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Original poster

On ruddy nora. Gas boiler condemned and no money for a new one!

112 replies

edam · 08/11/2013 13:29

Arrggh etc. etc. etc. Had the gas man round today because our central heating wasn't working properly, only for him to tell us our boiler was dangerous and he had to not just switch it off but prevent it from ever being used again.

It is winter. We have no money to replace it - these things cost thousands. dh has been unemployed for a year and we have been struggling to pay the bills/living on overdrafts that were granted in happier times.

No idea what we'll do or how we'll heat the house for ds...can't borrow money as I'm sure our credit rating is shot. My family certainly don't have several thousand pounds spare they could lend us and while dh's Mother probably could, she going into a home in a couple of weeks and is not able to - too confused for it to be fair and £8k deposit required for nursing home!

I knew that single magpie I saw this morning was bad news...

OP posts:
FeisMom · 08/11/2013 17:25

Edam DH is Gas Safe registered - he teaches more than does these days but if you want to PM me the make, model and the details of the fault listed on the paperwork, I will ask him for his opinion as to what the likely cost of a repair should be.

Twoandtwomakeschaos · 08/11/2013 18:07

Same as Quintes. British Gas themselves did the finance and, though we have five years of whatever it is a month, the old one was almost twenty years old and we now have a proper system, not only more efficient (therefore chepaer) but water heating without the radiators being on ....

They weren't the ones to condemn our old boiler and, not only did we not think it a hard sell, their fitters were very helpful, tidy and kind as well.

PigletJohn · 08/11/2013 22:38

I hope youi have a hot water cylinder with an immersion heater. Does it work? what colour is it?

BTW this is "Property and DIY" not "chat"

Talkinpeace · 08/11/2013 22:42

PigletJohn
Thank you for turning up : I think people earlier thought you were a figment of my imagination.

MNHQ
Could we have this moved to Piglet'
s board where it correctly belongs, but now much more of MN knows where the fab advice is to be had
Smile

specialsubject · 08/11/2013 22:55

you may also have some other heating issues - good news is that they are not expensive to fix.

is there any corrosion inhibitor in the system? Get some in if you are changing or repairing the boiler.
is it sludged up? Chemical cleaner costs a tenner or so. Or you can spend a fun weekend taking off radiators and flushing out the sludge with a hose, if you have the tools etc to do this.

do you have TRVs? Do they work? They also are not that pricey to replace.

and as others note, new gas boilers cost money with two zeros on the end, not three. IF you need that.

PigletJohn · 08/11/2013 23:30

Screwfix had some great deals on Sentinel chemicals when I was in last week. I like X400 becaise it is very mild and tolerant of DIYers, and does not eat holes in things if splilt.

Original poster
edam · 09/11/2013 08:59

Thanks guys, was tied up last night - supposed to be going round to motherinferior's house for dinner but ruddy tube so bad I couldn't get there. Sad

Will look into all of these, thank you! Feismum, will PM you when I've got the paperwork from dh.

OP posts:
Original poster
edam · 09/11/2013 09:06

Sorry, Feismom!

OP posts:
farrowandbawl · 09/11/2013 09:09

Just make sure you get that second opinion - it'll be worth the call out charge (if there is one) alone.

Original poster
edam · 09/11/2013 09:26

Thanks farrow, this thread has been great. full of extremely useful advice and I will know for sure whether the boiler is condemned or whether it can be fixed. Thank you everyone, you are NOT a nest of vipers at all, no sirree Jimbob.

And at least we have an immersion heater so DO have hot water. And two of those freestanding electric warm air blowers, so we can have those on when we need them. And some cosy blankets - the sort you can huddle up on the sofa under. Still woke up at 6 because my back was cold under the duvet - hate that way they make a tent to let cold air in - but it could be worse!

Piglet, I started the thread in chat, because I didn't realise I'd have such great advice. I was just intending to moan...

OP posts:
DifferenceEngine · 09/11/2013 09:38

Jus came on to say what everyone else said.

We had bad experiences with BG. Including on ehighly amusing one when I was pg, thick snow outside. Engineer reckoned boiler was fucked, and sent a salesman round to give us a quote for a new system. The nobber looked at me, the weather and the boiler and thought he had a sure thing.

