Broag Avanta Remeha repair in Brockley south east London

Posted on 2012/04/09 by admin

As described on my page that is dedicated to Broag Avanta Remeha repairs, they are a bit different.

http://www.boiler-breakdown-repair-london.co.uk/broag-avanta-remeha/broag-avanta-remeha-repairs.html

One of the more difficult jobs I have done in the past few years, and easily the hardest one this year, was not so long ago in south east London on the Ladywell and Brockley border. For starters, it was not a consistent fault, but one of those “sometimes, sometimes not” cases. That usually means that when I am there, it works fine and about 3 minutes after I come home I get a call that it stopped again.

The only thing you can do in a situation like that, is start at the beginning and work your way through to the end. It is a bit of a long winded process, but it tends to bring the solution for awkward problems.

First step is to see if everything is connected properly with the right kind of pipe and no obstructions anywhere. This particular Avanta Remeha was the combi version, and the biggest model at that. Nothing is guaranteed in this life, but in general it is more likely that the installer cut some corners when you find the smallest models of a range. This one seemed to confirm the rule, and it all looked pretty decent. The boiler sat nice and square on the wall, flue was correctly sealed where it went through the wall, gaspipe was sufficiently large and all the pipework was straight and neatly soldered. We all know you should judge a book by the cover, but if it all looks like good workmanship, it usually is.

The next steps are to check if the electrical supply is correct and the system clean. It proved to be the case too here.

With all that verified, and the controls with a combi being all inside the boiler apart from the roomthermostat, it is now proven that the boiler itself is at fault. These boilers, like virtually all combis, have a pressure gauge that tells you if there is enough water in the system. When you run the central heating for a few minutes, the rising temperature causes the pressure to go up which in turn proves the gauge is working. So far, so good; now turn the boiler to maximum output, and a quick test on the meter to see who much gas is used. This is the easy check to see that the boiler is running at the rate it was designed to work at. By doing this, you can also tell whether or not the gasmeter is functioning correctly.

With all the “rough” work out of the way, it is time for the more intricate parts of boiler repair diagnosis. Time to get the flue gas analyser out and to get a grip on the CO2 and CO levels at minimum and maximum output. They had only drifted a tiny little bit since the service last year, so this was unlikely to be the problem. After they were both re-tuned to exactly what the book says, the fault still persisted as I expected. By removing, measuring and verifying as much as I could, it turned out that there were 4 parts that were not quite as they should be, but not really broken either. Luckily, the parts for Avanta Remehas are hugely expensive, so it wasn’t a financial disaster to get the boiler repaired.

Saving money on boiler repairs

Posted on 2012/03/20 by admin

Saving money on your boiler’s service and repair bills in these times of rising costs and decreasing incomes, is far more important than at any time during the past decade. The question of course is: how?

There are a number of things you can do to achieve this in real terms.

Research.

Planning.

Prevention.

Selection.

Strange as it may sound, you can select not only who you pay your money to, but also what on, and when.

Most of my clients, and presumably most people in the whole country, have more experience with cars than with boilers. I have found that when I translate boiler principles into car related issues, suddenly almost everybody understands straight away what at first was a mystery. Let’s try that here.

How can you select where and how (much) you pay for boiler repairs?

Step one. Separate the ideal world from planet earth, and accept that at some point your boiler is likely to break down. With that in mind, it makes sense to find a reliable plumber when you’ve got the time to look around and check him out before you need him in a hurry.

Step two. Cars benefit from servicing and so do boilers. Save £30 by not paying for clean oil will sooner or later end up with a £3000 bill for a new engine. Just like with a car, a boiler is unlikely to die from skipping a service, but the longer you neglect it, the higher the chances are that it will break down. I have found a great car mechanic who does an excellent job for around £40 per hour. When I broke down several years ago and had to pay for a tow, it cost me twice that per half hour.

Step three. You can’t plan when your boiler breaks down, but you can plan your services and non-urgent repairs. A small leak should be sorted out before it becomes a big leak. In most cases, something like that can wait until spring/summer when plumbers are less busy. After summer when the heating comes on for the first time in months, we are busy beyond believe. That tapers off a bit after a month, but our life gets even more hectic the first time temperatures drop below minus 2. During those months, I come home anywhere between 7 and 9 at night. Anyone who promises discounts or cheap repairs, is bound to be either a liar or not very good at repairing central heating problems.

Step 4. Selecting who you pay can be done quite easily. You can ask anyone you know for recommendations. In today’s world, that can be done face to face, or online. The problem with online is that you don’t know how reliable the “voice on the other end” is. But what you do know, is that nobody is perfect. When I do my own research, and find a company that has 47 five-star ratings, I get suspicious. Nobody can make 100% of their customers 100% happy for 100% of the time; it is simply impossible. To me, that means this company is happy to put up fake references. It seems logical that if they are happy to lie about their customers, they will be happy to lie to me about the quality and/or price of what I am planning to buy.

Nothing is 100% safe, but a black and white guarantee of no charge if I can’t find the fault is probably the next best thing. Dedicating a page to telling you the most common cons that are used by plumbers, should help a bit too.

And last but not least, you can ask questions about specific examples on the blog, and by email. The only thing I can’t do, is make the choice which heating engineer to call for a boiler repair; that is your job.

Potterton Performa repair in SE21, Dulwich south east London

Posted on 2012/03/04 by admin

During a Potterton Performa repair in SE21, Dulwich, south east London recently, I was once again reminded of many times seemingly unrelated install flaws go hand in hand with boiler problems. In this particular case, the heating would sometimes work, sometimes come on but go off too soon, or not work at all. The hot water was the same; one day you could run a piping hot bath and the next day you would get frozen as halfway through a shower the water would turn cold. This particular Potterton Performa, was the combi model of the first series that was not condensing; They are quite popular in Dulwich SE21.

Due to the way combination boilers are designed, the fact that the fault appeared both in central heating and hot water mode rules out a lot of possible sources that cause the problem. Going through the standard tests to assure that all the basics are covered was the next step. The pressure gauge stood above 1, so that could not be it. Quick top up to verify that the gauge wasn’t stuck on 1 whilst in reality the pressure was too low. The needle moved, so that was fine.

Several control lights were on, which proved that the electricity was present. It may seem obvious, but lots of people are not technical at all and either would not think of checking the fuse, or simply not know how to do it. The owner conveniently had a gas hob, which produced a nice blue flame for a couple of minutes without any fluctuation. Great, that pretty much rules out a problem with the gas supply.

On the page dedicated to this model, I called the Potterton Performa a workhorse.

http://www.boiler-breakdown-repair-london.co.uk/potterton-boiler-repairs/potterton-performa-repairs/potterton-performa-repairs.html

The reason I used that description, is because this boiler is not particularly spectacular. It doesn’t have many options, doesn’t have many choices, it just sits there, doing it’s job.

Nevertheless, this one didn’t really want to play ball. Having the shower halfway through turning cold on you is not funny and can’t be easily mistaken, so I presumed the owner had told me fairly accurately what the problem was. Sure enough, when I was there the boiler came on immediately and warmed up nicely. Finally, after turning the boiler on and off in various way for heating and hot water, it cut out. From the way it did it, I could prove that the fault was in the electronics; it needed a new printed circuit board or pcb for short. From the way the problem was described, the board was the first suspect. The problem with a suspect pcb, is that it is the favourite excuse from guys that don’t quite know what they are doing as well as the number one for con artists that try to whack up the price. A pcb fault is hard to prove or disprove, and they tend to be costly, and the Potterton Performa is no exception to that rule. What I found interesting, is that this was another example of a poorly installed boiler that went wrong whilst they are normally quite reliable. There is no logical explanation why a pcb would go wrong due to poor quality installation. A bad job, usually means sloppy cables, pipes to small and going all over the place, dirt, rust and muck in the boiler and radiators and so on. All this has seemingly nothing to do with the electronics inside the boiler. However, Potterton Performas that I have repaired, were far more often showing proof of poor quality workmanship during the install, than what I would qualify as a neat job.

It makes you wonder. Looking at it from a maintenance side, people SE21, Dulwich call me in for a servicing as well, in stead of a repair. Those that clearly had the job done by a conscientious installer and everything looked neat and tidy, invariably told me that their Potterton Performa was perfectly reliable.

The difference between positive pressure boilers and negative pressure boilers

Posted on 2012/02/14 by admin

Room sealed boilers come in three variations when you classify them by flue type; balanced flue, positive pressure and negative pressure.

The balanced flue type is the easiest to recognize. It is has a great big rectangular grill sticking out the wall. They tend to be about a foot high, eight to ten inches wide and about three inches deep. If they are at ground level, officially anything under two metres, they need a protective guard around them as they can get pretty hot. It looks like, and is almost the size of, a metal shopping basket.

The other two look the same from the outside. The most common form, I would say covering over 95% is a 100 mm or 4 inches pipe with some sort of other pipe usually in the middle. It can look slightly different with the second pipe against the inside top of the outer pipe. Some boilers have some sort of diffuser so you can’t actually see the inner pipe.

The important difference between a boiler working on positive pressure and negative pressure, can only be seen inside the boiler. As incorrectly closing the boiler can be very dangerous, you must NOT open your boiler to find out. Nor should you open it for any other reason.

Some older boilers, the Potterton Netaheat is probably the most famous of them, had a positive pressure case. The boilers are designed in such a way, that the fan sucks air from the outside into the boiler, creating the positive pressure. This air will naturally flow to the burner area, and after reacting with the gas during the combustion, been blown outside.

Because the boiler case, which is in this case the combustion chamber as well, is under pressure, any damage to it can lead to the escape of toxic gasses including carbon monoxide. The same goes if the boiler is opened, and then not closed in the correct way, or if the seal is damaged. Sometimes, when the boiler ignites a bit slowly, the build up of gas mixture in the boiler can cause a miniature explosion. Nothing in itself to worry about, but it can distort the cover slightly. Repeat this dozens of times over the years, and you can have a very dangerous situation without anyone realising it. This is one of the main reasons why this type of boiler should be serviced every year.

The Potterton Netaheat was followed by the Netaheat Profile, which shortly after it’s launch was renamed simply Potterton Profile. It was very similar in design to the Potteron Netaheat, only the fan system was changed in such a way that it became negative pressure. Since then, virtually no boilers have been made with positive pressure cases. More detailed information about these particular 2 boilers can be found here.

http://www.boiler-breakdown-repair-london.co.uk/potterton-boiler-repairs/potterton-profile-netaheat-repairs/potterton-profile-netaheat-repairs.html

Negative pressures boilers have the fan directly connected to the flue. This way, the pressure inside the boiler is a fraction lower than the “outside” pressure, which makes them inherently safe for leaking carbon monoxide and other harmful products of combustion.

