Grants for new boiler

margaretclare

Hi JackieO

Glad you're pleased with everything. Just one more question - where exactly did they put the new Ideal condensing boiler? I assume as you've had a new cylinder, the boiler is not a combi one?

DH went into hospital last Wednesday supposedly for surgery the following day but it wasn't done - the kit of spare parts was not available (don't ask). So he came home and went in again today for surgery tomorrow. It was very much like the boiler replacement - kit of spare parts had to be available 'just in case' when the consultant orthopaedic surgeon got inside his knee, it turned out to be a bigger job than previously supposed. DH phoned the consultant's secretary this morning to check that spare parts had arrived - answer yes, so he went back in.

Thanks for the good wishes. The bloke representing the installers at Royston will not come until after DH is home again, so we are still 'in limbo' about it all.

Don't get me wrong about all this - I am well in favour of saving us £2,700, who wouldn't be? But we also know exactly what we want, we know it's possible, and if the WarmFront installer says 'oh no, you can't have that under this scheme' then we will kick him into touch and contact the man round the back who has already quoted us!

Best wishes

Margaret

[Deleted User]

I had the bolier put in the airing cupboard so it's out of sight .I have a conservatory on the back of my house so there was no spare space in the kitchen as it has to go on an outside wall. From the cupboard to the outside wall there is a pipe running that is the outlet pipe. I am sitting here at the moment in my little box room that I use as a computer room and the cupboard is in the room next door (spare bedroom.) and barely 8 foot away and it is on ,but I can't hear a thing. I am so pleased with it . My old back boiler used to make the most awful noise as it started up,like a small bang/whooshing noise. Apparently the valve that regulated it was defective and unsafe ,one reason for shutting it all down when my plumber came to service it. He couldn't get a replacement either as the system was so ancient.
If you don't want your old boiler/fire removed you don't have to they can disconnect it.But I wanted mine out of the way as I am having the fireplace bricked up and a back board put in which I shall tile and a small electric fire there just as a focal point under the mantelpiece. Good luck with your husbands surgery , it's a pain when they cancel at the last minute as you get yourself all set in your mind to go in then it all goes belly-up.
Have a good day and try not to worry

al_yrpal

margaretclare wrote:

Hi JackieO

Just one more question - where exactly did they put the new Ideal condensing boiler? I assume as you've had a new cylinder, the boiler is not a combi one?



Margaret

Margaret,

If you have an attached garage thats a good place to put a boiler. The boiler air supply comes in through a flue and exhausts through the same flue. You do have to have a drain for the condensate water produced by combustion though. At the same time we installed a Belfast Sink and moved the washer and dryer out of the kitchen into the back of the garage too. Result:-more space in kitchen, no noise in kitchen, and a place to wash those wellies/paintrushes etc.

Al

margaretclare

al_yrpal wrote:

If you have an attached garage thats a good place to put a boiler. The boiler air supply comes in through a flue and exhausts through the same flue. You do have to have a drain for the condensate water produced by combustion though. At the same time we installed a Belfast Sink and moved the washer and dryer out of the kitchen into the back of the garage too. Result:-more space in kitchen, no noise in kitchen, and a place to wash those wellies/paintbrushes etc.

Thanks for the suggestion, Al. Unfortunately we have no garage, attached or otherwise.

We want the boiler installed in the loft, against the outside wall - there's an ideal space for it there. The loft has proper access, loft-ladder, flooring and lighting.

We've had quotes from a few installers, that was before we ever applied to WarmFront. It was going to be next year's 'big project' - this year's was the roof. A couple of them have suggested the loft, one said it was the ideal spot, which was what alerted us to the fact that it could be done. Another one said no, it would have to go in the kitchen against the outside wall, thereby messing up my picture tiles on that wall! The young couple next door have had one of the local installers who quoted us. He installed the boiler in their kitchen, but then it didn't matter to them - they've ripped the whole place to bits including the kitchen and are having it all re-done. We had the kitchen done a few years ago and don't want the boiler in there.

We have no airing-cupboard either - the couple on the other side have their boiler in a cupboard. There is no cupboard that ours could go in. There's a cupboard in the hall that we hang coats in, but it's not on an outside wall.

We just have to convince somebody that the ideal spot will be the outside wall in the loft! If the WarmFront installers don't think so then we'll end up paying for it done by the local installer. He couldn't be more local actually, his garden backs on to our neighbours'! The WarmFront installer, by contrast, is at least 100 miles away.

Margaret

Skiduck

margaretclare wrote:

Thanks for the suggestion, Al. Unfortunately we have no garage, attached or otherwise.

