free help from a plumber / heating eng

krazykidskate

Is a modern boiler likely to work alright with a mixture of new and very old (30 years+) radiators? I ask because my mother recently had some work done and instead of replacing the radiators they kept some of them. Well she's had to call repairs out 4 times already within a few months and its usually a low pressure problem. The latest time they told her she had her temp set too low (it was on 20) and that it should be on about 26 to work properly. Surely the system should work without my mum facing extortionate bills!

keystone

Little_Miss_Penny_Less wrote: »

1) Are these remote thermostat things any good? and will it solve our problem?

Well you certainly need to relocate the stat. The existing one could be relocated OR you could fit a new one. The remote ones are fine and you'll find that there are quite a few badge engineered Drayton units around the bazaars.

2) Are we ok to attempt this work ourselves or does it need to be CORGI registered or is too complex for DIY?

You could if you feel competant enough to do so - otherwise you should call in an electrician. You do not say which boiler you have. Some of the modern ones are built to take a "plug-in" receiver module for an RF thermostat.

None of the work involved involves the gas train or the boiler so you do not need an RGI. For information CORGI ceased to maintai the Gas Register on 1 April 2009. It is now maintained by Capita under the GasSafe banner. All CORGI registrations were null and void from that date and for any gaswork since 01/04/09 you need a GasSafe RGI. Yes - the publicity associate with the change was dire in the extreme (IMHO of course)

3) Do we need to stick to a particular make (hubby says all our equipment in the house is 'Drayton' make but branded up as British Gas) for the thermostat to work with our current equipment

As I said many of the units around are badge engineered Drayton units anyhow.

4) If the answer to 3 is no, then is there any issue with buying cheaper - i.e. the Drayton make one is £100 and there are some other makes around £50.

It seems to make sense to me to stick with Drayton.

Oh, and another thing - we are expecting our first baby - is there a good way to regulate the temperature in the baby's room, i.e. a second thermostat or such like?

Many congratulations. A lifetime of alternating joy and despondency (and an always empty wallet) awaits you. Do you have a TRV on the rad?

HTH

Cheers

keystone

krazykidskate wrote: »

Is a modern boiler likely to work alright with a mixture of new and very old (30 years+) radiators? I ask because my mother recently had some work done and instead of replacing the radiators they kept some of them. Well she's had to call repairs out 4 times already within a few months and its usually a low pressure problem. The latest time they told her she had her temp set too low (it was on 20) and that it should be on about 26 to work properly. Surely the system should work without my mum facing extortionate bills!

Well the system SHOULD have been powerflushed to remove all traces of sludge and corrosion as part of the install. Most boiler manufacturers (correctly) insist on it otherwise they have difficulty honouring the warranty. A constant low pressure problem indicates that there is a leak somewhere or the expansion vessel is faulty. If its only been installed a few months (and presumably there was a warranty by the installer as well as the boiler warranty) they should be called back and required to fix it.. Turning the wick up is not the solution.

Cheers

keystone

NOTE TO MODS

Could you please consider locking this thread? Having lit blue touchpaper the OP has retired to a safe distance and not been here since 07.46 yesterday morning. There are too many separate questions being asked and interspacing the answers with fresh questions is going to lead to chaos.

Posters with individual questions should please be asked to start their own new thread otherwise confusion will reign. Just my 'umble two pennorth.

Cheers

Little_Miss_Penny_Less

Thank you Keystone for trying to answer all the many questions the original thread has generated. As per your note above, I agree that since the OP has gone awol separate threads would be more advisable and will separate out my query as requested.