Getting the right radiator

Posted on 2012/01/29 by admin

Getting the right radiator is as important as getting the right boiler. If the boiler has insufficient capacity, all the radiators in the world will not keep the house warm. Reversely, a massive boiler won’t do a lot of good if the rooms don’t have the right radiator.

There are various types of radiators that each have their use. The “normal radiator comes in essence in four different models. The most basic one, is a panel radiator without “fins”. I haven’t seen any of those in the shops for a long time, the ones I’ve seen in people’s homes were always quite old.

The two most common models used over the past decade, are what are known as “singles” and “double” radiators. Singles, are a radiator panel, the bit that you see, with fins attached to the rear of them. Doubles are essentially two singles, attached back to back. In other words, two panels, with two sets of fins between them. They are therefore a bit thicker than singles, but have virtually twice the output of a single for the same height and width.

The “vertical” radiators are becoming more popular these days. They look more stylish, and require much less horizontal wallspace. This allows the installation of a radiator with a fair amount of output in “lost” corners.

Another model radiator that is becoming more popular, is the column type. They have roughly the same output as normal panel radiators, 2 column models are comparable with singles and the 4 column type is similar in output to a double. No real technical advantage, but they do look nicer than standard rads.

Towel rails, also known as towel ladders, have been on the increase for years in bathrooms and sometimes in kitchens. They obviously keep towels nice and warm, but have a relatively low output for their size. The towels hanging over them reduce the airflow past them, which reduces the capacity to heat the room they are in, even further. It is very hard to oversize a towel rail. A white one of 1800 by 600, or 6 by 2 foot in old money, has roughly the same output as 600 by 600 panel radiator, and that is provided there are not towels draped over it. Chrome models have even less output that white ones; between 20 and 30% less. In general, err on the side of bigger is better with these if you want to get the right radiator for the bathroom.

Getting the right boiler

Posted on 2012/01/28 by admin

Getting the right boiler is probably the most discussed subject on any forum to do with central heating and boiler in any form. I’d say it is bound to stay the most favourite subject for some time due to a number of reasons. One of those is that it is for a large part due to personal preference. On top of that, it is a typical case of: it all depends on your personal circumstances. People try to design “rules” that would dictate or prove that a certain choice is best, but like in most situations, it simply doesn’t work.

In essence, there are three different types of boilers and each have advantages and disadvantages. Getting the right boiler is therefore likely to remain a matter of compromising. The three different types of domestic gas fired boiler are the combiboiler, the system boiler, and the open vent boiler.

The combiboiler has several advantages over the other models. There is no need to program a hot water production cycle because this type has the capacity to produce hot water immediately. This creates a second advantage in the form of unlimited amounts as there is not storage facility to run out. The downsides are that the amount of hot water available at any time, is limited to the capacity of the boiler. Therefore, only large capacity combis can run two showers at the same time, and more than that is simply not possible. For houses where more than two bathrooms are likely to be used simultaneously, the combi is not a good choice. The second disadvantage, is the need for mains water supply of significant flow and pressure. If either is on the low side, a combination boiler may not work properly. If the mains pressure supplied by the water company is low, very little can be done and an open vent system with storage tanks will be a better solution. Where the supplied mains pressure is sufficient, but the incoming mains pipe is small, it can be upgraded to increase the flow capacity.

A system boiler uses a hot water storage unit, usually called “the cylinder”. An unvented cylinder used for hot water production, can supply large amounts of hot water. This type of installation gives great performance when there are more than two bathrooms likely to be used at the same time. The downside is that the hot water supply is limited to the size of the storage capacity. Once this is used up, there will be no hot water until the boiler has heated the cylinder up again. The other downside, is that the performance also depends on the flow and pressure supplied by the incoming mains water. Just like the combi boiler, this system is not reliable if the supplied mains pressure is low.

The unvented boiler with cold water storage tanks (usually located in the loft) is not reliant on mains pressure, and is the common solution for getting the right boiler where mains pressure is limited. The downside here, is that the storage tanks are open to the atmosphere, and therefore needs measures to prevent unacceptable bacteria growth, especially in summer.

Heating with a boiler versus using a fire

Posted on 2012/01/26 by admin

People ask me about using gas fires in combination with central heating on a regular basis. Without looking at the technical details, it seems to make sense not to use a boiler if you only need a little bit of heat to get the cold out of the room. The problem is that most fires are much less efficient than boilers. Especially the nice looking ones that imitate a wood burner or have a coal effect, have two major disadvantages. First of all, unlike modern boilers, they tend to need hefty ventilation. The default opening is 100 square centimetres, which translates to a hole of roughly four by four inches. This opening must be directly to the outside, and may not have a shutter of any kind. In combination with the chimney that creates a natural pull due to it’s construction, you now have significant draught that loses you a considerable amount of heat all year round. But that is not all. The high efficiency or condensing boilers that have been compulsory since 2005, are generally between 88 and 91 per cent efficient. The “normal” boiler that were commonly installed between say 1980 and 2005 vary a bit more, but are still mostly between 70 and 80 per cent efficient. Most of the decorative fires vary from 35% to 55% efficiency; you don’t have to be a professor in mathematics to work out the difference.

I think it is fair to say that if you look at the difference between a house with only central heating from a gas fired boiler or a home with an additional fire, it is fair to say that the fire is only interesting from a decorative point of view.

The so called flue-less fires are very efficient because they don’t have a flue as the name indicates, and therefore all the heat the produce stays in the room. They do have two downsides. One is that all the models I have seen, still need that big hole in the wall. The second one is where they are the opposite of roomsealed boilers, which is probably what more than 90% are. Whereas the roomsealed boiler blows all the fumes to the outside, the flueless fire “blows” all the fumes into the room. In theory, that is fine because of the catalytic converter that should make sure that what comes out is nothing else than water and carbon dioxide ( CO2 ). But what happens when that part fails? It doesn’t bear thinking about, which is probably the reason that the vast majority of my colleagues don’t want to install them.

The moral of the story: if you want a nice fire because it gives character to the room, by all means get one installed. But if it is from an economy point of view, be aware that it won’t save you a lot of money, and quite possibly will be more expensive than using the boiler to just get the cold out of the room.

Boiler repair prevention

Posted on 2012/01/24 by admin

Getting your boiler repaired fast, professionally and without needing a second mortgage is great. Even better, is if you don’t need to call a heating engineer because it all works fine. I’m sure this is not the first time that you hear someone venture that prevention is better than a cure. The principle is old, tried and tested, and hard to argue with. The question of course is: what can you do to prevent central heating trouble and the resulting inconvenience and cost?

In an ideal world, you would have had a top-quality boiler installed, by a top engineer, completely by the book, and than religiously service every year. Sadly, this is planet earth where a lot of things are not entirely perfect. Chances are that the boiler was there when you bought the house, you have no idea who installed it and even less so if it was done to spec, or that some corners were cut. In the vast majority of cases there is no service record at all, and even if there is, you don’t know if it was a full strip down service, or just a probe in the flue, and a wipe with the dustrag.

What has been done, has been done, but that doesn’t mean you can’t improve your chances. The first thing to do, is to get a reputable heating engineer to service the boiler and check the whole system over. That includes inspecting any visible joints for signs of problems, and radiators and valves for signs of leaks and corrosion. Check if pipes are damaged in any way like dents of parts that have buckled. Both are likely to have weakened the pipe; sometimes only so little that it is fine to leave it place, sometimes it is safer to cut the bad part out and replace it. The best time for these kind of jobs is summer, or whatever passes for that in this country. Somewhere between April and September.

Establishing a professional working relationship with a local boiler engineer this way, will save you a lot of hassle as well as money in the long run. When you do the non-urgent jobs before they become urgent, it can be done at a mutually convenient time. It also gives you a chance to check the man out when you are not fully dependent on him. Presuming that all goes well during the initial job, the client now has the certainty of knowing someone who is good at what he does. At the same time, the engineer will know you as someone who is reasonable with what is required, and pays the bill when it is due. Plumbers are human too, and we are much more likely to do a bit extra for existing clients, like coming out after 6 o’clock, or trying to help you re-ignite the boiler over the phone.

Central heating and threeport valves

Posted on 2012/01/23 by admin

Central heating valves come in a variety of flavours. They are often referred to as zone valves, diverter valves, threeway or threeport valves or boiler valves as if they are all one and the same thing. You guessed it: they are not. They come in different sizes, different brands, different systems and different applications.

The most common models, made by a variety of manufacturers, are moved against a spring when activated. This swings a rubber ball that normally rests against an opening, away in order to allow flow to run.

The combination of timer/programmer and thermostat will energise a small motor which holds the valve open as long as there is a call for heat or hot water production.

The simplest version is what is know as the zone valve. As the name indicates, they are used to activate different zones. On most older systems, there is one zone for the central heating and another one for the hot water. One of the main advantages of using zone valve in stead of threeway valves, is that the amount of zones is unlimited. As underfloor heating is slowly but steadily gaining in popularity, it is not unusual to find one zone for the “normal” heating, one for the cylinder, and one for the ufh. The downside of zone valves, is that they must have a by-pass, which can cause problems when it is not set properly.

The advantage of threeport valves, is that they do not necessarily need a separate bypass, and that there is only one needed for basic two zone systems. The first versions of threeway valves, were called diverters. They had an option for Domesic Hot Water (DHW) on only, or DHW as well as central heating. Only later came the more modern threeport valve that has the option of one, or the other, or both. This has a major advantage, especially when used in combination with an independent programmer. When the hot water production is set to come on before the heating comes on, it will heat the cylinder up a lot faster. Likewise, when the cylinder is already satisfied, the radiators will warm up much faster when all the available capacity from the boiler is reserved for the radiators only.

The other version of valves that do not work with a spring as mentioned above, is known as motor-on-motor-off. In stead of the rubber ball being lifted to allow flow, there is a paddle that is rotated. The motor is only energised for as long as it takes to move the paddle to the required position. When that is achieved, the valve does not remain energised, but remains open or shut until the demand changes.

Combiboilers and second pumps

Posted on 2012/01/22 by admin

Combiboilers and pumps generally don’t go together, but it is amazing how often I have found systems with extra pumps. People enquired how much it would cost to install a shower pump or extra heating pump because the radiators don’t get hot.

http://www.boiler-breakdown-repair-london.co.uk/combi-boiler-repairs-south-london.html

There is the odd exception where a pump has a function in the situation where a combiboiler does not work properly. In a few, rare cases, the mains water pressure is insufficient to provide sufficient hot water. The solution would be to install a breaktank with a pressure booster. It does however have disadvantages, one of which is the storage of water in a container that is open to the atmosphere. This has the potential of developing unacceptable bacteria levels, especially in summer.

