Gas boiler & CH cover

mutley74

I am looking attaking a gas boiler and CH cover for my folks.
I have read the notes on this main website by Martin.

Uswitc brings up quotes from Homeserve and Npower - but none of them include a boiler inspection. Do we need to buy this from them and if so DAK if they are expensive?

I am looking at getting a quote from BG website too.....
but any help/advice welcome.

mutley74

been looking around

Homeserve have a £15.98 pm service which cover boiler, service and CH, with a 28 policy wait.
They have another policy for £27.25 which covers all boiler, service CH all cold and hot water pipes, electricals, wastes and window and lock repairs. This has a 14 day policy wait.
Problem is that homeserve dont give any gurantee of call out visit or time.

British Gas - have a policy £17 pm boiler & CH & service. I think its a 14 day policy wait. Its £3pm extra for gtd same day service.

Npower is £12.98 for boiler & CH only (i think this is using homeserve).

Any advice, feedback or help welcome from using the above companies.
Was thinking of asking any local heating firms if they provide cover, but concern was they may not offer as good service or being smaller may be prone to going bust or paying any large damage claims.

keystone

Self-insure. Put whatever you are thinking about paying into one of the [STRIKE]scams[/STRIKE] schemes into a Building Soc account, let it accumulate and use it when you need it. Your only risk is that you need it when the pot hasn't grown very big.

Cheers

mutley74

keystone wrote: »

Self-insure. Put whatever you are thinking about paying into one of the [STRIKE]scams[/STRIKE] schemes into a Building Soc account, let it accumulate and use it when you need it. Your only risk is that you need it when the pot hasn't grown very big.

Cheers

that was an option folks have been doing for a few years now but as boiler has aged a bit (3 years) they prefer to have peace of mind agreement, rather than ringing around and waiting for plumber to come at short notice in case of a problem. also as my folks are old they need heating on due to health problems.

just another Q, how often does a CH (condensing boiler) system need flushing? and how often does new inhibitor need to be added?

amyface

keystone wrote: »

Self-insure. Put whatever you are thinking about paying into one of the [STRIKE]scams[/STRIKE] schemes into a Building Soc account, let it accumulate and use it when you need it. Your only risk is that you need it when the pot hasn't grown very big.
Cheers

Not strictly the only risk to me. I'd say make sure you know of at least two people of the necessary quality, price & availability to call out when / if your boiler goes belly up. Know these people in advance. Just putting your money in a bank account doesn't make you any less immune to getting someone who you may perceive as being below standard.

keystone

mutley74 wrote: »

that was an option folks have been doing for a few years now but as boiler has aged a bit (3 years) they prefer to have peace of mind agreement, rather than ringing around and waiting for plumber to come at short notice in case of a problem. also as my folks are old they need heating on due to health problems.

OK then a cautionary tale of an 86 year old lady living on her own with mobility and heating problems. Her "service provider" had her without heating whilst they:

1. Powerflushed the system to make it work (extra to contract of course)
2. Replaced the circulator
3. Replaced the new circulator with a bigger circulator
4. Scratched their heads
5. Replaced both motorised valves on her S plan system.
6. Guessed a bit
7. Powerflushed it again (extra again but only for two hours this time :rolleyes:)
8. Clutched at several straws
9 Condemned the boiler and told her she needed a new one.
10. Condemned the boiler again when recommendation was queried by a relative.

All this over a period of about 3 (I think) months leading up to late November / early December by when she was getting really rather cold.

The actual problem? - a small blockage in the primary circuit requiring a portion of 28mm pipework to be cut out and replaced. Old lady now warm (too hot the following day apparently so had to turn it down! ), system running fine with all rads toasty although it could do with a proper manual flush when its warmer. Nothing at all wrong with the boiler - its a 20 year old Ideal Mexico and it will still be going in another 20 years 'cos they built boilers to last then.

Not the first time something like this has happened with these schemes and it won't be the last. I do NOT believe they give piece of mind one little bit!

just another Q, how often does a CH (condensing boiler) system need flushing? and how often does new inhibitor need to be added?

