Can this be repaired?

[Inky Pete]

Inclined to scrap the gas central heating altogether and go with electric rads

I hope you're sitting down when your first Leccy bill arrives!

 

[Jake1886]

Electric rads? Nah I wouldn't if I was you!

Just get a decent installer this time, not another gumtree special!

 

[muggles]

Electric will cost you a LOT more than gas to run, just get a decent gas boiler

 

[Agile]

You have never said how old the boiler is.

Nor have you said why you did not just put the problem back to the installer.

Or just report him to Gas Safe?

This is the problem that professionals have. Installers who advertise very low prices on Gumtree and Ebay and then just do a very cheap and poor quality job!

I suppose he installed it is less than a day?

Tony Glazier

 

[Newby123]

You have never said how old the boiler is.

Nor have you said why you did not just put the problem back to the installer.

Or just report him to Gas Safe?

This is the problem that professionals have. Installers who advertise very low prices on Gumtree and Ebay and then just do a very cheap and poor quality job!

I suppose he installed it is less than a day?

Tony Glazier

Boiler is about 5 years old. Installer did the work about 2 years ago and stopped returning my calls after I called him the next morning to say there was a puddle on the floor under the boiler and a smell of gas.. "oh, forgot to tighten the main nut supplying the gas to the boiler.. and check I connected the condensate pipe" Tightened the nut and got transco out who confirmed no gas escaping. Then added the condensate pipe myself. Tried reporting him to Corgi (who were in the process of winding down) and they basically didn't give a damn.. yes that sounds bad, hmm, yeah well we can't do very much - you will have to pursue him through trading standards. All we can do is send letters and it will be months before we get anywhere.. what did he look like - hmm. yeah that description fits the photo we have on file. Oh well.. see ya...

After that I am loathe to bother wasting my time either tracking the cowboy (who was corgi registered) down or wasting time communicating with Gas Safe - presumably they would pass the buck to Corgi who don't exist and didn't help the first time!

Anyway... my bad for trying to be too much of a cheapskate..

So.. Vaillant EcoTec is the way to go? Any recommendations for a reliable, honest, fair and competent independent Gas Safe registered plumber covering the Croydon area?

 

[expertgasman]

If the case has been drilled, then it needs a new case, end of, anything else would be in contravention of Ideals spec which is not allowed

45 years, i can assure you, if someone at BG wanted to loose there job then yes they could seal it by many other ways in which im very confident it would seal the chamber perfectly, however as it isnt manufacturers spec it would still be I.D. and RIDDOR reportable

BG and others get alot of stick for following rules which COULD actually save some ones life, strange realy

I think you are being a tad dramatic there, Ollie. If you have a small hole which can be filled nicely with a self tapper, why on earth would it be lethal, and why would you condemn it?

Answer: BG love selling boilers.

Edit: I've tried 4 times to make print smaller, but can't see why it's so big

 

[Newby123]

Thanks for all your feedback everyone. I got someone out to quote and he has said £1275 + VAT to replace and fit a new Potterton Main Eco. Replace the Roomstat and powerflush the whole system.

Seems like a great price to me.. any thoughts on the boiler choice? I was thinking Vaillant EcoTec.. but maybe this one is as good/better?

 

[petit_pablo]

I was thinking Vaillant EcoTec.. but maybe this one is as good/better?

Potterton/baxi/Main arent in the same league as vaillant but thats a cracking price, perhaps too good.

As for the BG haters, the only repair BG would allow us to carry out is for the entire combustion box to be replaced. We all know an effective repair could be made but its not worth our job just to keep 1 customer happy. Afaik the combustion box was never an available spare from ideal so boiler is a write off in that respect.

 

[nickso]

As several have said, there is no way the safety nazi's at BG will allow a sensible repair on that boiler. No point in blaming the engineer, he has to follow procedure.

In some ways I agree with their heavy handed approach to boiler integrity, the amount of repairs that I have seen by other RGI's that they no doubt considered safe that were far from it was shocking.

M advice to the OP is to get a threaded rivet put back in the proper hole and rivet the two holes with setting silicone on the rivets, job done. I doubt the next guy that services it would even notice the repair.

 

[Boilerman2]

Thats a VERY Cheap price for a power flush and Boiler (even a Main!!)
HOWEVER - what aboput all the leaking fittings you mentioned????
how much to fix that lot!

 

[Newby123]

Thats a VERY Cheap price for a power flush and Boiler (even a Main!!)
HOWEVER - what aboput all the leaking fittings you mentioned????
how much to fix that lot!

Waiting for written quote - maybe he meant £1275 for the boiler supply and fit and the powerflush will be extra (but required)..

for fixing the leak he said it was in a bugger of a place and would need the built in fridge freezer taken out to get to it - he said if I can manage that (and since I put it in, it should be possible) then it wouldn't be more than £100 to swap out the push fit for welded joints in the area in question.

Think for the sake of a few hundred quid I would want to go for a Vaillant EcoTec - but he said 75% of what he fits are Potterton Main, would fit an alternative but wouldn't vouch for it (other than whatever vouching comes as standard warranty etc)..

 

[Jake1886]

Probably better off looking on Vaillant website for a local installer and getting a quote or 2?

www.vaillant.co.uk/homeowners/installer_search

 

[OLLIE20]

If the case has been drilled, then it needs a new case, end of, anything else would be in contravention of Ideals spec which is not allowed

45 years, i can assure you, if someone at BG wanted to loose there job then yes they could seal it by many other ways in which im very confident it would seal the chamber perfectly, however as it isnt manufacturers spec it would still be I.D. and RIDDOR reportable

BG and others get alot of stick for following rules which COULD actually save some ones life, strange realy

I think you are being a tad dramatic there, Ollie. If you have a small hole which can be filled nicely with a self tapper, why on earth would it be lethal, and why would you condemn it?

Answer: BG love selling boilers.

Edit: I've tried 4 times to make print smaller, but can't see why it's so big

I totally agree, but if it aint down if black and white and my arse is in court, what will they say to me????

Chances are it will never kill any1, and the older type naturally asperated burner type models, manufacturers seals are generally poor especially where there are sheet metal folds such as ravenheat and the worcester junior range to name but a few, but the are manufacturers spec so its there arse not mine

Youve got to watch your own back 1st and formost these days

 

[Agile]

Boiler is about 5 years old. Installer did the work about 2 years ago and stopped returning my calls after I called him the next morning to say there was a puddle on the floor under the boiler and a smell of gas.. "oh, forgot to tighten the main nut supplying the gas to the boiler.. and check I connected the condensate pipe" Tightened the nut and got transco out who confirmed no gas escaping.

So it seems the boiler was either second hand when installed?

Or it was three years in the box before being installed?

Was it bought off Gumtree as well?

Tony

 

[Newby123]

Boiler is about 5 years old. Installer did the work about 2 years ago and stopped returning my calls after I called him the next morning to say there was a puddle on the floor under the boiler and a smell of gas.. "oh, forgot to tighten the main nut supplying the gas to the boiler.. and check I connected the condensate pipe" Tightened the nut and got transco out who confirmed no gas escaping.

So it seems the boiler was either second hand when installed?

Or it was three years in the box before being installed?

Was it bought off Gumtree as well?

Tony

We were knocking through a wall so paid him to move it.. so was new when installed 5 years ago (before we bought the place), but 3 years old when he shifted it..