Gas Boiler Illegal - Advise me please

wackojackouk

Hi ppl

I've been having problems with my gas boiler in that the pilot keeps going out. This boiler is only used to heat the water in the bathroom and kitchen btw. We have a back boiler which does the heating.

We had an engineer around today and he said techically it's illegal as it's in our because the flue goes into the lean to so there is no airflow and there is nowhere else for it to go (It was like this when we bought this house).

He said it wasn't worth spending any money on it because it is so old and really it should be condemned.

He then gave us a couple of suggestions such as a combi boiler with a roof top flue (through conservatory roof) and we wouldn't then have to use our back boiler for heating - which he said was quite old too and could potentially go wrong as well.

Alternatively fitting a cyclinder to our existing back boiler system thus heating the water as well but he didnt recommend this because the back boiler is also really old.

I asked how much to fit a combi boiler with the roof flue option etc and he said about £2000 bearing in mind that out heating and water are currently seperate and would be combined. This would be a condensing boiler (he recommended a BAXI 105 HE I think) which he said would be new legislation in April 2005. He said they are about £800 but Baxi were offering the HE version for the same price as the normal boiler and it made more sense to get that one.

First of all, could anyway give me some advice as to whether or not this is expensive?

Also any other possible solutions? - a friend said about a electric water heater previously as a possibility but I don't have a clue about anything like this.

I live near Heathrow Airport so technically in London is this another reason why it could be expensive?

Finally, should I get someone else's opinion but obviously I don't want someone to condemn the thing as it does work but you have to keep re-igniting it or can anyone recommend someone to have a look at it or give me a quotation in the Heathrow/Middlesex area.

Cheers

WJUK

MarkyMarkD

I think you should focus on the important point in what you've been told - the existing set-up is dangerous and shouldn't be used.

I can't see that this element of the advice is incorrect - boilers should be vented to the open air or there is a severe risk of carbon monoxide poisoning and death.

So you should really stop wondering about whether the existing boiler can be fixed - as it will still be dangerous.

To be honest, £2,000 doesn't sound all that expensive for a major re-fit of your central heating system.  He's going to have to re-route a lot of pipework for the new system; he is providing you with a low-energy boiler which should be far cheaper to run; and you live near to London where prices would be relatively high.

Obviously it's always worth getting a few quotes, but IMHO he isn't trying to rip you off and I would not put your life at risk for the sake of saving a few £.

Edit: Of course you could get small electric water heaters as you suggest. They are like shower units but with a tap rather than a shower attachment! You often see them in small offices/factory toilets where there is no convenient hot water supply.

They should be very cheap to buy - you can buy a shower unit for well under £100 each - but by the time you've had them installed AND got the electricity to them (easy in the kitchen, but probably not in the bathroom) you might be talking about £500+ installed.

And that's a very tacky solution compared to upgrading your central heating - effectively a waste of £500 if your back boiler does eventually (or soon) die of old age.

Robert5988

I agree with the comments above; would add one point.

If you decide to dispense with your back boiler make sure it is properly de-commissioned or removed.

King_David_2

If in doubt get a second opinion from someone else who is qualified to do so.

Additionally, if I was to ever purchase a house this would be one thing I looked at immediately. Houses are a rip-off already without another bill once you've bought it.

nabowla

As your pilot light keeps going out, I strongly recommend that you install a Carbon Monoxide Alarm immediately. As others have mentioned, your boiler may possibly be emitting carbon monoxide fumes and carbon monoxide can kill. Whilst I was at university, someone in the year above me died as the result of carbon monoxide poisoning from a faulty boiler. Neither she nor her housemates showed any sign of illness beforehand, she just didn't wake up one morning.

Carbon monoxide alarms are just like smoke alarms. An alarm is triggered if carbon monoxide is detected in the immediate vicinity. Alarms are available at all major DIY stores: I think they cost around 30 pounds, but other MSE'ers may be able to point you in the direction of alarms at sale prices. Even if you can't find a cheap alarm, go ahead and buy one anyway - it'll give you peace of mind whilst you decide what to do about the faulty boiler.

wackojackouk

Cheers people

I have had the boiler fixed now although it shouldn't technically be there because of the lack of airflow reaching it from the lean to.

As I was worried about the Carbon Monoxide I purchased some CM detectors which change colour dependant on the amount of CM about and so far they have stayed the correct colour.

Robert5988

I have had the boiler fixed now although it shouldn't technically be there because of the lack of airflow reaching it from the lean to.

As I was worried about the Carbon Monoxide I purchased some CM detectors which change colour dependant on the amount of CM about and so far they have stayed the correct colour.

Changing colour is one thing, but does it sound an alarm?