Any Gas-Fired Boiler Engineers Out There?

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

Our gas-fired water heatre doesn't work very well, in fact often it doesn't heat the water at all. Do any of you know a cheap way of fixing this? Bit of a vague question, I know. But at least it's a chance for the crueller people amongst you to have a laugh at our expense.

Talking to the landlady achieves nothing but rage.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Friday, 5 August 2005 11:23 (twenty years ago)

need to adjust the thermostat on the boiler.

― Lupton Pitman (Chris V), Friday, 5 August 2005 11:32 (twenty years ago)

although if its already at its highest setting and you get nothing your going to have to have the boiler serviced by a plumber.

― Lupton Pitman (Chris V), Friday, 5 August 2005 11:38 (twenty years ago)

It is the latter.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Friday, 5 August 2005 11:57 (twenty years ago)

Is the pilot light still on?

― NickB (NickB), Friday, 5 August 2005 12:02 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, usually that's the problem in our house.

― nathalie sans denouement (stevie nixed), Friday, 5 August 2005 12:04 (twenty years ago)

Erm...

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Friday, 5 August 2005 12:09 (twenty years ago)

I think what it is is that it doesn't kick in unless there's a heavy flow of water.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Friday, 5 August 2005 12:10 (twenty years ago)

Tell the landlady you're arranging a boiler service and just go ahead and do it. (Our boiler also doesn't heat until it reaches a threshold but it usually reaches it in about 30 seconds.)

― beanz (beanz), Friday, 5 August 2005 12:12 (twenty years ago)

Peej, if the vent to the boiler is bunged up with years of dust, then the boiler will cut out when it overheats. Sounds like a service is needed - the pressure might be off or the pump might be faulty too.

― Markelby (Mark C), Friday, 5 August 2005 12:12 (twenty years ago)

IT could be full of air and need bleeding as well.

― Ed (dali), Friday, 5 August 2005 12:21 (twenty years ago)

Best thread evah!

― Steve.n. (sjkirk), Friday, 5 August 2005 12:24 (twenty years ago)

I'm full of air but not sure I want bleeding.

― beanz (beanz), Friday, 5 August 2005 12:30 (twenty years ago)

I've no idea why I said that or even what I meant.

― beanz (beanz), Friday, 5 August 2005 12:30 (twenty years ago)

Leaches for beanz

― Ed (dali), Friday, 5 August 2005 12:31 (twenty years ago)

It's quite new, Markelby.

Bizarrely, British Gas or whoever it is won't deal with us because it's not in our name. The landlady is just a Polish menk who says she's going to do things then doesn't do them.

Mrs PJM doesn't want a massive argument with her, and neither do I (no energy for one) so that's why I'm turning to the experts.

Can one bleed it oneself?

I have a feeling it's a question of fine-tuning, hence my reluctance to spend vast amounts of money on something that isn't even mine. Plus I haven't got vast amounts of money.

Yes, it is rather a good thread, and may prove useful to random googlers from the future.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Friday, 5 August 2005 12:33 (twenty years ago)

Get one plumber, then give them your landlady's name and address for invoicing.

xpost. oh.

― Archel (Archel), Friday, 5 August 2005 12:34 (twenty years ago)

Write to the landlady saying that unless she objects you'll arrange a service yourself. Then get two estimates for the job from accredited plumbers, choose the cheapest and bill her. If she doesn't pay, take it out of the rent.

― beanz (beanz), Friday, 5 August 2005 12:36 (twenty years ago)

The landlady is just a Polish menk who says she's going to do things then doesn't do them

yes, but it's her flat, her boiler and her problem. and if you try to do it yourself and fuck it up - in the worst case damaging the flat - you can bet your bottom dollar she'll be taking a keener interest in things.

i'm assuming the central heating is part of the rental agreement? just tell her you're witholding - say - 30 quid a month until she gets it fixed. that should spur her into action. failing that, pop down to your friendly local citizen's advice bureau. or go here.

i really wouldn't recommend fiddling with it yourself unless you're 100 per cent sure you know what you're doing. plumbing is a total, total bitch if you get it wrong.

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Friday, 5 August 2005 12:40 (twenty years ago)

actually: if you go to yr CAB or to IHOS and say, wooah, my boiler's dodgy! carbon monoxide poisoning! woooah, i feel a bit sleepy, your landlord's ass will get toasted. which could be fun.