Printed us an. Itemised quote for £££££ . Which me and DH who are engineers in a related industry proceeded to pull to pieces. 'You want fifty quid for that valve, they cost £3.50 you robbing bugger' etc etc.

I can higly recommend everlasting boilers, linked above. Ours is ace, process to apply was easy, and the fitters were tidy and efficient and did a good job.

PigletJohn · 09/11/2013 11:24

what colour is the cylinder? (this is not a joke)

grassandass · 09/11/2013 12:41

I've had a look at the everlasting boiler site. It's quoting £39 per month inc installation, repairs and an A grade boiler. I can't work out how long you're committed for? anyone know what happens if you want to cancel/move house etc?

Original poster
edam · 09/11/2013 13:15

cylinder? Boiler cover - the square thing with a little window where you can see the pilot light - is white. Do you mean hot water tank?

OP posts:
FeisMom · 09/11/2013 13:20

Edam I've PM'd you

Original poster
edam · 09/11/2013 13:35

Feismom, have replied and would like to stress that you and your husband are really really really helpful.

And this thread has been great - you've all turned me from despair to knowing there are possibly solutions that don't involve spending thousands of pounds we don't have and can't get.

Honestly, I could get a little weepy about how fab you all are. Must go off and regain my composure!

Btw, have asked for this thread to be moved into Property as it's so full of useful info that other people might need, so I don't want it to disappear.

OP posts:
PigletJohn · 09/11/2013 14:09

these are hot water cylinders

these are cold water tanks

the cylinder is cylindrical in shape.

Original poster
edam · 09/11/2013 15:37

Thanks Piglet. Grin You must feel like you are dealing with Dumber out of Dumb and Dumber. BUT the thing is, our hot water tank is also heated by an immersion heater (fortunately, as it turns out) so I don't know whether it makes a difference what colour it is?

Anyway, I've just been to check under the lagging and it's green. Looks jolly old. Probably is very old, we've been here 10 years and it pre-dates us.

OP posts:
Original poster
edam · 09/11/2013 15:38

Actually it looks very like the RM 1200 x 450 Indirect Cylinder from your link. But green.

OP posts:
PigletJohn · 09/11/2013 16:18

green is a reasonably modern factory applied foam insulation layer (the latest is blue, or in some cases white). I was going to suggest a red jacket as well, but it sounds like you have already got one (if not, do). Also put the stiff foam pipe insulation on the hot pipes. The higher cost and lower power of heating the cylinder with the electric immersion heater makes it especially worthwhile. Your pipes are probably 15mm or 22mm, check the size so it fits. If you have space, get the "Water Regulations" or "Bylaw" grade which is as thick as your arm. You will find a thinner, cheaper grade in the high street. You cut it to size with a serrated knife and tape the joins.

Use a thermometer to verify that the hot tap water is between 50C and 60C after the immersion has been running for several hours. If so, then the thermostat in the cylinder is not jammed so it will turn off the power once the water is hot. Heat loss from a well-insulated cylinder is quite low, so insulation is more important than switching it off to try to save money.

PigletJohn · 09/11/2013 16:19

for example

SolidGold · 09/11/2013 16:35

Sorry you're having boiler problems.

We too have British Gas cover, is it a waste of money then? They told us last year that we will no longer be able to get parts for our boiler (which is 9 years old) and would we like a quote for a new one? As we have no money - and dh is out of work now anyway - we said no thanks and are hoping all will be well for a while. If we cancel our BG service agreement, would we find someone else to service it? Or is that not necessary!

Sorry for hijacking yr thread.

Talkinpeace · 09/11/2013 16:37

solidgold
Yes, of course a good plumber will be able to service a 9 year old boiler.

Service deals are rarely worth money.
Put that money in a savings account each month instead.

farrowandbawl · 09/11/2013 17:00

"Service deals are rarely worth money.
Put that money in a savings account each month instead."

I have 4 different plumbers say that exact same thing to me.

SolidGold · 09/11/2013 17:01

Thanks Talking, I'm going to dig out our BG contract to see if I can cancel. We've been paying £14 per month now for 8 years plus called them out at least 3 or 4 times to fix something at £50 for work that turned out not to be necessary (they kept replacing a valve, but it turned out that the over ride temperature on the boiler was set too low Shock

I will now try and find an independent gas engineer. Where is a good place to look for one?

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