Dangerous Gas Boiler A day in the life of a Gas Engineer / Plumber
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- Опубликовано: 27 янв 2025
- Dangerous and badly installed gas combi boiler. Gas engineer. Plumber. So, I've been called out to a Baxi boiler. 2 YEAR OLD BAXI BOILER INSTALLATION So, it's been capped off as being unsafe. This boiler's about two years old. Apparently, it was installed by a Gas Safe registered engineer but I'm gonna have a look at all the paperwork. I'm gonna ring Gas Safe and just see what's going on here. So, what I'll do now is we'll have a look and I'll show you the faults with this and I'll show you the reasons why it's been capped off. And then from that, I'll rectify some of the issues and then we'll hopefully get it back up and running again. So, let's have a look now and I'll show you around the boiler.
So, this is a Baxi Duo-Tech boiler. In my opinion, this is one of the best boilers of all time. Really bulletproof boiler and it just does what it says on the tin. So, if we have a look ... Have a look underneath at this first so we can just see it's been capped off there and then if we have a look, the boiler is just ... there. So the boiler was just plugged in. So there's no spare on the boiler. And then if we have a look at everything else, it all looks like it's all okay. And then if we go into this room here, so I'll just put light on in here, see if I can see a bit better.
If we go into here, we can see the flue. It goes through. There. If we have a look, it's got part of the flue missing. So it's only got ... I don't even know what that is. We'll take that off shortly and we'll have a look at that. We'll just have a look outside. And then we'll look outside. We can see ... I don't even know what type of flue that is. But we'll pull it out and then we'll have a look.
So when we actually look inside this, it's had some it's actually that insulation board put in. Just to pop it up, just to sort of like hold it up. I'll take this off now and then we'll have a look a bit better.
So there's no paperwork for this boiler as such, so there's no benchmark. So normally you'd have a benchmark booklet, and that'd have all the readings in of the emissions and all the bits and for when it were installed. So there's none of that here. There is some paperwork. There's a gas safety certificate that's dated March 2018, and there's also something here to suggest that it was fitted on December 2016. I'm going to ring Gas Safe up and I'm just going to just double check about that.
But yeah, so let's have a look at the boiler. I'll take this flue off and yeah. Let's go and have a look at it now. I'll cut this flue out now. And we'll have a look, see if we can see what type of flue it would be.
So we've obviously got an issue there with how the flue falls as well, because it's got water in the flue. So we'll have a look now. So I'll just pull this flue out. That actually looks like ... Looks like it is a flue.
So that on there, that's just loose is it? I don't know what type of flue that is. It's obviously some sort of kit, it'll be a multi plume kit. So when I'm looking at this, that looks like that is the normal flue. Because that's got the weathering in there, so if it drips water from outside, it runs off. And it's got the screws in there.
Another thing to point out with this is the PRV pipe is there, so I'm just wondering if the builder's moved this. So I've just gone and got a new flue. It's got that written there. And it's got the screw points there, the screw holes. So I'm wondering if the builder has taken the end off, this end off here, and then just put some sort of plume kit up inside of there.
I'm going to take flue off top of boiler now, I'm going to totally renew this flue, just so that I know that it's all correct.
This part of the flue, as you can see from there, it's all cemented in. So this part's been done, installed well. Now if you compare it to that bit, it seems very different. My belief is a builder has extended this and not the original gas engineer. But I'm still going to check with Gas Safe and we've still got no benchmark. The old customer could've taken that with them. Because this is somebody new now that lives in this property.
So this looks not too bad in here really. They've made an effort of sealing it with cement. So I'm just going to remove this elbow now. Just one thing I have noticed there, the flue actually falls away from the boiler, so it falls down to what would be outside, so that's why it's had water in the flue. So the flue should always fall back to the boiler. So that's. So as I can see now, that's just the standard telescopic flue, and this were all cemented in, really well, as I say, it's took some getting out Baxi Boiler Installation. www.cchleeds.co.uk
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Good to give your money and time to help those in need out👍
If you found my video useful please add a comment below and thanks for watching. PS like and share😂
Apart from an undersized gas supply, and no external timer/ thermostat fitted I don't see anything wrong with the original install, before the extension was built and the flue extended. The electrical supply is fine, unplugging the boiler provides a means of isolation, as does a double pole spur. The expansion vessel was probably adequate before the extension was built. The lack of an external timer/ thermostat is not a safety issue.