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Friday, 5 August 2005 12:42 (twenty years ago)

Yes, we know about witholding rent and sending her the bill, but all of that is unpleasantness, which is what we want to avoid. But thank you anyway, I will investigate.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Friday, 5 August 2005 12:44 (twenty years ago)

You can do it all friendly-like. "To save you inconvenience we propose to find a plumber who can carry out the work we have agreed is necessary and we will deduct the cost from the following month's rent. Please let me know if you have any objections by [date]." Or something.

― beanz (beanz), Friday, 5 August 2005 13:04 (twenty years ago)

Old hat to most of you, I suppose, but for all the incoming Brit-dwellers, this may be worth keeping in mind:

05 May 05 Centrica / British Gas announce £1.2bn profit for 2004
Centrica, the owners of British Gas, announced today that they had made £1.2bn of profit in 2004. They were particularly pleased as profits at their British Gas arm had risen by 64%. British Gas increased customer’s prices by 22% on gas and 18% on electricity during 2004. They are generally the most expensive gas supplier in the UK for households

Update - we seem to have sorted everything out by the radical policy of ignoring the stupid landlady completely.

Threatening to withold rent did have a startling effect though, I have to say.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Friday, 12 August 2005 08:10 (twenty years ago)

seven months pass...

The pressure guage on my combi boiler is too high, it should be between 1 & 2 and is now between 2&3. Do i need to call someone out? I've got a boilercare contract with british gas.

― leigh (leigh), Monday, 13 March 2006 11:00 (nineteen years ago)

Let some water out of the system, you should have a tap somewhere outside the house, to bring the pressure down to where it should be. Then keep an eye on it for a day or two. If the pressure keeps going up you might need to get someone to take a look at it but sometimes a one-off adjustment is all that's needed.

You should bleed any excess air out of your radiators as well.

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Monday, 13 March 2006 11:34 (nineteen years ago)

Oh, just realised you've got Boilercare - give them a ring, they might tell you what I told you or they might want to come out to be on the safe side - either way it doesn't cost you any more so you may as well ring them.

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Monday, 13 March 2006 11:36 (nineteen years ago)

There's a valve on the side of the boiler but i thought that was to bring the pressure up. I've noticed that the radiator in the hall is cold on one side but i'm sure the fitter that installed the system said that the type of radiator that i have is self contained and shouldn't be bled. I'll look out my bunf when i get home and give them a call. Thanks for the advice.

― leigh (leigh), Monday, 13 March 2006 11:53 (nineteen years ago)

There should be two valves, one will be a pressure relief valve.

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Monday, 13 March 2006 12:05 (nineteen years ago)

The engineer came yesterday. Apparently there's something like the inner tube of a tyre inside the boiler which needed inflated to bring the pressure down. He said that the pressure would never go above 3 bars so i needn't of worried about my pipes exploding but he reinflated it so everything's peach now. He was very complimentary about the quality of the system and how well it had been fitted.

― leigh (leigh), Friday, 17 March 2006 11:05 (nineteen years ago)

four years pass...

Oh sheeeeit....

― Bernard V. O'Hare (dog latin), Wednesday, 22 December 2010 10:39 (fifteen years ago)

so the pilot light went out last night. Baxi Solo 2 40PF - i'm at work and vicky's at home freezing. can't seem to find an ignition button - just a knob on the front panel. and our landlord isn't answering the phone. sheeeit!

― Bernard V. O'Hare (dog latin), Wednesday, 22 December 2010 10:41 (fifteen years ago)

If you turn the knob off all the way, it might light the pilot light when you turn it back on?

― nate woolls, Wednesday, 22 December 2010 10:44 (fifteen years ago)

i have to press down the off/on button for about 7 seconds to reset my pilot light, fwiw

― F-Unit (Ste), Wednesday, 22 December 2010 18:30 (fifteen years ago)

Hey dog latin I g00gled yr model and found this. However the answer appears to be written in Haiku form...not sure if it's helpful or impenetrable, lol
http://www.howtomendit.com/answers.php?id=271725

― Square-Panted Sponge Robert (VegemiteGrrrl), Wednesday, 22 December 2010 18:35 (fifteen years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.