We want the boiler installed in the loft, against the outside wall - there's an ideal space for it there. The loft has proper access, loft-ladder, flooring and lighting.

We've had quotes from a few installers, that was before we ever applied to WarmFront. It was going to be next year's 'big project' - this year's was the roof. A couple of them have suggested the loft, one said it was the ideal spot, which was what alerted us to the fact that it could be done. Another one said no, it would have to go in the kitchen against the outside wall, thereby messing up my picture tiles on that wall! The young couple next door have had one of the local installers who quoted us. He installed the boiler in their kitchen, but then it didn't matter to them - they've ripped the whole place to bits including the kitchen and are having it all re-done. We had the kitchen done a few years ago and don't want the boiler in there.

We have no airing-cupboard either - the couple on the other side have their boiler in a cupboard. There is no cupboard that ours could go in. There's a cupboard in the hall that we hang coats in, but it's not on an outside wall.

We just have to convince somebody that the ideal spot will be the outside wall in the loft! If the WarmFront installers don't think so then we'll end up paying for it done by the local installer. He couldn't be more local actually, his garden backs on to our neighbours'! The WarmFront installer, by contrast, is at least 100 miles away.

Margaret

I can't see why some engineers don't want to install it in a loft, especially a combi where you can have a remote digital room stat etc. The pipework shouldn't be an issue unless you have 15mm gas pipe running through your house, which would mean converting all but 1 metre of it to 22mm. this may be the issue some installer have - the total re-routing of pipework.

margaretclare

Skiduck wrote:

I can't see why some engineers don't want to install it in a loft, especially a combi where you can have a remote digital room stat etc. The pipework shouldn't be an issue unless you have 15mm gas pipe running through your house, which would mean converting all but 1 metre of it to 22mm. this may be the issue some installer have - the total re-routing of pipework.

Thanks for this, Skiduck. If this is the issue then we will take it up with them. It seems that some are just fixated on 'oh no, you can't have that, you've got to have this'.

Knowledge is power, isn't it!

Margaret

margaretclare

Update on my post #73 above. DH is home with his brand-new knee joint, just hope it works this time - knee replacement on the same knee 2003, 2004 and now 2006! He came home on Sunday. I phoned the Royston installers on Monday - they would email the engineer and ask him to phone us. Nothing. Phoned them yesterday - 'hasn't he phoned you?' 'No.' 'Oh - will phone him and ask him to get in touch.'

Well, he hasn't.

We had an offer from Npower a few weeks ago - someone would come round one Monday afternoon - we waited in from 12 to 6, nothing, no explanation, no phone call, no further contact.

If we don't hear from the Royston installers or their engineer soon then we will kick the whole WarmFront idea into touch. We've just paid the remaining £604 for our Christmas getaway and even after that, we still have over £2000 saved between us which we could use for the replacement boiler etc. Saving £2,700 by getting this work done on a scheme from the gubbmint might sound like a good idea, but is it worth the hassle?

I still have DH recovering from the knee surgery, staples due to come out next week, he still couldn't climb the loft-ladder, and we're going away for a few days at the end of October. We'll probably wait until we come back from that and then make a decision.

Congratulations to JackieO on getting your work done within a reasonable time and to your satisfaction.

Best wishes

Margaret

margaretclare

Update on above - just had a phone call from Intaglow Contracts, Royston, to say that the engineer will come on Monday 9th between 9 and 4.

As we have the District Nurse coming the same day to remove staples from DH's knee, again no specific time given, looks like fun and games if we wait all day and they both happen to arrive together.

Do I sound just a tad cynical.....?

Margaret

daisy2002

I was just wondering if anyone would know if my mother-in-law would be entilted to a grant or not.
She's 71 but has 2 of her sons living at home with her.
I've tried to get her to call, even if they say no at least you've tried but she won't call because she said she won't get it because of her son's live with her.

Thank you for your help

margaretclare

daisy2002 wrote:

I was just wondering if anyone would know if my mother-in-law would be entilted to a grant or not.
She's 71 but has 2 of her sons living at home with her.
I've tried to get her to call, even if they say no at least you've tried but she won't call because she said she won't get it because her sons live with her.

Hi daisy2002

If you look back to some of the posts earlier in this thread you'll see that in England it doesn't just depend on age - it depends on your MIL being in receipt of some other benefit as well as her basic state pension. It needs either a disability-based benefit like Attendance Allowance or a means-tested benefit - Pension Credit.

If the sons are living there and presumably paying her for their lodgings then it sounds as if her income would be too high for pension credit so therefore she wouldn't qualify.

I only qualify because I was awarded Attendance Allowance for 2 years, not just because of age.

If you live in Scotland it's a bit different.

HTH

Margaret