Pilot light and vent.

Candy53

Don't know if this is the right place to post this, but need advice about the vent in the wall.

We have the old style gas fire and back boiler in chimney in the living room.
We don't ever use the fire, but have gas CH.

What I want to know is when the boiler isn't on, do we need the vent open just for the pilot light? We are freezing even when the heating has been on because the drafts from the vent is like leaving a window open and we lose what heat we've built up. It's just wasting money.

Thanks
Candy

bengasman

Ventilation openings may NEVER be blocked. This is one of the main downsides of the old fashioned back boiler. When you include the heatlosses through ventilation, the efficiency can easily sink below 40%.

ziggyman99

As above, don't block the vent. It's there for a purpose. All you need is to forget, leave it blocked when the heating is on and it could be game over. I suppose the good thing is its a painless death. You fall asleep in front of the TV and don't wake up. Is it worth it? I would say no.

Canucklehead

Hi.

The advice given is quite correct an open flued appliance must have permanent ventilation.

Whilst you are free to do whatever you wish in your own home it would be very irresponsible to suggest to others on the forum that it would be acceptable to close a vent, even temporarily.

GSR

t0rt0ise

Sweey_as_a_nut wrote: »

Quote:
Further more you go to every house in the UK tonight and you will be lucky to find two people with the vent open if the heating is not on. You and that man at the end of the street who forgot. So come down off your high horse.

That would be me then because the vent is in the window really high up. It doesn't shut so I'd have to put something over it to shut it off and I hadn't even thought about it.

bengasman

t0rt0ise wrote: »

That would be me then because the vent is in the window really high up. It doesn't shut so I'd have to put something over it to shut it off and I hadn't even thought about it.

Google "CO casualties" one of the sites has a list of over 400 people ( in England ) that did not live to tell the tale.

t0rt0ise

bengasman wrote: »

Google "CO casualties" one of the sites has a list of over 400 people ( in England ) that did not live to tell the tale.

Why would I do that. I'm the one who has the vent open. You know, one of the two people in the UK according to Sweey as a Nut.

I think you're preaching to the wrong person so off you go.

ziggyman99

Sweey_as_a_nut wrote: »

Quote:
Yes, however I live in the real world, when I had that type of heating I never kept the vent open if the heating was not on, and done that for well over 20 years.

It could so easily have been a dead world. Unfortunately health and safety legislation has been introduced to stop low IQ people from killing themselves. Personally I would remove such laws and rules and let good old Darwinian principles remove some of these people from the gene pool, but that goes against what is termed politically correct.

I do be leave you think a Gas safe fitter is the bees knees well some are and some are not.

The word is believe.
It isn't some popularity contest. We are OBLIGED to obey the law. Unfortunately we have to try to convince you that you are more useful to society alive. If you wish to die I have no problem with that but I don't wish to go to jail as a result of it.

Further more you go to every house in the UK tonight and you will be lucky to find two people with the vent open if the heating is not on. You and that man at the end of the street who forgot.

Absolute rubbish. I could take you to dozens of my customers and show you otherwise. Luckily your in a small minority.

So come down off your high horse.

No high horse here but sometimes it feels like flogging a dead horse - at least it would be if it lived at your house.