If you capped off every boiler you came across which was slightly under gassed, there'd be lots of houses with no heating!
You know the problem with these workers is that each guy that comes to look at it is going to say the last guy did a hack job
Good point.
lol!! That’s a fair point! Why is that!!?
chris18228 Us builders do it too. It’s a macho thing, makes you look better than the last guy and to also stroke your own ego while the customer is impressed by your superior skills. A win win.
To a degree that is the case. But I personally also make a point of saying if its been a fair/good job. Credit where it is due, blame where it is true. Usually the problem with these 'did a hack job' guys is that they often are as bad as the work they are critiscising, and are saying 'bad job' to deflect your attention and steal your money. Its a technique of distraction that I personally abhor. Its only valid to critiscise IF they can explain in simple and understandable terms why and what is/was so 'hack' about it (assuming it is not already glaringly obvious to the client). I always urge people to check with someone else about the validity of my comments and recommendations if I have said something is a 'hack'. Any truly competent and honest worker/engineer will freely discuss any 'technical' issues with you and will NOT mind if you check anything that you don't understand. Personally I don't mind being watched while I work, you should suspect anyone who does object. If they are competent and honest they have no reason to avoid observation (though it can create a later catch-22 when the observer assumes because you made it look easy that they can also do 'it' safely and competently and then they try it themselves, therein lies the problem of ego and greed).
Its a shame and a pity that there are so many pretenders and rip-off engineers and companies that give the public trepidation against the majority of competent ones. It all comes down to the ego and greed thing, from both clients and providers that these firms exist and get away with it. It is the willful ignorance of aggrieved clients and their failure to report them that prolongs such failures and abuses, and it is the failures of competent investigators to find and stop the incompetents and rip-offs that are to blame for it continuing.
The best thing you can do as a 'joe public' is only use someone who you can truly trust through personal recommendation and who will gladly let you inspect previous work of any age and discuss them openly with the other clients. Granted that is not always possible, but if you can do it you should be able to avoid the worst of the fraudsters. The other thing that you can do is smack a few brain-cells together and at least try and generate a few sparks of intelligence. Nuff said.
@@gdfggggg The seething behind your comment was missed by others, but not by me.
Actually men tend to show off by displaying their mastery over their own skills, rather than by trying to look relatively better by shit talking and pulling others down.
This is the basis of competition.
This drive to be the best, to sacrifice social life for career advancement, to consider extra work out of hours as an enjoyable hobby rather than a chore, is one of the reasons for the mythical "wage gap."
As an example, male coders taking their work home (because they love it) has been specifically attacked as "unfair" and "a culture in need of change" by feminist tech commentators who would prefer it not to happen. They want to be viewed as equally productive, equally driven, equally competent, and seek to achieve it not through excellence of their own, but by handicapping the opposition. Lol.
It's also why the top gamers in every league are biologically male.
You are projecting typically female behaviour and motives onto men. Back-stabbing, rumor mongering, undermining, sabotaging competitors' work, gossiping, not typical male tactics although men who were raised without a strong male role model may learn this from their mothers.
So when they see a competent and skilled man give a fair and unbiased assessment of someone else's work, based on knowledge, they assume it is driven by the same spiteful "toxic" nature as they themselves possess by natural inclination.
Maybe more womyn in the plumbing trade would help? But it seems that achieving equality in that particular area, much like garbage collection, coal mining, high voltage line work, deep sea fishing, lumberjacking and tree surgery etc, doesn't seem to be receiving the priority attention of feminists concerned with workplace equality.
Why do you think that might that be? 😕
Gas safe are more interested in making more and more money from installers than investigating shoddy work like this , and that's a fact....!
Cheers Alan , great video 👍
Similar to the issues we have on the electrics. Organisations giving the public the illusion of protection whilst cowboys undercut the prices and avoid all the very expensive certification.
i started off with acops god im getting old. i stopped working on gas 8 years ago as i got peed off with all the crap chucked at time served fitters like my self, and watching kids pass the gas safe and then thinking they know it all ha yeah rightio, i stlll have gas safe boys call me to ask me how to do things to boilers.