Another possibility, is a large radiator system with a higher flow restriction than the internal pump of the combiboiler can handle. Rare, but nevertheless possible. In the majority of case where people want to install a second pump, the problem is not caused by pump capacity, but by blockages, bad piping of the radiators, blockages, or wear of the internal pump of the combiboiler. Although a second pump would possibly help, it is the wrong solution.

Powershowers or showerpumps simply never have any use with a combiboiler. There are three reasons why a combiboiler that is not defective, can have a lack of hot water production.

The first one is an undersized gaspipe. This can lead to insufficient gas reaching the boiler, which prevents it from working at full capacity.

The second reason is lack of flow due to a restriction of the incoming mains. A showerpump increases the pressure, not the flow, and will therefore be pointless.

The third reason, is lack of pressure on the incoming mains. A showerpump can only boost the pressure if there is ample water available, as there is with a cold water storage tank. With a combiboiler, such a tank is not present and therefore there is simply insufficient water to boost. As soon as the pump starts to work, an under pressure will develop at the inlet side. At the very best, there will be a minute increase, which will probably be so small that it is not even noticeable. More likely is that the showerpump will work “in a vacuum”, and perish prematurely.

Different combiboilers have different requirements, but to make a large one (35 kilowatt upward) work properly for domestic hot water production, you generally need a mains pressure of no less than 1.5 bar, and a dynamic flow rate of 20 litres per minute or more.

The difference between a boiler service and a boiler repair

Posted on 2012/01/21 by admin

The difference between a boiler service and repair may be quite clear, but a large proportion of householders can only determine when it is time for the latter. This would be at the point where the central heating fails to come on, or the the hot water doesn’t warm up any more. It is not unheard of that a householder notices a problem with the central heating and comes to the conclusion that the boiler needs a service.

Although it does happen that that is all it needs, it is rather rare. Recently during a repair in Brockley SE3, it turned out that what stopped the boiler from working was a combination of dirt causing a poor flame picture, corrosion which stopped the rectification current to run correctly and drifted gas valve settings. This would have been prevented from happening if the system had been serviced annually. There were other problems as well, which made the job into a real repair rather than an overpriced service. What surprised me most, was the amount of smaller problems that apparently had never been spotted by anyone that serviced or repaired it before. For those of you that don’t know the Brockley SE3 area in south east London, on average it is a reasonably affluent area where you expect it to be possible to find a decent heating engineer.

Some faults were less obvious than others, but something like a flue that was neither supported properly, nor sealed at the wall on the outside or inside, is something that is hard to miss. It is not a big job, and not difficult either; just a bit of sand and cement mortar around the flue on the outside wall will sort it out. This stops water ingress that can cause quite a bit of damage over the years in the form of rot or mildew stains, and prevents fumes coming back into the home in extreme cases.

The next rather obvious problem was a couple of small leaks from the pipes connected to the boiler. If they are really small and the little bit of water escaping dries up before it can go anywhere, it can take a while before you notice them. But like most of south east London, Brockley SE3 has very hard water, so before long there are the telltale white/grey calcium stains.

There was a similar leak which is not unknown to happen on this particular boiler on the inside. The connector for the automatic airvent on this model is known to be a bit feeble, and that, too, had been leaking for a long time.

Luckily for the owner, it could all be rectified before real damage was done, and without it costing hundreds of pounds, so I hope my reputation for sorting out boiler problems in Brockley SE3 has been increased yet a little bit further.

The correct roomtemperature for central heating

Posted on 2012/01/20 by admin

Whenever I install a programmable roomstat somewhere, I enter some basic settings for the owner that should be fairly close to a good compromise between efficiency and comfort. Quite often the answer to my question: “What temperature would you like?” is the question: “what it should be?”

There is no such thing as the correct roomtemperature, or the best for that matter. I know people that keep the lounge on 25 degrees Celsius, or 77 Fahrenheit if you prefer. I also know people where the room gets rarely above 17 Celsius or 62 Fahrenheit.

There is no right or wrong temperature, whatever you feel comfortable with, is good for you. 20 to 21 maybe the most common value, and often recommended, but if you don’t experience that as pleasant, there is no reason why you should stick to that.

You could argue that the getting used to lower roomtemperatures would improve your resistance against colds or flu, but I am not aware that there is actually any credible evidence of that. The only valid reason for keeping lower temperatures in your home, is the cost of heating. The less the boiler is on, the less money you pay for gas. Reducing the average roomtemperature will save you money, just as reducing the amount of hours that the boiler is set to come on will have that effect. Reducing the settings of thermostatic radiator valves in rooms has the same result. Turning those settings down half a notch will reduce the temperature in those rooms on average by about one degree. If that is not uncomfortable, you can turn them down another half notch after a couple of days. By gradually lowering the roomemperature until you have found what the limit is below which you are not comfortable, you can make a saving of several hundred pound each year if the house was kept unnecessarily warm.

copper pipe or plastic pipe

Posted on 2012/01/19 by admin

People often wonder if copper pipe is better than plastic pipe. In my humble opinion, there is a place for both. No doubt copper pipe above floor where it is visible, when it leads from the radiator valve down to the floor for instance, it looks better than plastic pipe. For any gas application other than underground, copper pipe is also the only choice. For any application as central heating pipe, and hot or cold water pipe, a decent quality plastic pipe certainly has advantages. Since it comes in 25 or 50 metre coils as standard, it allows to be used in one run under a floor without any need for joints. There are several brands that offer very long warranties, which makes it ideal for those situations where the pipe is not accessible. Some examples are where floors are tiled over after installation, or hardwood parquet. A run through a concrete floor is another situation where it is advantageous not to have any joints.

Making soldered joint can also lead to problems in those areas where working with an open flame is difficult. But plastic pipe also has disadvantages. Where there is a possibility of repeated axial force, in other words where the pipe for whatever reason is pulled away from the joint, there is a risk of accumulating damage. This may after time lead to a failing of the joint. Rodent damage is another potential problem. Mice and rats have been known to develop a taste for plastic pipe, and where this happens, copper pipe will be the solution.

There is another situation where copper pipe is superior to plastic pipe; wherever there is a chance of water actually boiling. Hot water cylinders can boiler under fault conditions, and so can central heating boilers. Neither should be connected directly to plastic pipe.

Energy conservation through draught proofing

Posted on 2012/01/18 by admin

With gas prices consistently coming down less in spring than they go up in autumn, energy conservation is bound to become an issue if it isn’t one already. Where installing new high efficiency boilers is often a costly affair, prevention of waste is usually quite inexpensive.

The number one enemy of keeping your house warm, is draught. Ventilation is a good and necessary thing, but having a wind blow through your warm rooms is not. Many homes have doors and windows that simply don’t shut properly and installing draught proofing strips tends to be easy and costs little. Sash windows can be improved with small narrow brushes, and doors and opening windows benefit from foam or rubber strips.

There is a variety of companies that manufacture all that you need in diy packages that can be applied with a limited amount of skill and in very little time. In most cases, all you need in terms of tools are a small hammer, a junior hacksaw, a sharp utility knife and a screwdriver.

If you want to see if this is something you are able to do, Youtube offers a large number of videos that amply demonstrate how it is done.

This is something that not only saves you a considerable amount of money over time, it also greatly increases the comfort in your home.

The correct pressure for a sealed central heating system

Posted on 2012/01/17 by admin

What is the correct pressure for a sealed central heating system, is another question that comes up many a time. In general, the answer can be found in the service and installation manual, also known as “the manufacturer’s instructions”.

The information found in these documents, should always be followed. The following is only general advice for those situations where the official guidelines can not be obtained. At all times, you should get a registered gas installer to verify that everything is safe to use if you are not competent to work on boilers.

http://www.boiler-breakdown-repair-london.co.uk/boiler-repair-faqs.html

For most central heating systems, a working pressure of between 1 and 1,5 bar is good. In general, it is a risk to have the boiler operate when the pressure in the system is below 0.5 bar or above 2 bar. When a central heating system warms up, the water expands and as a result, the pressure goes up. There should be something called “expansion vessel” connected to a sealed system. It can be in the boiler itself, or added separately somewhere else. This device is designed to limit the pressure differences that occur as a result of the temperature going up and down.

The most common way to add water to the central heating system when the pressure is too low, is though the use of a filling loop. The most common version looks like a silver braided loop of about 250 mm which connects two pipes via two valves. Although it is technically not allowed to leave that loop in place after the pressure has been adjusted, in many cases people leave it just where it is. Apart from just not being allowed, it is also safer and can avoid problems to take the braided hose off after use, and put a suitable cap on each of the valves.

Topping up the pressure on a sealed central heating system is fairly simple, and is generally considered to be a user operation.

Central heating programmers

Posted on 2012/01/15 by admin

Central heating programmers can make a massive difference to your boiler performance. The majority of these timers do not have the option to set the heating and hot water demand and different times. It used to be the rule, to size the boiler at the total output of the radiators and then add about 3 kilo Watt for the hot water production. Over the years, the absorption capacity of cylinders has increased to make faster recovery possible. As a result, the total capacity of the system is now usually much greater than that of the total of the rads plus the 3 kW.

That means that when the central heating and hot water are both on, the boiler can not match the demand. As a result, the time needed to heat up the house is longer and the cylinder does not reach the required temperature for a long time.

http://www.boiler-breakdown-repair-london.co.uk/fitting-central-heating-controls.html

So called “independent” central heating programmers like the Honeywell s9400c, have the option to have the hot water on before the central hearing comes on. Let’s say you get up from Monday to Friday at seven in the morning, and the heating needs half an hour to bring the temperature in the rooms to an acceptable level. That means the heating should come on around half past six. With an independent central heating programmer, you would have the option of setting the hot water from six until half past six, at which time the hot water can be set to switch off, and the heating to come on. The full capacity is now available to heat the cylinder to the required temperature in that half hour. Modern versions of hot water cylinders only need fifteen to thirty minutes to reach 65 degrees Celsius. A temperature of more than 60 degrees is needed to prevent the Legionella bacterium from developing to unacceptable levels. Once the hot water demand is stopped, all the capacity of the boiler can now go towards heating the rooms, which will now be achieved at a much faster rate than when the boiler needs to feed the radiators and cylinder at the same time.

The price of independent central heating programmers is only marginally higher than that of “standard” models, and the vast improvement in performance is well worth the few extra pounds when replacing the timer.

Boiler and central heating breakdown cover insurance

Posted on 2012/01/15 by admin

Boiler and central heating breakdown cover insurance in south London seems to be becoming a rather controversial subject. I suspect that it is not limited to only south London and Bromley, but as that is the area where I work, my experience with the subject is only in that area.

