Potterton Netaheat - one for the GasSafes

[GeeTee]

Before anyone goes off on one - no I'm not doing any work at all on this boiler, just want opinions from those experienced with them.

I'm moving into a flat that's been unoccupied for several years that has one of these fitted (from the odd label here and there it dates to the mid 90s) along with a fortic tank/cylinder for hot water which I think is older.

Are spares still readily available for them?
Are they generally reliable if regularly serviced?
Do you like working on / servicing them or are they one of those lemons everyone either runs away from or quotes high to avoid?

I only ask as in a previous place I had a Protherm 80E combi and it was a veritable nightmare. I understand combis and system boilers are very different beasts and every manufacturer has their lemons - hence the questions

Thanks

 

[robin7]

I am NOT GasSafe - just a householder with a Netaheat Electronic 16-22 boiler.

Ours was installed in 1988 when the house was built - we have lived with it for over 20 years now, and (touch wood) it's still fine. It has been generally reliable, needing - as far as I remember - only a replacement fan and a new PCB over that period. It did develop severe kettling a couple of years ago - but the same would probably have happened with any other boiler, as the water in our area is quite hard. It was treated with Fernox DS40, and has been fine since.

Most parts are still available - but its Gas Valve is now obsolete (although both new and used ones can be found on ebay).

I know that by today's standards it's not the world's most efficient boiler, but I was advised years ago by the GasSafe guy that services it that it would be sensible to hang on to it until it dies - as the cost of replacing it would take years to recoup in efficiency savings.

Hope this helps

 

[twgas]

The netaheat was a good boiler in its day, there are still quite a few going strong but I would advise you get it serviced as these can leak fumes into the building.
If it were mine I'd be thinking about replacing it with a good combi or system boiler and unvented cylinder - the pressure from fortics is usually awful

 

[Dan Robinson]

Personally i hate the flipping things.

 

[GeeTee]

Thanks everyone

twgas - I'll certainly be getting it serviced as soon as I move in. Can't any boiler leak fumes into the building, or is there something specific to this one that makes it more likely?

And yes - the HW pressure is pretty low, but is only used for bathroom basin and kitchen sink (no bath and shower is electric in a newly fitted cube, so wouldn't really want to start ripping that apart to put a new hot feed in from a combi).

 

[Cpplumber]

Parts are most available.

I would strongly suggest considering replacement. If these boilers go wrong, they do so spectacularly with bad results. The casings on these (most of the range) are positive pressure. That means if there was corrosion or damage, the case can spew out products of combustion.

At the very least, get it checked regularly.

 

[ianmcd]

Thanks everyone

twgas - I'll certainly be getting it serviced as soon as I move in. Can't any boiler leak fumes into the building, or is there something specific to this one that makes it more likely?

And yes - the HW pressure is pretty low, but is only used for bathroom basin and kitchen sink (no bath and shower is electric in a newly fitted cube, so wouldn't really want to start ripping that apart to put a new hot feed in from a combi).

Yes all boilers can leak fumes into the building but your boiler is under positive pressure inside the casing and at much greater risk of passing products into your home, not many positive pressure models left thankfully

 

[GeeTee]

Thanks - that makes sense. Hopefully it will check out OK and keep running long enough to scrape together enough for a replacement. If not, it's going to be a chilly few months

 

[Agile]

There were about five different boilers with the name Netaheat.

The earliest ones have some spares difficult to find but the latest has most parts available.


Ask the vendor to confirm the heating system is in full working order! If he cannot then take that into account when negotiating a price. Replacement boiler usually less than £2000.

But when moving in you should get the system checked by an RGI.

Tony