And why do gas safe fitters think because they can now work on gas think they are plumber????????? i can never figure that out.
yensabi z
Good video. All of this legislation is a wasps nest. I’m a job gold card electrician and the same with our domestic work. It’s a minefield. All they want is cash. The monopoly gas safe has will end later this year and hopefully the system will be shook up. There’s no parity or follow up on anything. The legislation needs to be tightened. I find so so many bad Jobs unreported, I also come across insecure, elitist, contractors afraid of change. Good video.
Two of the the biggest problems I face as a very experienced 60+ builder is shoddy work by so-called Gas-Safe and Electric Certified workers, where the installer IS actually registered and certificated, yet in reality they are clueless about basic physics and working practice, and see the certificate as an excuse 'I can do no wrong' regardless of 'common-sense'. e.g an electrical certificated engineer connected an outside light to the 'sockets' ring main via spliced in junction box using 1.5mm cable, under the bedroom floor, then returned the neutral wire to another socket by striping the neutral wire out of the gray sleaving, running it through a hole drilled in the middle of the floor , under the carpet, stapling it to the skirting board and then putting it through the side of the the socket, no earth, no RCCD (on the old wired-fuse consumer unit). I removed it all and got a proper engineer to re-wire the house. I got grief from the house owner who said 'it was Ok because it was working, you have cost me a fortune', my reply was 'Do you remember Wake Rd in Sheffield?' Went up in flames. killed a lot of the family? well I was in that house 4-months prior to the fire, saw plastic back-box extension-sockets nailed to the wall (smashed and yet still in use) wired to a 2.5m cable and a plug on the other side of the room (fuse bypassed with a piece of a brass key an extensions plugged into that and the extension had fused into a lump and wouldn't unwind, the socket holes were burnt out and large enough to put a pencil in. After I disconnected it all and told them in no uncertain terms how dangerous it was they said 'yes we understand, we need to buy a new extension'. Their cousin, a Sheffield councilor, explained it to them. Yet as i left i heard the kids say 'can we have the playstation on?' The parents said to them (shushing and pushing them aside) 'yes, in a minute'. I actually saw one of the adults kick the fused extension under one of the couches. I explained again, but I was wasting my breath. And when they died as a result, it was explained away in the papers as 'a faulty phone charger'. Go Figure
I went to the council and showed them images, gave them address, asked them to send someone 'official' to explain it to them (NOTHING HAPPENED) except I was told 'do you have a current certificate?' Its none of your business, you are being racist'. And with that they refused to take it any further. I am absolutely NOT racist, I am close family friends with many different families of 'ethnic' origin, (I personally hate that phrase) 'racist' never comes into the discussion.
The other problem is despite this rampant abuse and willful ignorance on both the house-holders and the 'certified' idiots who do it. And the so-called council departments, AND the house-holders who will attempt to DIY regardless of ignorance/inability (bypassing fuses is just the tip of it), nobody will tackle the real problem and teach these willful idiots basic safe practice for gas/electric. Its not rocket science, they should teach it at school (not that it would do any good for those that choose to remain ignorant with phrases such as 'we don't do such things).
If you don't believe me, ask for some of the many photos I have, it'll make your hair curl, and that's nothing to do with electric.
Hi Allen, did you check the expansion vessel to make sure it was fully pressurised regarding rise?
Did you try dumping the pressure and recharging the vessel before suggesting a remote?
Would assume he already checked that
Looks like the house has been extended and the boiler was on an outside wall. Then someone has badly extended the flue. Also imo the expansion vessel is shot.
Might have just lost some air. Open PRV and repressurize the expansion tank, then test again.
Does anyone use nitrogen to fill the expansion vessels? I know it does not leak out though the rubber as fast as air does!?
I just use Air as its safer to carry, 👍
I agree with you house extension
It was clear within 2 minutes that's exactly what happened, an extension built on the back so the builder extended the flu and added more radiators to the system, nothing wrong with the original install. Not sure why this guy hasn't picked up on that.
