BUYING A NEW BOILERThe comments on this page are only a personal opinion and the facts may not be entirely accurate. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS. Q. Q. Do I have to have a combi?
A. No, but you may
be getting a bit mixed up with a new sort of boiler which is coming onto the
market called a Q. Q. What is that? Do I have to have one?A. All new boilers fitted from 1st April 2005 have to be condensing boilers where it is possible to fit one. These boilers are more efficient than the old ones and the government are trying to save the environment. It will also save you money with lower gas bills. Q. What happens if I don’t want one of these, or I can’t fit one in my home due the location of the flue? A. There is dispensation or allowance for these cases, but your location has to fulfil certain criteria. Your engineer can advise you on this and a description is listed at the end of this article if you prefer to check for yourself. Q. Are ordinary boilers still available? A. Yes, they have to be for the consumers who have location dispensation. Q. Why can’t I go and get one and get my mate to help me put it in? A. Your mate will probably be breaking the law because he is not GASsafe registered and any new gas appliance fitted must be registered with the building authority. A GASsafe engineer can deal with this. Failure to do this will mean that in 2007 when the seller’s pack comes into force you may find it difficult to sell your house without correct documentation. Q. What boilers do you recommend? A. We do not install, so it is usually best to leave it to the installer to recommend a boiler that he has fitted in the past as it is usually quicker to fit and saves money. If you choose a popular make like Baxi, Potterton, Glow worm or Worcester we are more likely to carry spare parts for it. Personally, I think the type of boiler where the flames blow downwards are the best as the condensate can easily run away from the electrics and the burner. Try to avoid aluminium heat exchangers (although it is said that these are the most efficient, as aluminium transfers the heat into the water better than stainless steel) as these may be affected by the system water. Whatever the make that you choose, please ensure that the system is thoroughly cleaned before installation and is regularly topped up with inhibitor to prevent sludge and corrosion as well as fully cleaned as this can affect the life of the boiler. Many engineers fit a "MagnaClean" device which we recommend thoroughly. Also please take care where the condensate will run to; your engineer may need to clean the pipe out and if it is buried into a wall it is not easy. Care must also be taken to prevent freezing. During the extreme cold winter of 2009 we had several calls where the condensate pipe was frozen and the boiler stopped working !
Adrian Lucas
It is a scoring system and if your location can score more than 1,000 points you do not HAVE to fit a condensing boiler. Your engineer will provide you with his calculations that you must keep safely in case you sell your house. SCORE. Building type.
If you need a condensate drain fitted = 100 Longer than 2 metre flue = 200 Move to a different room (not applicable if kitchen) = 350 Boilers must not be fitted within 2.5 meters of a boundary and should avoid areas where cars are parked.
|
|
| © boilercall Copyright 2008 |
|
