have manufactured many different boilers. Knowing the model often helps.

 

[drbagiva]

Oilman,
I do know you(not literally) but I do know where you are coming from.You are totally correct in saying that many corgi engineers are cowboys as well!
The thought had crossed my mind to say stuff all the gas circus and just concentrate on oil(even fewer experts in that market!)
Anyway I might have been a bit hasty so please accept my apologies.DrB.