Allen how does the boiler comply with electricity regs regarding the proximity of wash basin and being able to touch both taps and boiler electrics at Same time ???
In the video you stated that you only done the flue ,but shouldn't the flue have had support clips where it comes from the bathroom to the external flue ?
The flue was clipped 😂 Thanks
@@AllenHart999 ok as didn't see it on the video
Adam Leonard it’s definitely on the video
Expanssion vessel not checked or recharged?
Hi.
You said the flue was fallen away from the boiler, and had water in it because of that, it should fall towards the boiler if I heard you right.
What is the logic behind that? If it was falling away, the water would come out no?
Please explain when you have a minute pls.
do you have to calibrate combuston analizer in your country every year?
Bit of poisonous gas never hurt no one. Got my boiler venting into next doors toilet. an old man has never come round to complain.
lol thats cos hes been asleep for a long time
Hi just come across this video and If you noticed the gas rate was incorrect plus such a long run from meter to appliance did you think to check inlet working pressure against meter outlet to check pipe sizing was correct because if you didn’t you yourself left an appliance at risk
Can I ask did you add some 28 mm pipe for the low gas pressure. And you should of added expansion vessel. One other question was there other gas appliances in property as well as that can make a difference. Thanks Allen.
Forgive me for asking but would of the bloke who fitted it put suck a big boiler in because of the size of the heating system? As you said it was a large system?
What happened regarding leaving the boiler on and working regarding no commissioning and notifying procedure to gas safe
I am not an engineer, just someone looking into central heating boilers. It has def opened my eyes up regarding installation requirements etc. Thanks all very helpful.
Switched plug socket connection ? What room was it fitted in ,shower?
after combustion test is ok next day pressure to low or flux??viessmann combi domestic water problem
Hi Allen, I got new installed Baxi-Duo-tec 24 but the engineer did not install timer is this ok without the timer?also I turned the central heating knob to the lower temperature 0f 25 but I noticed every 5-7 minutes (my calculation only) the boiler turn on and burner indicator illuminate then the temperature indicator shoot to between 25-40 then turnoff . no one is using domestic hot water and the central heating is on lower temperature of 25.is this is normal?thank you!
Excellent vid. Did that flue need a bracket for support?
Why should the condensate be directed to flow into the boiler rather than away to the outside, assuming the large plastic tube had been capped off with a secured bend facing the earth rather than the sky so any condensate would simply drip to the ground?
I'm a customer rather than an engineer but i didnt understand from.the vid what would go wrong if the water is directed away from the boiler as i think understood Allen was saying.
@1:36 I can't see anything wrong with using a plugtop as a means of isolation, but is the boiler located in a bathroom?
As a point of interest its also a seriously OLD plugtop without semi-insulated pins. It would fail an electrical installation on that alone. As you say, nowt wrong with a plug if the boiler isn't in a special location
So what was dangerous about the boiler? was it likely to explode or something? Carbon monoxide leak? I couldn't tell from the video.
Useful videos Allen. If I may ask, I have a potterton megaflow system. Although fairly old, been working well and efficiently so far. Had it serviced just before lockdown . Just of late, water has been leaking from the back of the boiler when heating comes on. Pressure gauge goes up to 3. After around 20 minutes the leak stops as pressure gauge goes down to 2.5 or just under. I've tried bleeding the radiators and pressure goes down but not the right way to go about it every time the heating comes on. Odd thing is when the boiler is off and cooled down, the gauge keeps at 2 and doesn't go down any further now.
Called an engineer who said there was water in the Vessel so drained it and pumped air in it. That day the gauge came down to wee bit over 1 Then kept at 2 when heating turned on so luckily no leaks. 2 days later, the gauge has moved up and now goes to around 2.4 when heating turns on and keeps at 2 even when off. Worried that the same problem will arise again. IF it is a faulty Vessel, would it be a major job to fix and how costly? What is your opinion. I am now alone as I lost my husband not long ago and so lost for advice, and am getting worried now that the cold weather has started. At the moment water and heating are working ok but also praying that the water cylinder in the attic is not faulty. Please could you advice. 🙏
may need a remote expansion vessel installed or your filling loop is passing.
