Replacing a gas boiler

[Polar Bear]

Might be worth you guys checking your insurance policies.   In the unlikely event of a problem they are only too keen to search for wriggle room.

[mrcharly-YHT]

The boiler and heating installation I described was on a boat. There are very very few plumbers in the country qualified to do that sort of work.

If I were doing it in a house, I'd still do most of it myself, but would then pay a GasSafe-certified plumber to commission it.

[pcolbeck]

That's what a lot of plumbers do.  The ones I used to do may central heating and other plumbing when we had the house remodelled were both near to retirement. Fantastic work on the copper piping and lead work on the roof etc but couldn't be arsed keeping up their certs any more so they just got in a young guy they new who had all the current certs to commission the boiler at the end.

[Feanor]

Might be worth you guys checking your insurance policies.   In the unlikely event of a problem they are only too keen to search for wriggle room.

I think the probability of that is so vanishingly small that it may be considered to be zero.

I don't know of anyone who has a full paper-trail for all the notifiable works on their house, unless they bought from new.   I've never heard of house insurance being voided on account of missing historical paperwork.

If my megaflow asploded because I carelessly welded up the pressure-temperature relief valve and shorted out all the thermostats in a moment of inattention, I suppose the insurers might ask about the installation history, but *shrug* 'dunno mate, it's been like that since we moved in 10 years ago' would almost certainly provide sufficiently plausible deniability.

[jsabine]

*shrug* 'dunno mate, it's been like that since we moved in 10 years ago' would almost certainly provide sufficiently plausible deniability.

Unless the date code on the cylinder revealed it was only 18 months old, of course ...

Could always go for a vented heatbank/thermal store in any case - still mains pressure hot water, no risk of the cylinder going bang.

[mrcharly-YHT]

All the pressurised cylinders I've ever seen have a pressure relief valve. Nothing is going to go bang. It will go 'sploot' and dribble some very hot water.

[jsabine]

They've got the pressure relief valve precisely because they're otherwise at risk of going bang ...

[Wombat]

wombat, I don't think there are any regs about 'officially competent persons' wrt cylinders. Only gas and electrical work.

I paid about £150 for a cylinder a few years ago. Only 70l, due to restricted space. Two coils, pressure relief valve. I fitted it, with accumulators, Y valve, circulation pump, central heating control and boiler myself.

Its in the building regs, and the relevant british standard (which does not make easy reading).  You have to notify them to building control, bloody annoying.   It would be extremely bad form for me to transgress, as part of my job involves getting nasty with others who have transgressed!  luckily I do not live in the local authority I work in, but we all know each other....

[Bledlow]

...
On the boiler replacement scheme for people in fuel poverty, I've been involved with, the commonest make encountered that have failed prematurely is Ideal ....

I think the Ideal boiler this house came with now qualifies as an antique, & it's never had any problems except a failed thermocouple, but I know that isn't statistically significant. Last time it was serviced my Local (two streets away) Corgi Bloke was of the opinion that it's probably not financially worthwhile replacing it to get higher efficiency - yet.

Which reminds me - it's time to give him a call. He advised me that this model should be service every two years or so, & according to his sticker on the side of it, it was last done in October 2011.

[rogerzilla]

Even if a new boiler saves 40% in energy consumption, the prices charged by your average gas fitter are so rapacious that the payback period may still be almost 10 years if your annual gas bill is about £600, like ours.  Of course, that assumes gas prices don't rise, which they may or may not do dependent on fracking and the import of LNG from America.

The boilers aren't expensive; a system boiler is usually much less than  £1000.  It's the fitting charge.