This goes both for misunderstandings about what kind of service people actually are entitled to, as for the items that are actually covered. I have been called out on a number of occasions by people that had boiler breakdown insurance, and were told that the faults were not covered. Another problem I have seen on more than one occasion, is that people were told by the attending heating engineer, that their boiler could not be repaired. Sometimes the reason given was that the boiler was too old and/or parts obsolete, and other times that the boiler was simply too old and the repair so expensive that it had to be considered as beyond economic repair. In literally none of the cases, the claims from the boiler and central heating breakdown cover insurance provider’s representatives was true. Every time, I could either repair the condemned boiler at a reasonable cost, or diagnose the problem after which it was sorted out by the insurer.

http://www.boiler-breakdown-repair-london.co.uk/boiler-and-central-heating-cons.html

It doesn’t seem to be a single insurance provider that falls short of delivering either, as the people that contacted me had purchased insurance from a number of different companies.

I have insufficient data to come to a conclusion about how widespread the problem is, but more than enough to be able to recommend to everyone who has been told that their claim is not valid, to get a second opinion.

The most common excuse seems to be that the fault is not covered because the systems is blocked and must be powerflushed. I remember one particular case not too long ago, where this was given as the reason why the engineer could not solve the problem. All it took to get the boiler going again, was undo a connector and put it in the correct place. Once the system was working again, I used an infrared laser thermometer to check the heat image of the radiators, and it showed no problem with blockages at all. Another case fairly shortly after that in the same area, was with a householder who had been told the main heatexchanger had failed, and the cost of materials plus labour was more than the boiler was worth. It turned out that there was nothing wrong with the heatexchanger, but simply a matter of the pump being too old and worn to achieve sufficient circulation. On this particular boiler, the pump could be changed in less than half an hour, and the cost of materials was less than £100.

Although boiler and central heating breakdown cover insurance can avoid unexpected high repair bills, it is good to know that there are quite a few limitations. Another unpleasant surprise that many people appear to have had, is the time it can take to solve the problem. They were under the impression that any problem they had would be repaired within 24 hours. In reality, the only time limit the insurer had given, was to ATTEND within 24 hours, and even that with the condition “where practicable” or “reasonably possible” or something along those lines. In other words, they would try to have a look within a day, provided they were not too busy. For the actual repair to be completed, it can easily take a week or longer.

If you do decide to take out boiler and central heating breakdown cover insurance, it may be prudent to read the terms and conditions very carefully before parting with your money. Direct debits may ease the financial pain, but before you know it, you are paying in access of £200 a year (the second year’s premium is often a lot more than the introduction offer) and you may well end up still spending a lot of money because the insurance does not pay out.

Magnaclean and other central heating filters

Posted on 2012/01/13 by admin

Magnaclean and other central heating filters are often recommended and installed for the wrong reasons.

First of all, they should never be used as a solution for problems caused by corrosion. If your boiler has problems due to the build up of magnetite as a result of rust, the whole central heating system should be cleaned properly. It doesn’t hurt to install a filter after that process is completed to stop rust and or limescale particles that re-occur or reform from there on, but filters should not be used as an alternative for cleaning or flushing a system.

http://www.boiler-breakdown-repair-london.co.uk/powerflush.html

Central heating filters come essentially in two forms. Mechanical filters or strainers that effectively work as a sieve, and magnetic models. Some brands offer a combination of the two, others are exclusively one or the other.

Magnetic filters can be extremely effective in removing even the smallest magnetite particles, and have the advantage of not getting clogged. They therefore are unlikely to get clogged and limit the flow through the system. The downside of these, is that they do little or nothing to remove anything that is not magnetic, like bits of limescale , dust or other dirt. Mechanical filters will remove all particles, but tend to be less effective for very small bits and prone to blockages that lead to reduced flow. It is for that reason that they require regular checking and cleaning as soon as there is a noticeable amount of debris collected.That doesn’t mean central heating filters are a waste of money, there are several reasons why it is quite beneficial to use one.

The first reason, is that some systems are very difficult to flush completely clean. You can remove the majority of the gunk in them, but not quite everything. Installing a filter to catch the remaining few bits that keep floating around, can solve that problem.

The second good reason, is when you have a boiler that is particularly sensitive to problems caused by particles. Adding a filter to the central heating system can be a major factor to help avoid further problems. For the best results, a central heating filter should be installed just before the boiler, and after the last tee.

Good boilers and bad boilers

Posted on 2012/01/12 by admin

What are good boilers and bad boilers is another one of those questions that comes up time and again. Although there are some proper dogs that appeared on the British market over the years, the answer is a bit more complicated than naming brand a or make b and rate them as the best and the worst.

One reason it is not easy to determine good boiler or bad in general, is that most boiler manufacturers have had very good boilers whilst others had more than average problems.

Another subject of disagreement comes from pure pot luck. I personally know a chap who did a diy job installing a bad boiler that I wouldn’t dream of selling to my customers, never had it serviced in 6 years, and didn’t miss a beat. Another one of exactly the same type had 4 different faults before the year was over.

http://www.boiler-breakdown-repair-london.co.uk/central-heating-service-west-kent.html

One thing that is bound to create problems, is going on the cheap and buying a boiler that is too small for the demand. If you have a large open plan house, or all old fashioned draughty windows, you will need a big boiler if you don’t tackle the heat loss. The same goes for people who expect to run four bathrooms off a small combi.

The most important factor in my humble opinion that determines whether a boiler will turn out to be reliable or not, is the quality of the install and the subsequent maintenance. Even those boilers that are considered to be the very best money can buy in this country, are likely to fail before too long if they are not installed correctly. The most detrimental thing for a boiler, is no doubt corrosion. The radiators, pipes and valves should be meticulously cleaned; if half possible before the new boiler goes in. If for whatever reason it is difficult to clean the system before hand, it can be done after the new boiler is installed. When the system has been thoroughly cleaned, it should be treated with a good quality inhibitor. It should also be established at the time of the install, if not before, that the system is absolutely water tight. Any leaks will only get worse and allow oxygen to get into the system, and cause the inhibitor levels to fall below minimum concentrations.

From here on the boiler should get serviced annually in order to nip any problems in the bud, rather than wait until they cause a real problem. After a bad experience with one install when I let myself be persuaded to use a bad boiler in order to keep the cost down as much as possible, I promised myself to stick to quality materials. By doing that, and working by the book, I have found that it is easily possible to keep boiler breakdowns below 0.1% per year. It is always possible that something goes wrong, even with the best quality in the world, but a good boiler backed up with a good boiler service will keep cost and inconvenience down to an absolute minimum.

Concealed flues aka flue in voids

Posted on 2012/01/11 by admin

Concealed flues aka flue in voids, will have new safety guidelines come into effect that can have serious effects for a great many people that have a boiler where the flue is not entirely visible over it’s entire length.

Anyone who has work done on the boiler from then on eg. A sercive, a repair or land lord gas safety certificate inspection, whether owner or tenant, will be told the installation is not safe. The technical qualification will be At Risk, which means the engineer will be obliged to label the boiler and turn it off until rectified unless you prevent that. Not allowing the boiler to be shut down for safety reasons will not really change the situation as the installation will still be classified as unsafe, labelled as such, and logged. For landlords, the immediate effect is that they do not comply with duty of care toward the tenants. Private owner/occupiers have a less immediate, but no less important situation because they won’t comply with the requirement from most if not all insurance companies to maintain the property safely and to a reasonable standard.

http://www.boiler-breakdown-repair-london.co.uk

It is very easy to avoid any inconvenience and resulting costs being unnecessarily high, by taking timely action. All you need to do, is install little inspection hatches that can be opened to inspect all the joints of the flue in the void.

What exactly are concealed flues? In most cases, we are talking about boxed in parts. They may be covered because they run along the ceiling in a kitchen or bedroom/lounge. Another fairly common reason, is mechanical protection for flues that run through storage area, loft or utility room.

Installing the hatches or inspection openings is not something that especially has to be done by a heating engineer. You can do it yourself, or engage the help of a handyman/builder/carpenter. As long as all the flue joints in the void are properly inspectable, it should be fine.

Safe gas work on boilers

Posted on 2012/01/10 by admin

One of the questions that comes up time and again, is who can work safely and legally on gas boilers.

The answer is simple: EVERY plumber, boiler engineer, gas engineer, heating engineer that you call out must be Gas Safe Registered for the company that you rang. For sole traders, that means he himself must be registered. For companies, there is a second option. Companies can have a company registration number, and then specify the individual gas engineers on there.

In case of doubt, you can verify whether the engineer is legal to do the work, with the Gas Safe Register by phone during office hours on 0800 408 5500.

You can verify his credentials 24/7 365 days a year online by googling “gas safe register” and the site will lead you through a quick, simple process that takes a couple of minutes at most.

http://www.boiler-breakdown-repair-london.co.uk/CORGI-gas-safe-register.html

ALL legitimate registered gas installers are financially hurt by illegal cowboys, and as such I can not see any reason why a legitimate engineer would not be more than happy to give you his name, number, postcode or whatever you want to use to verify he is legitimate to work on your boiler. I am part of a large network of mostly independents and small companies who help and support each other with unusual problems, and none of those several hundred people has ever objected to helping to establish their credentials as far as I am aware.

There are NO exceptions to the rule that a professional who works on gas MUST be registered. I have heard quite a few over the years, and although some sound quite logical, they are still only excuses. The most common ones are:

It’s okay, I am just doing the preparation, somebody else will sign it off. That ONLY works for water pipes, radiators and that kind of thing. To work on gas carrying parts and flues, you MUST be a registered gas installer.

I used to be registered not so long ago. Would your insurance pay if it expired not so long ago?

I know what I am doing, I have worked for the gasboard all my life. It doesn’t matter who you worked for or how long; if you are not on the Gas Safe Register TODAY, it means nothing.

“Saturday morning jobs” is another one that pops up frequently. Guys that work for a legitimate company that do a bit of extra over the weekend on their boss’ license. The answer is simple again: if the boss doesn’t know, it is not allowed.

CORGI registration is not valid either any more. Corgi stopped being involved in gas safety several years ago. There is a commercial company that can appear to be the same club due to using the same name, but those people STILL need to be on the Gas Safe Register if they want to earn money from working on gas. A Corgi card alone is meaningless.

The bottom line is very simple. EVERYONE who is paid, even one single penny, for working on gas, MUST have a valid registration. The same goes for everyone who EXPECTS to be paid. Working today and getting paid tomorrow does not make a loophole to the rule.

Central heating radiator problems

Posted on 2012/01/09 by admin

Central heating radiator problems come in variety of flavours which can have a number of different causes, and are quite often misdiagnosed.

