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Gas Boiler annual service

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Graham*

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Posted December 5, 2012 at 3:51PM

I have my boiler serviced once a year as part of a maintenance program with my fuel company. It took a few phone calls to get an appointment this year, new company taken over to do the contract had lost all the records, apparently.

When the man came, he 1)measured a pressure and 2)held a gas tester in the exhaust fumes. That was it. Total time 10 minutes.

I've now seen an ad for another company who offer new clients a free boiler service worth £99.99. I hope theirs takes longer than mine did.

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Forum Editor

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Posted December 12, 2012 at 11:59AM

flycatcher1

The leak you've described is from the boiler's condensate pipe. With Combi condensing boilers there is a constant trickle of condensate from the boiler when it's firing, and this must be taken via a plastic pipe to a suitable drain.

It isn't normally necessary to bore the hole through a wall at an angle for this pipe, but your wall is exceptionally thick, and condensate will not run away quite as quickly as a result. It wouldn't matter normally, but you obviously have a faulty pipe joint.

Condensate pipes are normally run in 22mm plastic all the way to the outside drain, and joints are made using solvent-weld adhesive, there shouldn't be any leaks. It's an easy fix - the joint just needs to be remade.

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Fruit Bat /\0/\

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Posted December 12, 2012 at 2:34PM

Every house on our street with a combi boiler failed at some point last winter due to freezing condensate pipes, all at 15mm.

The fitting coming from my new boiler is also 15mm so where it came through the wall to the outside I fed it into a 22mm. Hopefully I won't have a problem got down to -12 a couple of nights ago and not risen above zero since, bo problems so far.

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Forum Editor

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Posted December 12, 2012 at 3:00PM

Fruit Bat /\0/\

I'm amazed to hear that people have fitted 15mm condensate pipes. The over-pressure relief pipe is always in 15mm copper, but that should be dry all the time.

External condensate pipes should ideally be run in 32mm pipe, unless a trace element heating system is used; in that case a 15mm pipe is allowable. You can get away with 22mm pipe, provided it runs in a sheltered location - the enemy is wind-chill.

The perfect situation is to run the condensate pipe internally, connecting it to an internal soil stack, or even the waste pipe from a sink/washing machine, etc. As long as there's an acceptable fall on the condensate pipe run it's the perfect method.

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flycatcher1

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Posted December 12, 2012 at 8:57PM

FE. Thanks for the info but our boiler is not a combi. I will update when the BG man was been, hopefully, tomorrow.

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spuds

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Posted December 12, 2012 at 9:14PM

I am not sure what the pipe people are talking about, but if its a pipe that comes out of the wall as a drain, then our local council seem to use or allow 15mm copper pipe through the wall and then bent downwards, spitting into the wind!.

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Woolwell

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Posted December 12, 2012 at 9:49PM

flycatcher1 - If it is a modern boiler then it will be a condensing boiler and will require a condensate drain. This will be required for a combi or standard boiler. As FE has stated your condensate pipe has probably developed a leak.

spuds - What you describe is most likely the pressure relief drain pipe. It will rarely discharge and if it does it is water. The condensate is slightly acidic, it must run in a plastic pipe (usually 22mm diameter) and has to discharge into the sewage.

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woodchip

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Posted December 12, 2012 at 10:34PM

Just Had Scottish Power This afternoon Service My Condensing Boiler 22mm is not big enough under Corgi Rules, it should be the one and a quarter inch pipe that's fitted. 22mm causes freezing problems in winter

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Forum Editor

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Posted December 12, 2012 at 10:42PM

flycatcher1

"our boiler is not a combi"

I'm sorry, I just made the assumption. In fact since 2005 all new gas central-heating boilers fitted in England and Wales must be high-efficiency condensing boilers unless there are exceptional circumstances. The same applies to oil-fired boilers installed since 2007.

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Forum Editor

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Posted December 12, 2012 at 10:44PM

woodchip

"My Condensing Boiler 22mm is not big enough under Corgi Rules, it should be the one and a quarter inch pipe that's fitted. 22mm causes freezing problems in winter"

That applies to external conde nsate pipes,as I said in my earlier post. Internally the pipe can run in 22mm.

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flycatcher1

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Posted December 13, 2012 at 6:01PM

Thank you for all the helpful comments. The BG engineer arrived together with the District Manager. I knew the manager from old when he was just an engineer.

As we suspected the fault lay in the connection of the vertical condensing pipe from the boiler to the insulated pipe that goes through the wall. The joint is a flexible curly pipe which the Manufactures say should be just pushed in. The leak was round the ridges of the pipe and other fitters have realised this and have added a sealing compound - mine did not.

The insulated outside pipe Was checked and was found to be satisfactory.

I have had doubts of the accuracy of the wireless thermostat so this was upgraded. I believe that we will get another visit for the work to be checked. My faith in BG is on the way to being resolved and it will be when the admitted shortfall in enumbers numbers is sorted.

My Boiler was a direct replacement and we have a header and hot water tank. Now I have to box it all in again.

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