Warm air heating system question.

[Deleted User]

We have a Johnson And Starley J25-32 MK2 warm air heating system, with a hot water tank it is also responsible for next to it. It has served us very well over the years, surviving attempts by British Gas to condemn it for no good reason along the way, but it really looks like it is finally nearing it's end now. We would like to get another warm air heating system installed, as we like it, and wondered if anyone could recommend something? We thought it would be cheaper to buy a good one ourselves, then get someone to install it; rather than risk someone installing any old piece of junk on our behalf at a heftily marked up price. Much appreciated for any forthcoming advice or if someone knows a good place to direct us to for advice.

Bettie

I think J &S keep a list of installers of their heaters if you wanted to stick with them.

[Deleted User]

I don't mind who the manufacturer is. I just want to know, hopefully from their own experiences, what folks think is a worthy replacement for that sort of system. Nothing seems built to last nowadays and I don't want to end up with a breakdown waiting to happen.

If it wasn't for British Gas being mercenary, then our one would probably still have more years left in it. They used to service it annually with no issue, until about 12 years ago, when every sod who came round kept on trying to find lame excuses for us to get rid of it. Oh and to quickly buy a new one from them of course. This can only have reflected a clear change in British Gas policy. I am 100% sure that such actions must have resulted in the demise of several vulnerable people.

Unless there is a serious danger of carbon monoxide poisoning, with no quality detector installed to boot say, then routinely condemning boilers in the middle of winter is very dangerous. Cold kills. One time in January we were told our one couldn't be fixed, but we refused to go along with it. An independent engineer quickly and easily fixed it the very next day! What if that had been someone who went along with the condemnation, out of fear, and didn't have the means or the drive to get a new boiler sorted out at short notice? Insane. :shocked:

We eventually gave British gas annual servicing engineers the boot, but then didn't always get our one serviced annually by an independent engineer, which was only our fault I know. Soot built up in the heat exchanger, which led to us getting lukewarm water at best, and this problem is nigh on impossible to fix properly apparently.

Bettie

I am lucky to have a Bristol based fitter who installed and now services mine yearly. I don't have the water heater so mine is never any trouble, I have a combi instead though that takes up a space where I could have a kitchen cupboard in my small kitchen.

Alex1983

What model circulator is it, most J&S water circulator heat exchangers are still available.

cranford

I am on my 3rd warm air system. Its used about 15hrs every day and the last 2 have lasted 20 years. The previous and current ones are also Johnson and Starley.
There have been warm air developments since I bought the current one 8 years ago and I have always used a warm air specialist independent for annual service and breakdown cover. They now make combi versions and rads can be attached. No breakdown since I have had the J&S model and I have never even light a pilot!

[Deleted User]

Alex1983 wrote: »

What model circulator is it, most J&S water circulator heat exchangers are still available.

We heard that the part we needed wasn't cheap and it was a big job to install it. There is also a small hole in its flue, which engineers don't like to try fixing. Taking everything into consideration and as it is now over 40 years old I think, we decided it was finally time to call last rites on it. I would still love to be recommended a make and model number, from anyone who has had a new one installed in the past few years.

southcoastrgi

You won't find much choice in a replacement as most people have ripped them out years ago so there isn't much call for them any longer

Beenie

We have a J&S furnace for warm air heating. It's 24 years old, has never given trouble and will last another 15 at least according to the service man who checks it every couple of years.

If it went belly-up, we would replace it with another without question.

Much better than boilers, ugly pipework and radiators. IMO.

PhilE

Best thing to do would be to get a conventional radiator system. The latest J and S systems are problematic and not too many people can service them.

They're noisy, unreliable and if you want to sell your property a potential buyer would be put off.

cranford

I have had J&S systems for nearly 30 years and never had a breakdown, I have never in that time even light the pilot. As for noise I think that the systems of 40 years ago were noisy but the modern modulated systems are not. The systems adjust the burners according to the conditions and produce a very gentle even delivery of heat. Yes you may have trouble finding a good service company but isn't that true for combi systems as well? Where I live the warm air systems have never put buyers off!