The easiest one to solve normally, is when the bottom gets hot, but the top doesn’t. Invariably, it is a matter of “bleeding”. There is simply some air that got in there, and when you open the bleeding screw to let the air out, the radiator will quickly get warm again. This only works of course if the feed and expansion tank has sufficient water in it, or in case of a sealed system: enough pressure.

If the radiators need a bit of bleeding once a year, there isn’t too much to worry about. If it happens more frequently, it may be a good idea to sort the underlying problem out. It usually is the result of some sort of corrosion problem.

http://www.boiler-breakdown-repair-london.co.uk/powerflush.html.

Less easy to solve, but very simple to diagnose, is when the top of the radiator gets hot, but the bottom doesn’t. This is almost always a matter of longterm corrosion that left a rust/limescale mixture at the bottom of the rads. The coldspot tends to be semicircular in shape, with the top horizontally in the middle of the radiator. Various ways of treating this, depending on how much gunk is in the system, and what kind of system it is.

The most complicated to diagnose and also to solve, is when various radiators in the house have different temperatures. This can be a matter of insufficient pump capacity, faulty design/installation, the boiler not producing enough heat ( any more ), lack of flow due to blockages, or a fault in the balancing. A further complicating factor, is that this kind of radiator problem is usually a combination of factors.

To solve this in such a way that the symptoms don’t come back, you have to check every part of the central heating system. Start with an performance test of the boiler, followed by a pump test and a water quality test is in most cases what is required to find out.

Condensing boiler history

Posted on 2012/01/08 by admin

The history of condensing boilers is somewhat different from what most people think.

First of all, they have been around for quite a while. Since at least the early eighties as British built, and there is anecdotal evidence of “steamers” as far back as the thirties on the continent. They may be modern compared to the first central heating systems, which were built by the Romans, but something that is over seventy years old hardly qualifies as new in my book.

The credit for the first British condenser is usually given to Archie Kidd. He demonstrated a working model as far back as 1982. It achieved an efficiency or almost 90%, which was about 50% above average in those days. To put things into perspective: imagine finding a motor that will give you a hundred miles for a tenner in stead of only sixty five. The huge savings were accomplished with hardly any electronics. The main two ingredients were insulation and a much more effective heat exchanger. When the central heating controls are upgraded from a simple mechanical roomthermostat and mechanical timer to digital controls, even more gas and money can be saved.

http://www.boiler-breakdown-repair-london.co.uk/fitting-central-heating-controls.html

It may look a bit different, but a heat exchanger is in principle pretty much the same as a car radiator, only it works the other way around. A car radiator gets rid of excess engine heat by running the water in the engine through a copper frame with cooling ribs which loses heat to the air. A boiler heat exchanger has the water running through the same sort of thing, but extracts heat from the burnt gas flowing past it. Condensing boilers are no different in this respect.

Single and multipoint water heaters as were popular in the seventies, show clearly how a simple and inefficient heat exchanger works. If you don’t quite know what a multipoint water heater is, they were commonly referred to as “geysers”. This was a common water heater model built by Vaillant.

They were little more than a slightly tapered copper mantel around the gas burner, with a copper pipe wound around it with between one and two inches of space between each winding.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out that the taller you make that mantel, and the longer the pipe wound around it, the more heat you extract from the burnt gas.

Before 1960, when the oil price was only a couple of dollars per barrel ( around $20 in today’s money ) manufacturers had no reason to use more expensive copper for their boilers than necessary because nobody cared about using a bit more gas. During the first oil crisis in ’73 when the price of a barrel trebled in a year, it suddenly became very interesting how much gas was used. In the following decade, a number of people/companies claimed to have “invented” the condensing boiler. Still, it took another 20 years, and legislation, for condensers to become common place in the UK.

Global warming ( and the subsequent “green” taxes ) became a hot item under Tony Blair’s New Labour government, and in 2005 condensing boilers became compulsory. That meant that from that moment on, every new domestic boiler had to be a high efficiency model, unless there were compelling technical reasons that made their installation unrealistic. The only other exception was for some listed buildings.

Boiler repair or replacement

Posted on 2012/01/06 by admin

Without a doubt, thousands of times in London and Bromley alone boilers are replaced each year whilst there was no real reason to buy a new one. The most common reasons that are given by installers is that the old one is beyond ( economical ) repair or that the parts are no longer available. More often than not, this is not entirely accurate.

http://www.boiler-breakdown-repair-london.co.uk/boiler-replacement.html

Other reasons for boiler replacement that don’t quite add up are that the boiler is so uneconomical that a new one will soon have paid for itself, or that the existing model is not allowed any more. The latter is the easiest to sort out: it is simply never true. Energy efficiency requirements ONLY apply to newly installed boilers. Existing ones can stay as long as you want them to stay, as long as they are safe to use.

New high efficiency or condensing boilers will safe some money compared to traditional models, but the amount is often vastly exaggerated. Old boilers are often quite easy to maintain and won’t let you down very often, but they do use more gas to keep the place warm. Overall of a properly installed “steamer” as the condensers are called in the trade, is around 90%. Really old floor standing boilers with an open flue and the therefore required ventilation, can go below 50%. They are fairly rare though, and the vast majority of boilers from before 2005 ( when the energy efficiency rules started ) are around 70-80% efficient. Even if we take an optimistic figure of an average gain of around 20% on the annual gasbill as reason for a boiler replacement, it will take many years before the saving will have paid for the installation. Prices for boiler swaps vary wildly, depending on the quality of the boiler and the quality of the install.

The current recession in the building industry has a significant effect on the plumbing and heating sector, which makes it a buyer’s market as competition is driving labour costs down. Still, good boilers are expensive, and more often than not require an upgrade of the gaspipe. This makes it unlikely that you will get a quality boiler swap for less than £1500, and it can easily be quite a bit more. Although there is an increasing amount of installers as well as householders that see a boiler as a disposable product, my personal opinion has always been that it is pointless to replace one unreliable product with another one that is newer but equally unreliable. The choice, however, is yours and not mine.

The one reason that is easily most frequently untrue, is that the boiler should be replaced because it can not be repaired any more. I find about one per year where I recommend replacing because repairing is throwing good money after bad. It does happen, but I strongly recommend that anyone who is told that it is curtains, gets a second opinion. I make no exception for my own clients, and always advice them to ask around and ensure them that I will be in no way offended if they get somebody else to have a look before making a significant investment.

Apart from those vary rare instances where parts are simply nowhere to be found, replacement or repair of a boiler remains a matter of opinion, and a choice. That choice should be made by the owner, based on facts, not by the installer based on greed.

Carbon monoxide from gas appliances

Posted on 2012/01/03 by admin

Thanks to various carbon monoxide awareness campaigns, the majority of people have heard about it at some point and quite a few are aware that there is a potential danger here. What most people don’t quite know, is where the danger comes from.

The actual production of carbon monoxide is from burning fuel without enough oxygen. The greatest risk, is with any appliance that is not roomsealed. Most “modern” boilers are roomsealed, and therefore pose a relatively low risk compared to fires , cookers, grills, ovens and old fashioned open flue boilers. Carbon monoxide detectors are useful if they are of the correct type and used in the correct way. To find out what is a good one and what not is really too long a story to handle here. If you want to get a CO detector, ask a professional who can assess your situation and recommend on the equipment you need.

Any gas appliance can produce CO, and the best way to avoid any problems, is to have everything checked on an annual basis, and serviced or adjusted whatever is not working as it should. I can only think of 2 ways to make sure that there is no carbon monoxide threat. The first one is by using a flue gas analyser on every appliance.

http://www.boiler-breakdown-repair-london.co.uk/flue-gas-analysers-boiler-repairs-south-east-london-bromley.html

The second way, is with a carbon monoxide tester designed for the purpose of testing rather than one made for household warning purposes.

The most common reason for a higher CO production than the appliance is allowed to produce, is a lack of oxygen. There are a lot of boilers and fires that need a ventilation opening to the outside, to replace what is used by burning the gas. Especially when it is windy as well as cold, people block of those openings to keep the house warm and safe gas. Understandable as this is, it is also very dangerous. You should never reduce the ventilation yourself, if you think it is too draughty for comfort, ask a registered gas installer for advice.

Ikon 23T combi repair in Clapham south west London

Posted on 2011/12/30 by admin

During a Ikon 23T combi repair in Clapham south west London I was faced with a difficult choice. The boiler was very badly installed, and in my humble opinion, of rather questionable quality. As if that was not bad enough, the parts for these are hard to get and very expensive. All and all a bit odd, as this part of sw4 is not an area where most people try to get the cheapest of the cheap.

http://www.boiler-breakdown-repair-london.co.uk/combi-boiler-repairs-south-london.html

The Ikon 23T in question had at least 3 different parts that were not functioning correctly, and would come to the best part of £500 in materials alone. Due to the awkward design of the boiler and the access not being easy, another two hundred pounds in labour was likely to be added to the bill. That brings the total to around £700 for a boiler that I would not want to classify as reliable after that.

The problem I had now, was that the Ikon 23T is only about 6 years old, which means it should not even have reached half of it’s expected life span. On top of that, my company is known to guarantee repairs are virtually always possible and replacement not necessary. But in this case, the system did not appear to have been cleaned properly at the time of installation, and the ensuing corrosion had done quite a bit of damage.

If you have an Ikon 23T or similar boiler that may not have been installed too well and/or suffered from poor maintenance, I would recommend you either get a very good breakdown cover, or start planning on replacing it.

Viessmann 100W boilers are my personal favorite

Posted on 2011/12/29 by admin

Viessmann 100W boilers are by default what I recommend in those cases where a repair is not economical or reliable. Although virtually anything can be repaired, if patching it up is expensive and unlikely to give several more years or reliable service, you can wonder whether you shouldn’t cut the knot. If you are possibly moving out in the next couple of years, I’d be less inclined to do so, but if you just moved in, this might be the time for it.

http://www.boiler-breakdown-repair-london.co.uk/boiler-replacement.html

Earlier this year, I was called out to have a look and found a boiler that was 20+ years old, had several problems, and required several hundred pounds in parts. That was a typical case of end of the ride, so there is now a nice new Viessmann 100W combi boiler on the wall.

This is probably the most under rated brand in Great Britain. It is fully German made, and strikes the perfect balance between technology and simplicity. It has all that it needs to be efficient, safe and reliable, but not all those extra frills that have little real use and only add more parts that can go wrong. One of the nice features, is that the electronics are very well protected against water from leaks or cleaning.

The Viessmann 100W boiler comes in a 26 kW, 30 kW and 35 kW combi, and in a 26 kW conventional open vent model. They are basic, simple and robust machines and in the two years that I have been using them, I have not had a single problem with them. Easy to install because there are very modest requirements in terms of space or ventilation, and the can be mounted on plasterboard walls by using a plywood “frame”. Most brands do not allow this, but the Viessmann 100W is so well insulated that it is safe to do.

