Dangerous boilder in new house

Mallotum_X

Spies wrote: »

Why can't you just get the flu repaired? Surely it doesn't require a completely new system?

^this

If the problem is the fumes then extending the flue to the outside world is unlikely to be a big job or cost much money.

Its typical when buying a new home that you find things that need dealing with. We had two gas fires condemned after moving in, although we always planned to remove them we were unable to use them before replacing.

Dont let it spoil your new home. Get someone else to have a look and see how the flue can be extended out of the roof space so you dont have the risk.

tim_n

After having a full survey of our house, I opened a window in my front double glazing.


The window fell out.


I did the same to the rest, they all fell out.


Survey said "Windows in need of replacement", we knew they were old, but physically broken (and openably from the outside) was not something I picked up on.


£2,700 my house looks better, the heating is more efficient and burglars can't get in from the outside.


Sucks to be us, but it's a similar situation. As others have said, if it's just a new flue or a replacement, you're not talking massive money. If the entire boiler needs to go, you'll have a more efficient installation at the end of it and less trouble in the long run.


The positive is, at least you'll wake up in the morning and it's only money at the end of the day.

TheGardener

1. Get a 2nd opinion from a reputable, qualified gas heating engineer
2. Work out a plan/finance to get it fixed (if it actually needs fixing)
3. Move on and learn from the experience.

I bought a house some years ago and arrived to let the removal men in only to find a gas heating engineer on the door step who had been called by the vendor as the heating had broken down the day before...
Turns out the boiler had been limping along for weeks. I got it to limp along for a few more months while I saved the cash needed to fix it...At least its summer (allegedly) and living without it for a few weeks wont be too brutal.

thesaint

tim_n wrote: »

£2,700 my house looks better, the heating is more efficient and burglars can't get in from the outside.

As opposed to what?

bris

TheGardener wrote: »

2. Work out a plan/finance to get it fixed (if it actually needs fixing)

A flue terminating in the loft certainly needs fixing, it also needs reporting to the HSE through the gas safe register as who ever did this is in big trouble. The engineer who found it should be RIDDOR reporting it, ask him if he did this.


There is no need however to have the whole boiler system replaced, just have a new flue fitted (or extended) through the roof, all the manufacturers have roof kits for their boilers.

Dan-Dan

thesaint wrote: »

As opposed to what?

inside job :money:

marksoton

bris wrote: »

A flue terminating in the loft certainly needs fixing, it also needs reporting to the HSE through the gas safe register as who ever did this is in big trouble. The engineer who found it should be RIDDOR reporting it, ask him if he did this.

RIDDOR? I don't think so.....

Kynthia

It's overwhelming when you're a first time buyer. However unless you're buying a new build there's always going to be jobs that need doing and things that need maintaining.

It's your job to check anything you want to check before buying, and you don't have to check them if you're happy to take the risk. The seller's job is to answer questions truthfully. So like many people you didn't get the boiler checked. The seller said it was working but they didn't install it and you've no reason to believe that isn't true. You could have asked them if they ever serviced it and get copies of their reports, but it's perfectly common for home owners not to get their boiler serviced so they might have said that. You could have sent a gas safe engineer around to do a safety check, but you could also have paid for an electrical check, a drain survey, a roofer, a damp expert, etc, etc. It would have cost you a fortune so you concentrate on the biggest risks and where there are concerns raised.

SevenOfNine

I expect by now you've had your fill of the much repeated comments on what you could or should have done when purchasing your first property.

Don't let it spoil your enjoyment of the home so completely, get a GasSave engineer out to confirm the electricians findings & quote for making it function safely. Then you'll know what it's going to cost you, it may not be as expensive as you think. Seems possible your seller may not have known about it.

missprice

martinthebandit wrote: »

First thing I would do would be getting another 'gas safety guy' to have a look at it, preferably one who isn't a jobbing electrician.

I agree with everything else in this thread, but I cannot be the only person to live with a GS engineer who is also fully qualified electrician (plus HVAC, refrigeration , etc etc)

Plus OP said gas safety guy which implies GS registration