brand new "old" boiler!

[jimbob7]

heh! heh! just got myself a real bargain! An Ideal Elan boiler which has never been out of its box - been stored in a warehouse for 25 years. Ive been trawling the net for 12 months trying to find a heat exchanger for mine which i installed 23 years ago & has been a great boiler but has developed very annoying kettleing noises in recent years.
My other option was to fit one of the modern condensing pieces of junk that, yes use less gas, but will cost me a fortune in the long run due to their inherent unreliability & short life expectancy! this is why Ive put up with the racket for so long!
The old Elan has had one new gas valve ( £15 ebay), 2 thermocouples ( £5 B&Q) & a thermostat ( £7 ebay)- beat that for 23 year reliability!

Im thinking about making the "new" one a sealed system, does anyone think this could be a problem? - regarding the rads & pipework I mean, not the boiler - I know it is designed for sealed system as an option.

 

[SafeGasInstall]

heh heh heh ,

welcome to the forum ,

seems you are doing ery well repairing your boiler and doing all the work around it !


mery holidays to you and your love once 🙂

read the mi instructions

 

[diamondgas]

Hey jimbob7 ... You could always pressure test your existing system first B4 fitting the replacement? I'd advise on at least replacing all the rad valves though, TRV's are a good idea! Hopefully you're GSR or know someone well enough to fit the new/old one for you 🙂

Have a kettle free new year 🙂

 

[jimbob7]

yes, thats a good idea about pressure test first. Have fairly new TRV's anyway.
No, not GSR but I do consider myself "competent" as per HSE 's admittedly very vague descripion for own home gas alterations. I dont wish to start a big debate about this as it is well over done in all these type of forums, only to say that as a mechanical engineer who has worked many years in flammable fluid/gas handling (& BTW fitted my original boiler all those years ago & had it connected & inspected by BG at the time, - 1st class job I was told!) I know I am more than capable of changing over a boiler of exactly the same make/model & size!
Cheers!

 

[diamondgas]

I wouldn't get into the debate jimbob ... I'm old school, before all these rules & regs, and lets face it fear against litigation mob, kicked off! I know a motor mechanic that I'd trust more than some I have encountered in this trade 🙂

Only issue you may encounter with older systems is leaks that quickly show up on a sealed system in the form of pressure loss! Still, for peace of mind, it may pay to have someone come and check for a gas leak or give it it's "first service" just be on the safe side .... Depends on how competent you feel yeh?

 

[jimbob7]

thanks for your sensible advice Diamond. Totally agree about the litigation brigade! sadly they have infringed in all walks of life.
I do feel confident enough to check for any gas ( & water!) leaks & check pressures etc.
I have a mate ( who works abroad now) used to train BG gas fitters at a college in Bedford. he explained the absurdness of some of these regs in that he was training gas fitters who would then be "qualified" to go & fit boilers in your home & yet he was not legally permitted to do so not being a member of Corgi!
Agreed they cant let any Tom, Dick or Harry mess about tho.

cheers

 

[PlumbBobBob]

one thing i would say is to check all the rubber components and o rings as they may have perished over time

 

[diamondgas]

You are welcome 🙂

It's true that Tom and Dick are absolutely dissuaded from messing with gas; always advisable. However there are plenty competent to do so but don't have the badge!

Have a warm and 'kettling free' new year 🙂

 

[jimbob7]

one thing i would say is to check all the rubber components and o rings as they may have perished over time

yep, good idea Steve

 

[Mbear]

thanks for your sensible advice Diamond. Totally agree about the litigation brigade! sadly they have infringed in all walks of life.
I do feel confident enough to check for any gas ( & water!) leaks & check pressures etc.
I have a mate ( who works abroad now) used to train BG gas fitters at a college in Bedford. he explained the absurdness of some of these regs in that he was training gas fitters who would then be "qualified" to go & fit boilers in your home & yet he was not legally permitted to do so not being a member of Corgi!
Agreed they cant let any Tom, Dick or Harry mess about tho.

cheers

I'm not the gas police but u do fall into the Tom dick and Harry group as far as im concerned. That being said I understand ur background and past experience shows competence to an extent. Therefore the advice from me is fit ur boiler urself but get a GSR to disconnect the gas pre-wOrk and re-connect post-work, also I'd advise getting the GSR to commission the appliance, especially to check flue fitment etc. That may be more difficult than it sounds because most gsr's wont sign off DIY-ers gas work, I know I wouldn't, by signing it off we are effectively saying we fitted it ourselves.

Gd luck.

 

[jimbob7]

as i said, Im not going into this debate as its been done to death! Thanks for your advice & I shall ignore the tom, dick & harry insult!

 

[tamz]

I didn't think for a minute there would be a market for old heat exchangers. I usually scrap them. £23 for an elan.

The old Elan has had one new gas valve ( £15 ebay), 2 thermocouples ( £5 B&Q) & a thermostat ( £7 ebay)- beat that for 23 year reliability!

Vulcan continental fitted in my old mans 1973 or 4 never as much as a screwdriver touched it until it's replacement in 2006. Not even a service or a thermocouple. Cobblers weans!

Steve there are no O rings on an elan but the gas valve which may be sticking because it has sat unused so long. One of the simplest lightweight boilers ever made.

 

[Mbear]

as i said, Im not going into this debate as its been done to death! Thanks for your advice & I shall ignore the tom, dick & harry insult!

I didn't mean to insult u mate. For me it's black and white, ACS passed-u can work on gas appliances. ACS not passed-any person no matter engineering background IMO should not work on gas. Tom dick and Harry basically covers everyone who hasn't passed an ACS exam.

As I said I'm not the gas police, I've just had to clean up after too many unqualified "tradesmen" in the past

 

[PlumbBobBob]

cheers for that tamz as you know i'm not gsr just saying due to it's age