Just about every standard timer, programmer and thermostat will work on these, but dedicated controls are also available including weather compensation. The heat engine is made of stainless steel and comes with a ten year warranty, whilst the rest has a five year full parts and labour back up. It may not be a work of art to look at, but the viessman 100W is built to last.

Combi boiler vs conventional with a cylinder

Posted on 2011/12/29 by admin

Should I get a combi, or a conventional boiler with a cylinder, is one of the most asked questions. It is also one of the hottest subjects of debate, richly spiced with a mixture of misconceptions, urban myths outdated believes.

Both systems have advantages and disadvantages, and are predominantly a matter of preference rather than technical necessity. Many an “expert” will tell you that combination boilers are only for flats. The simple response to that one is: it is not true, and never has been.

http://www.boiler-breakdown-repair-london.co.uk/boiler-repair-faqs.html

Slightly closer to the truth, is the opinion that a combi can only be used in flats or small houses with one bathroom. This is accurate, for the smallest models of around 20 kilowatt output. Back in the eighties, that was about all you could get, and in the nineties it was still the majority of the market although more powerful models were available.

During the past 5 years or so, various manufacturers introduced combis in the UK market with outputs of 35-40 kW. As nobody ever argued that a 20 kW output could not run a bathroom, 40 kW can run two bathrooms. There is a pre-condition, and that is that the incoming water mains has sufficient flow and pressure to serve the boiler. A minimum of 1 bar dynamic pressure and 15 litres per minute flow will normally do the job, but 1.5 bar or more and about 20 litres per minute flow will be better.

For areas where the pressure frequently sinks to below 1 bar, it is important to choose a combi with low requirements in that respect. It is also important to remember that every floor up, reduces the pressure by about 0.3 bar. In other words: if the pressure is 1 bar at ground floor level, 2 floors up it will only be about 0.4.

For areas that are notorious for water pressure problems, it would generally be more convenient to choose an open vent or system boiler and a vented cylinder with a tank in the loft. A tank can be filled with a pressure as low as around 0.1 bar, and will form a buffer to supply the water from. The downside of an open vent system, is that the tank is open to the atmosphere. That means amongst other things, that the water is susceptible to bacteria concentrations growing to above acceptable levels for human consumption. The cylinder temperature will also have to be set at 65 degrees Celsius. This is the recommended minimum temperature to kill off the Legionella bacterium; the cause for Legionnaires’ disease.

For households with a large domestic hot water demand e.g. 3 showers likely to be used simultaneously, you either need two combis, or a large unvented cylinder. This type of setup also needs a large incoming mains water supply and plenty pressure to work properly. That usually means that the entire water pipe needs to be upgraded all the way back to the streetvalve. Together with the significant costs of installing the unvented cylinder, that means it is an expensive exercise.

Diy boiler repairs

Posted on 2011/12/26 by admin

Diy boiler repairs is a very tricky subject, which is why I must start off with emphasizing that this blog is NOT in any way encouraging you to do anything that is not safe. You should never attempt to do any repairs unless you are competent to do so and can do it entirely safely. Even aspects of central heating that technically are not part of the heating, can still cause dangerous situation if you do them wrong.

You can compare the question: “Can I do boiler repairs myself?” with the question: “Can I drive after I had something to drink?” I would assume most people would be able to drive safely after just one drink, but I surely wouldn’t want to take responsibility for it. This blog is intended to point out a number of risks, and is in no way to be seen as a manual or guidance.

The most common repair that people attempt, is probably the replacement of the pump. It seems so simple: old pump out, new one in and job done. Some of the things that can cause problems are:

wrong type of pump

wrong size/power

still water in the pump, and maybe even under pressure.

electrical connections wrong/too loose/too tight

pump not sealed properly leading to water damage or an electrical hazard if it gets into powered part.

Similar to the pump in this respect, are diverter problems. They also have water running through them and tend to work on electricity. An added problem about diverter repairs is that the electrical connections are far more diverse.

Pcb aka board repairs can be a lot more than just disconnect and reconnect a bunch of cables. Two pcb’s that look identical, can actually be for different boilers and do different things. Some determine how much gas is burned, or what the maximum temperature is, and can leave the boiler working totally different from what it was. It is also without a doubt the most often misdiagnosed replacement.

Fan repairs are similar in the way that a lot of them look absolutely identical, but are in fact quite different. Minute differences may lead to carbon monoxide production, let fumes out of the boiler, or with certain boilers even lead to gas escapes. In some boilers, a fan that is replaced in the wrong way, can also ruin the pcb.

Just because a repair has nothing directly to do with the burner, gasvalve or thermocouple/pilot light, doesn’t mean it is automatically safe. Another classic example is the flush or powerflush. If not done right, it may not solve the problem; I have seen that more than once. Using the wrong chemicals may do more harm than good, and the same goes for not removing them properly.

Sceptics may say that a heating engineer has a vested interest in discouraging people from doing their own repairs and that we are biased. To those I would say: in all likelihood, 99% of people that read this blog would not even live in my catchment area. The remaining 1% still has the choice of hundreds if not thousands of heating engineers, and the chances that scare tactics would actually lead to a noticeable increase in profit for myself, are pretty slim.

In case of doubt, ask yourself if diy boiler repairs are worth the risk.

Gas leak repairs

Posted on 2011/12/25 by admin

Gas leak detection

Gas leaks come in all kinds and sizes, just like most things. During my work as a heating engineer is south London, I have come to realise how many people are unsure what to do when they suspect a gas leak. It is neigh on impossible to come up with an example and procedure advice for every variation, but in today’s blog you will find the most common situations and what to do about it.

The most important thing to remember, is that you should always approach a gas leak situation from a worst case scenario. If you think there MIGHT be a gas leak, treat it as if there IS a gasleak. If you are sure there is one, but you don’t quite know how significant, treat it as if were a big one, and so on.

In case of doubt, ALLWAYS CALL THE GAS EMERGENCY SERVICES!

In south London, they are called Southern Gas Networks, and their number is 0800 111 999. They have professionals that answer the phone 24 hours a day, 365 days per year, and will quickly assess the situation and tell you what to do.

No matter what the outcome, no matter what happened and no matter whose fault it is, they will come out to make the situation safe as soon as possible. You will also be advised on what to do and what not to do whilst you are waiting. If you want to put your mind at ease about that, just ask whilst you are on the phone.

Gasleaks can appear in 3 different ways:

They can be in a gasappliance e.g. fire, cooker or boiler.

They can be in the gaspipe anywhere from the meter to the appliance.

The leak can be in the service pipe leading in to your home.

In the first two options, you could potentially make the situation safe by turning off the gas emergency control valve. This is the handle that is usually found next to the gasmeter.

If the leak is in the service pipe, there is really nothing you can do yourself, which is one of the reasons you should always contact professional.

South London is pretty densely populated and has therefore a significant number of emergency engineers on call all the time. The response time is normally really good, and on a number of occasions my clients told me that they were there in less than half an hour and the problems was sorted before they knew it.

If the engineer recommends to have any work done in addition to what they did, you can find the areas covered by my repair service in the link below.

http://www.boiler-breakdown-repair-london.co.uk/locations.html

Glowworm betacom repair in Dulwich SE21

Posted on 2011/12/25 by admin

A recent repair of a glowworm betacom in Dulwich showed clearly what the results can be of poor installation work. In a way, I could understand why a heating engineer would have been fed up with this job. For starters, that part of SE21 is next to impossible to find a parking space at all. This particular road was a red route for quite a distance from the flat, so at any time it was a bit of a walk to get tools and materials on site. As if that was not enough, it was a top floor flat with a very narrow staircase.
However, the new owner of the flat was now stuck with a Glowworm that did all sorts of things apart from glowing, let alone burning. The betacom is no more complicated than your average boiler, but it can be awkward to work on due to the way it is designed. Some of the specific challenges of Glowworm Betacoms are described in more detail on the page dedicated to them.

http://www.boiler-breakdown-repair-london.co.uk/glowworm-boiler-repairs/glowworm-betacom-repair.html
If there is plenty of space around it, it’s not so bad. This one had not. It did give me a good idea for the blog though; creating a list of things for house or flat buyers to watch out for. For those that recognise items here but already have bought the place, it is not too late. If it is still working more or less as expected, you now have time to find yourself a good local boiler repair specialist, and get him to give the boiler a full service and a complete system check over, once the winter is over.

http://www.boiler-breakdown-repair-london.co.uk/boiler-service-south-london.html

What are the giveaways that the installer may have cut some corners that will later on lead to unpleasant surprises?

One of the easiest things to spot for anyone, including people that are absolutely not technical, is an undersized gaspipe. In all but the most rare cases, a combi boiler will need at least a 22 millimetre gas supply. By default, combination boilers will have 5 pipes. Two are for the hot and cold water, and those can be 15 mm. That leave the heating “in and out” and the gas in 22. So if you see 2 big pipes and 3 thin ones, it is suspect.

One step more difficult is the flue. On condensing boilers, the flue should go slightly up toward the outside. Standard efficiency boilers should have a flue where the outside end is just a tad lower than inside. At all times, the gap where the flue goes through the wall, should be sealed with mortar on the outside. If you lift the covering collar around the flue, and you can see daylight, it’s not done properly.

Another fairly easy way to tell whether or not it was all done to spec, is to be found in the radiators. When they are all fully on, they should all be equally hot.

The next easy one is air in radiators. If you need to bleed them a bit once a year, that is not the end of the world. If you find significant amounts of air coming out on a regular basis, there is something wrong.

The last one that is easily recognisable, is only for condensing boilers. You guessed it: the condensate outlet.
The condensate pipe should be made of the standard white overflow pipe indoors, and either the same but well insulated if it goes outside, or a larger size 32, or even better 40 millimetre. It should always go down, either vertically, or with a slight slope. The slope is called “fall” and should be a minimum of 4%, which is half an inch vertically for each inch horizontally.

Why was it so obvious that this particular Glowworm Betacom was not installed correctly? It had all of the above failures, which first lead to an intermittent fault, and finally completely stopped the boiler from working. I repaired it for the time being, and will go back when it is a bit warmer and make sure that the owner won’t have the same problems in coming winters. One more client in SE21 who will not freeze up next year.

Potterton Suprima boiler repair in Ashburton CR0.

Posted on 2011/12/24 by admin

The Potterton Suprima is another excellent example of boilers that are far too often written off as beyond repair. They can have their problems, and sometimes it can be a bit of a challenge to find where the trouble began.