As a rule of thumb approx every 3 years but NOT by the fiendish powerflush route. Put some chemical cleanser in the system, allow it to circulate, drain it all out, flush it through with clean water, refill, add inhibitor. It is not necessary to top up the inhibitor at other times unless the system is drained for another reason.

Cheers

keystone

amyface wrote: »

Not strictly the only risk to me. I'd say make sure you know of at least two people of the necessary quality, price & availability to call out when / if your boiler goes belly up. Know these people in advance. Just putting your money in a bank account doesn't make you any less immune to getting someone who you may perceive as being below standard.

Oh no you are absolutely correct you need your CH service engineer in touch that you trust in the same way that you keep taking your car back to the same garage year after year after year. I'm not for one moment advocating just keeping the cash safe and then doing a "what am I going to do now" act right at the very point that you have no time.

Cheers

mutley74

keystone wrote: »

OK then a cautionary tale of an 86 year old lady living on her own with mobility and heating problems. Her "service provider" had her without heating whilst they:

1. Powerflushed the system to make it work (extra to contract of course)
2. Replaced the circulator
3. Replaced the new circulator with a bigger circulator
4. Scratched their heads
5. Replaced both motorised valves on her S plan system.
6. Guessed a bit
7. Powerflushed it again (extra again but only for two hours this time :rolleyes:)
8. Clutched at several straws
9 Condemned the boiler and told her she needed a new one.
10. Condemned the boiler again when recommendation was queried by a relative.

All this over a period of about 3 (I think) months leading up to late November / early December by when she was getting really rather cold.

The actual problem? - a small blockage in the primary circuit requiring a portion of 28mm pipework to be cut out and replaced. Old lady now warm (too hot the following day apparently so had to turn it down! ), system running fine with all rads toasty although it could do with a proper manual flush when its warmer. Nothing at all wrong with the boiler - its a 20 year old Ideal Mexico and it will still be going in another 20 years 'cos they built boilers to last then.

Not the first time something like this has happened with these schemes and it won't be the last. I do NOT believe they give piece of mind one little bit!

As a rule of thumb approx every 3 years but NOT by the fiendish powerflush route. Put some chemical cleanser in the system, allow it to circulate, drain it all out, flush it through with clean water, refill, add inhibitor. It is not necessary to top up the inhibitor at other times unless the system is drained for another reason.

Cheers

Thanks for sharing this. But nothing to say the same could happen by using a local heating repair company. Preference was on using a maintenance scheme, rather than ringing around to find a local plumber (been let down by tradesmen before - and that was for cash jobs!)

keystone

mutley74 wrote: »

Thanks for sharing this. But nothing to say the same could happen by using a local heating repair company. Preference was on using a maintenance scheme, rather than ringing around to find a local plumber (been let down by tradesmen before - and that was for cash jobs!)

No thats not my point (see my other post) you have a CH engineer that you trust in the same way you keeping using the same garage for servicing your car. There is no point ringing round for someone you don't know at the very time you need someone you trust. Is that not obvious?

And furthermore the fault condition on the system was so basic when its pumping over (which it was) that it should have been the very FIRST thing they checked for. But she got a string of different people each with as little heating system knowledge as the other. I mean the circulators were changed on successive days for heavens sake!

Cheers

ireneski

We have a contract with Homeserve for the boiler and systems. Each year the boiler chck up goes back an extra month. Installed in June 2004, we had our checkup in December this year.

Two weeks later the pump went. They installed a new bigger one, within 10 minutes of the engineer leaving it was pumping over on 3. They told us to turn it down, which as he'd installed the pump motor UNDER the pump, caused my husband to burn his hand. This didn't work, so it was turned down to one. Now we have another problem with pumping over, when the hot water comes on. The pump cannot be bled either as it's face where the bleed screw is, is jammed up against a joist.

We rang them, eventually getting through yesterday and were told an engineer will ring. Not today. We live in North Notts and the engineer came from the Wirral.

Find a good recommended local heating engineer. This service is complete tosh!

keystone

and of course this "tosh" service gives you "complete peace of mind":rolleyes:.

Cheers