This is one of those boilers where one part that goes wrong can take out another. When the heating engineer working on it doesn’t know the trick, he will replace the broken part when he finds it. But because it is not the only problem, the boiler still doesn’t work. The combination of seeing his investment in parts go up in smoke, combined with the treat of defeat can now easily lead to the verdict: “Beyond (economic) repair”. The report to you will be that unfortunately it is time for a new boiler.

http://www.boiler-breakdown-repair-london.co.uk/potterton-boiler-repairs/potterton-suprima-repairs/potterton-suprima-repairs.html”

The Potterton Suprima is usually set up as a so called open-vent boiler and has external controls. In at least nine out of ten cases this is either a y-plan or s-plan. Both versions have, or at least should have, a timer/programmer, a roomthermostat, a cylinder thermostat, and either a divertervalve/midposition valve, or two or more zone valves. The one with the two zonevalves is called s-plan, and the one that has one diverter is called y-plan.

Whenever the programmer is set to come on for either domestic hot water or central heating, and the thermostat is at a higher temperature than present, the control system will send a signal to the boiler to come on. If that sounds like the problem could be in the controls in stead of the boiler, you are right.

There is a third reason these boilers get condemned as beyond salvage. For some reason, they can be quite prone to blockage with corrosion residue. Although in reality this is not actually a boiler fault, it does cause it to go in almost constant “lock out” mode. As no real repair will cure this, it has more than once lead to a completely unnecessary replacement.

Apart from a few peculiarities, the Potterton Suprima is a quite sturdy boiler and in virtually all cases worth restoring. There must be quite a few in the Ashburton area, and as there is ample and free parking in that part of CR0, I’ll be quite happy come and have a look with my normal 100% result guarantee if you have any central heating problems.

Condensing boiler myths

Posted on 2011/12/23 by admin

Myths about condensing boiler repairs are as common as ticks on a hound in south east London. In today’s blog, I will correct some of the ones I hear most frequently.

Condensing boilers only last five years. This was without a doubt the most heard argument against high efficiency models when they became compulsory in 2005. It is also the easiest one to prove wrong, as all the ones I have installed over the years still work.

These modern boilers still have to prove themselves. Condensing boilers have been around since before the second world war; there is nothing new about them.

A condensing boiler is unreliable. Even more interesting, than that all the ones I installed still work, is the fact that over 90% of them never even broke down. That is well better than the track record of the average standard efficiency boiler.

You can get a government grant that pays for installing a condensing boiler. Unfortunately, this is not true. Certain categories of vulnerable people can apply for a subsidised install, but that has more to do with their personal circumstances than with energy efficiency or carbon foot print reduction.

Condensing boilers are only compulsory for certain types of houses. By default, every boiler that is installed, whether as a whole new system or as a replacement, has to be a high efficiency model. Only when there are specific technical difficulties can the engineer get dispensation of this rule.

Condensing boilers only use half the gas of other boilers. Unfortunately, this is marketing spiel of those that want to sell more of these. Although there are a few extremely inefficient heating systems that waste so much energy that the end results is a loss of more than 50%, most of the time the gain is only expected to be between ten and twenty per cent.

All condensing boilers need a 22 millimetre gaspipe. This is really complete nonsense. It may be a very small majority, but some can run on a 15 mm supply, a lot of them will need 22, but quite a few need even more e.g. 28 mm. There is no way of telling until the engineer has done a survey, and most certainly there is not rule, regulation or law that says they must have a 22 mm gassupply.

Open vent boiler breakdown prevention.

Posted on 2011/12/21 by admin

Open vent boiler breakdown prevention.

Quite amazing how many open vent systems I still come across, more in Bromley than in south London, but they are everywhere.

Most houses have the tanks in the loft, and usually a large one and a smaller one, about a foot long is the standard size. The large one is for the bath and the hot water, so we leave those alone for the moment.
I had a nice one in Bromley BR1 the other day with an old floorstanding Potterton Kingfisher and a balanced flue. Not hugely economical, but a new thermocouple placed in the right position, and away it went.

An open vent system has typically a vent pipe that goes over the top of the little tank, and than comes down.

Check your feed and expansion tank from time to time. The water level should be fairly low, about one third full is fine. It should not be full when it is cold, as the water needs to be able to expand when it warms up. It must not be too low either; the feedpipe coming out near the bottom of the tank should always be submerged.

The water should be clean; if it is anything than clear or very light tea colour, the system needs cleaning. If you clean it before it causes problems, the cost will be lots less.
If the water is brown, you’ve got a problem. Not a big one, but you need to tackle it before it gets bad. The same goes for clearish water, but with noticeable sediment at the bottom of the tank.

One of the common causes of brown water in the headertank of an open vent boiler, is what is known as overpumping. If at any time you can see water coming out of the overflow pipe above the tank, it is time to call a heating engineer.

Another common problem is the need for regular bleeding of the radiators, or sometimes only one or two rads. This can either be caused by air being drawn in, or by corrosion.

If the feed and expansion tank is not at the correct level, air can enter the system and if that leads to the pump running dry, it will soon mean the end of it. A decent pump alone will set you back the best part of a hundred pounds, and unless you are good at diy, there will be labour on top of that. Worth climbing into the loft a couple of times a year.

The last section you should check from time to time on open vent boilers, is the tank filler, often referred to as the ballcock or ball valve. The arm needs to move freely, and when it goes down, the water should start to flow are a reasonable rate. When the water is at the required level, it should stop completely.

If the checks you have done are not satisfactory, you know where to find me before it becomes a real problem.

http://www.boiler-breakdown-repair-london.co.uk/boiler-repair-south-london.html

Powerflushing in south east London

Posted on 2011/12/20 by admin

Powerflushing in south east London.

Powerflushing is one of the most misunderstood subjects and possibly the most misquoted subject of all the myths I have come across working in south east London. It is also without a doubt one of the most commonly used cop outs for “heating engineers” that couldn’t find the problem, or just wanted to create some extra billable hours. There is a number of situation, for which powerflushing offers the best solution, but more often than not there are alternatives and frequently even better solutions.
One thing that invariably does little or nothing to clean a system, is draining and filling up again with clean water.

A very common problem in south east London, is the accumulation of dirt and debris in central heating systems. The so called “open vent” systems are susceptible to this than sealed or pressurised systems, but all systems can suffer from it. In most cases, it is a combination of dust, limescale and rust.
When this happens with combis, it is usually the tap or shower that in stead of staying at a constant temperature, goes hot, cold, hot, cold.
A combination boiler that suffers from this problem, is one of the standard examples of where powerflushing is likely to solve the problem fast and efficiently. The reason is that the the alternating temperatures are caused by a blockage in the secondary heat exchanger. You can take the boiler apart and clean or replace this separately, but when you stick it all back together again, the problem is likely to come back sooner rather than later. This is because the rest of the system still contains large amounts of dirt, that will collect at exactly the same place.

Powerflushing, provided it is done correctly, will clean the whole system: pipes, radiators as well as the boiler including the secondary or plate heatexchanger.

http://www.boiler-breakdown-repair-london.co.uk/powerflush.html

What will it not do?
It is not a miracle cure, and it will not repair a broken boiler. It will not penetrate pipes or radiators that are completely blocked. Another thing it will not do, is create leaks. Especially open vent systems that often lose a small amount of water every day by evaporation can have tiny leaks that have been there for years but never have been noticed. The dirt and limescale have plugged these leaks, and when powerflushing cleans that away, they suddenly become noticeable. I always compare it with a screw in a tyre. Most of us have experienced finding a nail in a tyre,without the tyre losing pressure. Would you say it is best to leave the screw in, because removing it causes leaks? Of course not. Keep driving around with the screw in the tyre, and sooner or later you find your self stranded.

The other example where powerflushing is an unbeatable option, is when there is little time and for whatever reason the system needs to be cleaned as soon as possible. For all other situations other than a combi or need for speed, there are other options than a powerflushing to solve the problem.

Boiler service in south east London

Posted on 2011/12/20 by admin

Boiler servicing in south east London can be quite different, depending on who does the job, and which model you have. Some of the newer condensing types which are known in the trade as pre-mix or band A, have the facility of testing if they need taking apart to clean out completely, or not. You can measure things like fan pressure or a current, and if it is below a certain value, the boiler needs a full service aka stripdown.
Some of the larger companies will use flue gas analyser to measure the amounts of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide on every boiler, and if that is below a certain value, they only need to do a couple more checks to legally comply with the minimum standard.
Especially older models, and by that I mean anything that is not a condenser, tend to benefit from a full strip down and cleaning session. Burner out and either a good once over, or twice over, with a brush, or blow out with compressed air. A visual check of the fan impeller and if needed a careful treatment with a soft brush. The fins on the heatexchanger tend to be coated with some dirt and/or corrosion, which also should be removed. An inspection of the rest of the boiler for any signs of leak or corrosion of other parts, and removal of dirt and debris from the combustions chamber follows.
When you spot a tiny leak, it can often be rectified by tightening a connector or replacing an o-ring or a washer. Leave this going for a few years, and the small leak may rot a hole in the boiler. I’ve seen more than one case where simple tiny drop caused a complete write off costing a couple of thousand pounds.
Another very important point of boiler service, is checking for signs of corrosion inside the system. There are various ways of doing this, and a number of symptoms that are dead give aways. Sometimes you can suffice with just adding a bottle of inhibitor. If it is a bit more severe, you may need to drain and fill the system a couple of times. If it has been going on for years, the system may have to be cleaned properly.
Over the years I have noticed throughout south east London and Bromley, that clients who call me every year for a full boiler service, seem to have fewer problems than those who don’t.

http://www.boiler-breakdown-repair-london.co.uk/boiler-service-south-london.html

Heating engineer, plumber or gasfitter

Posted on 2011/12/18 by admin

Heating engineer, plumber, or gas fitter, who should I call for my central heating boiler repair in south east London?
The real answer, of course, is whoever will repair your boiler without too much delay and if half possible without charging you the world. Although you could define each profession in such a way that there are clear differences, in reality there are large overlaps. All three can repair water leaks and repair or replace pipes.

A specialist heating engineer should in theory be able to deal with all aspects of heating including boilers, cylinders, all the various forms of controls, but also fires, warm air units, underfloor heating, economy 7 units, infra red warmers and so on. The reality is, that anything electrical comes under the realm of electricians for one thing. Fires involve traditional chimneys as well as stainless steel double wall flues, and is usually best left to specialists. Warm air units as were popular around the sixties, also require particular skills and knowledge and thus are best dealt with by somebody who specialises in that part of the market.

Whatever the specialty, anything with gas should always be done by somebody who is not only qualified, but also listed on the Gas Safe Register database. In today’s world of 24 hours a day access to the internet, it is really simple and easy to verify that somebody is indeed registered. Anyone can google gassaferegister, click on it, and go to the verification section. You can then search by name, company or postcode. All three methods should lead to a personal listing, complete with photo. The online photo can than be compared with whoever is in your home, so you can always be sure that we are who we say we are.

After filtering out the specialties, what should a real heating engineer be able to do, what a plumber or gasfitter might not necessarily be good at?
The number one without doubt, is successfully carrying out boiler repairs. Most rgi’s will be able to install a boiler, even though some are clearly better than others. Finding out what has gone wrong when the existing installation packs up, and solving the problems, is an entirely different story. Somebody who is truly a heating engineer, is also good at diagnosing faults, tracing where the problems started, and then only repairing or replacing those parts that are broken.

http://www.boiler-breakdown-repair-london.co.uk/south-london-boiler-engineer.html

There are no verified figures about who can do what, but few people that work in the industry estimate that more than one in ten is any good at repairing. The good news for you, is that there are some indicators that give you a clue about where to place your bet so to speak. As we are talking about 10% or less, the good ones tend to be busy; they are rarely willing to come out for a free quote. Contrary to the weaker brothers, they are confident that they can do the job, and guarantee results. The combination of these two characteristics usually mean that using a real heating engineer brings a faster result and considerably less expensive in the end because no money is wasted on replacing parts that aren’t broken. Many of my clients in south east London have confirmed this.

The roomthermostat in south London

Posted on 2011/12/17 by admin

The most common room thermostat I found in south east London, when I moved there, was the good old Honeywell T6360. Apart from some small alterations in the looks, it has been the same for decades. A squarish box about three by three inches, sitting on the wall at around shoulder height. A two inch dial in the middle with numbers going from 10 to 30 Celsius these days, but in Fahrenheit before that.
Still the most common room thermostat, not only in south east London, but all over the country. They are robust, need no maintenance, work on virtually every boiler under the sun and are inexpensive. The only “downside” to them, is that they are relatively inaccurate, and can have two or three degrees between clicking on and off.
The usual place to install them in the old days, was in the hall or near the stairs. This worked ok when most people only had the heating on an hour in the morning and a couple of hours in the evening, and the little dial was all the the control there was.

These days, we tend to have a much increased demand for heat, both longer and higher, and controls have become much more complicated and sophisticated. The link below leads you to a step by step guidance on how to use the whole set in the most effective and convenient way.

http://www.boiler-breakdown-repair-london.co.uk/fitting-central-heating-controls.html

Today, there are many different manufacturers that each provide a range of choice in systems.
The standard model as described above is still quite popular due to its high reliability, ease of use and low price. The difference is, that they really should be installed in the lounge, and not in the hall. This is due to the working of the complementary parts that make the living room a more suitable place than the hall.

At the other end of the scale of the simple thingy on wall, is the programmable wireless room thermostat. My personal favourite is the Siemens REV24F. You don’t see a whole lot of them in south east London for a number of reasons. The first is that it is the latest model and only has been produced for a couple of years. Other reasons are that the the name is not the first one that comes up in the mind of the general public for this kind of thing. It is also at the very end of the spectrum, and therefore not in everybody’s reach when it comes to programming correctly. Once that is done in the right manner by the heating engineer that installed it, it is very easy to use from there on. As it is one of the best available for British domestic market, it is not one of the cheapest either. But it is the only one of its kind that I have never seen go wrong.

Without a doubt the hardest thing to grasp for people, is the fact that this type of control does NOT have an “off” position. How can a controller always be on, and still save energy is a very common question. The answer is surprisingly simple.
Where the old fashioned combination of timer and roomthermostat had on and off periods with a set temperature for whenever the boiler was on, this type will always come on if the temperature falls below the programmed value for that particular time of the day.
Most of these programmable roomstats ( as they are called in the trade ) have three to five separate periods during the day. During the night, you set them at anywhere between eight and twelve degrees Celsius, depending on how hardy you are. Personally, I like it nice and cosy when I get up, so for the first hour I set it a bit higher. After that, it can go down one or two degrees. Not only does that save money, staying used to temperatures below twenty also makes you less susceptible to colds and flu.
During the day if nobody is in, you can use the same as night temperature, and in the evening, you can pick whatever value suits you.
The advantages of this system are that you will never have the house get so cold that it takes too long to warm up, and you ALWAYS have automatic frost protection. Even the smallest of frost damages is likely to pay for the “expensive” controls.

Between these two ends of the scale is a variety of other roomthermostats. There are simple wireless models, and the more complicated hardwired programmable digital roomstat. Not very common, but still around, are the types that look like the old fashioned “mechanical” dial on the wall version, but actually work electronically. These are the one I personally like the least, because in my mind they combine the worst of two worlds.

On my travels in south east London I frequently get asked what the best roomthermostat is. I’d say it depends on the client and the situation.

Condensate pipe repairs in south London

Posted on 2011/12/15 by admin

Condensate pipe blockage repairs are one of the most common faults in south London that I solve during the winter months.
Virtually all condensing boilers dispose of the condensate they produce via a syphon and twenty one millimetre plastic pipe; it is usually the same white pipe as old fashioned cistern overflow pipe. What it should NOT be, is grey or white pushfit pipe, copper pipe or steel.

If this overflow pipe is “terminated” internally, which means connected to a waste pipe inside the house or flat, it can be run completely in twenty one millimetre and left at that.
If it is connected to a waste pipe or soil stack outside the house, it needs at least some foam insulation or lagging. Better is to enlarge it to a minimum of thirty two millimetre, sometimes still indicated as 1 ¼ inch, or forty mm also known as 1 ½ inch.

As for all outside waste pipes, it is vital that they run in straight lines, and always go down a bit. Any deviation from this can cause small pockets of water that are likely to freeze up and need a repair, as soon as the temperature goes below zero for a few hours even though south London tends to be less exposed than the country side like west Kent or Surrey.

If you have any small condensate pipes outside your property, you’d do well to give them a bit of protection for the winter. Personally, I always have a look during boiler services where possible to see if there are any obvious things that are likely to go wrong. I usually have some lagging with me when I drive around in south London, and can install that on unprotected condensate pipes after the original job is done, for a nominal fee since I’m there any way. Saves you the nuisance of being without heating until it is repaired, and less costly as well.

Water stopcocks and boiler repairs

Posted on 2011/12/14 by admin

Water stopcocks and boiler repairs may not seem directly related, but it is very useful to know where the valve is to turn your water off. In south west London, where countless properties have been refurbished, split into flats, changed from commercial into residential and various other major building works have taken place in many cases, the water stopcock can be anywhere.
In most cases, emergency call outs are charged by the hour, and wasting time trying to find where you turn off the water can add unnecessary costs.

There is a variety of central heating problems that you can not sort out the problem without turning the water off. The most obvious one is a leaking pipe or connection. For combis, you can add diverter valve, flowswitch, and filling loop to name but a few.
For open vent boilers, it is usually only tank fillers, taps and pipes.

In London houses, there are three common places where you find the water stopcock.
1.In the basement.
2.Under the floor, near the front door.
3.Under the sink, or at least where the sink originally was located.

In a flat, especially in converted or refurbished ones, it can literally be anywhere, including outside the flat in a communal area or even at the neighbour’s.

In 99% of cases, the water to the entire building can be turned off with a valve in the street. Unfortunately, these valves can often not be found, or be completely seized.

Next time you are bored and looking for something to do, go and have a look for your inside AND outside water stopcock. If you already know where they are, it is still a good idea to have a quick check to see that they are still working and not leaking.
Be aware that streetvalves sometimes turn off one house or building, sometimes two, and in pre-war London areas, four and sometimes even more than that can be turned off by one and the same streetvalve. Good to remember if you want to stay on friendly terms with your neighbours.

http://www.boiler-breakdown-repair-london.co.uk/water-leak-repair-south-london.html

Site map for boiler breakdown repair London

Posted on 2011/12/13 by admin

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Worcester Bosch 240 boiler service in Streatham south west London

Posted on 2011/12/13 by admin

A boiler service of a Worcester Bosch 240 in Streatham, south west London was an excellent example of the benefits that an annual service of gas appliances offers. Although the central heating and hot water generally worked, the boiler would lock out from time to time. Simply resetting would normally do the job, but it is never the less a bit of a nuisance, which is what prompted the owner to book me in for a service.

During the service I found:

1.A fault with the meter which could have lead to a gas escape as well as unreliable working of the boiler, fire and cooker. The gas emergency service sorted this out the same day.
2.Damaged insulation on a cable, which could have caused a short and subsequent costs that could have been significantly higher than the price of a service.
3.Combustible materials such as feathers and leaves inside the boiler. These could have caught fire at some point and damage parts in the boiler.
4.Dirt and dust in and on the actual burner, which are likely to increase carbon monoxide production. Carbonmonoxide spillage causes many times more casualties than gas escapes.
5.The pilot light needed cleaning and adjusting, which probably accounted for most of the nuisance.

Apart from cleaning and adjusting, having an annual boiler service done

http://www.boiler-breakdown-repair-london.co.uk/boiler-service-south-london.html

also helps to spot minor problems and nip them in the bud before they become expensive breakdowns.

Worcester Bosch CDI Greenstar repair in New Addinton

Posted on 2011/12/11 by admin

Another boiler repair in New Addington, CR0; a Worcester Bosch CDI Greenstar this time. Although the central heating and hot water were working fine, there was an odd leak that caused water to drip down on the outside wall. All I turned out to be, was the condensate pipe somehow had come out of the hopper; probably as a result of the severe storm recently.

The Greenstar is quite a different boiler from the old “normal” CDI, although both are pretty good.

http://www.boiler-breakdown-repair-london.co.uk/worcester-bosch-boiler-repairs/worcester-bosch-cdi-repairs.html

This was not a big deal at this moment as was to be expected from Worcester Bosch CDI Greenstar, which is a good quality machine, but if you don’t rectify it, it may completely break off in the next storm and cause water to build up internally and can easily cost hundreds of pounds in damp damage.

With the frost due to arrive soon and New Addington being one of the higher parts of CR0 making it colder than the rest, the boiler will be used more and therefore produce more condensate. This water can run down the wall, reach the path/pavement and freeze up there, creating a safety hazard.

Leaking/dripping condensate outlets and safety outlets should not be left “because it isn’t a lot”. It is a sign that something is wrong, and when nipped in the bud, the cost is usually very little. Left over time, the bill is likely to increase significantly, and in extreme, rare cases can actually result in the boiler not be repairable.

Check on the link below to see if your boiler is really broken or that it is something else.

http://www.boiler-breakdown-repair-london.co.uk/boiler-broken.html

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