Hi Allen, we're having a Vaillant Ecotec Pro 28 fitted today to replace an old Ideal Classic RS250 that was fitted in 1998. What is your opinion on the Vaillant Ecotec Pro 28?
One of the best boilers on the market. Good choice
I had a Gas Safe registered fitted my boiler and never registered the installation. He was reported, Gas Safe is a safe haven for these cow boys fitters. It is membership fee they are after. Gas safe didn't care or interested when I reported it and made complaint.
are expansion vessels only on unvented cylinders?
No, You have expansion vessels on many types of systems. Thanks.
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@@AllenHart999 you are welcome. i am 28 and changing my career I'm doing an expensive gas engineering course starting in march. theres alot to learn, watching videos like this is brilliant. so thankyou. do you have any tips. or know of any great books i can read to get started??
@@Ed-fp9rx Loads of good books. Viper gas ones are good. Thanks and good luck.
I know someone who just had a Combi boiler installed and they couldn't be happier with the service they received and mentioned that in the survey.. Their neighbour has the exact same flu... but the neighbours one has a wire mesh guard covering it.. Are these a good idea or not to get attached, where the steam escapes? Both flu's are at the same height on each property.. at the top of the first floor windows roughly speaking.. It even has a remote control. Amazing..
Why does a boiler have to be plugged from a fused spur? If the plug has the correct fuse then does this not provide adequate fault protection?
ideally you wouldn't want the boiler on the same circuit as your sockets, presumably?
Boilers are always on the same circuit as your sockets. The reason it should be on a spur is because of regs, why the regs? Idiots.
At some point in the past someone probably plugged a boiler into a 50 meter extension lead with a 13amp fuse that caused a fire that may have killed someone. So that regulation was born.
It's your freezer that you want on a separate circuit really, but how many people have that?
17 ; 00 your measure was on that particular aerator at sink remove the aerator then test ?
What about the sink being within touching distance of the boiler????
Why would that be a problem?
Can you show me how to tightness test on flue gas analyser
Yes absolutely. Thanks
ive Seen The Pressure,in The Time you Make the flue Messuere, and i Think...there was a Problem with the Expansion Vase..and secounds Later you say that! Im Proud to be a Plumber when I See Plumbers working good like You! thank you for that High Quality Work!Bevor I See your Videos ive Seen Much Plumbers working wo should Not call themselfes Plumbers! You are a really good Professional! You give me the Hope back ,that there are Other Plumbers Outside there who make their Job as Good as Possible! thank you Alan and Sorry for My Bad English! Too Much Time in Spain,i speak only German and spanish here,no Routine 😂😂
In most cases the first thing to check would be the expansion vessel as they can lose pressure, In this case the system is too big for the internal expansion vessel. I will try and do a video on the expansion vessel if i get the time. Many Thanks. 👍
From the video it looks like nothing was done to the actual innards of the boiler itself. As someone who hasn't the faintest clue about combi boilers, what was the reported problem and why did it have a safety sticker on it?
How much would you get paid to do what you did including the replacement?
why does the bpoiler need a spur for power?
When I worked as an HSE inspector a colleague asked me to call in on the property on my way home as it was on route, a builder had called concerned about a property. I got there to find mother, baby and toddler, a combi-boiler installed with the flue venting into the conservatory and no door between the conservatory and living room. I condemned the boiler, which lead to a battle with the mother who assured me it was safe! I then called Network gas to get the supply isolated, they were excellent and got there quickly. While I and the Network Gas guy were sorting out paperwork the landlord turned up and announced that it was safe and he knew because he was the local Councillor (Slough) and we were to reconnect the boiler or we would be sued. Once the supply was locked off I left, I called the Network gas guy the next day to see how he got on, it ended with him calling the Police as both the land lord and tenant were making threats. The level of ignorance was astounding and I have no doubt the baby and perhaps the toddler would have been dead by the morning.
Why was it put out of service?
Hi Allen, as I understood it some years ago you could have a plug on a boiler according to IEE regulations, but the wall socket had to be unswitched. And I prefer a plug as I have seen videos of boilers still live with switch turned off and fuse removed. With a plug you can see it is actually totally disconnected. Has this changed at some point or is it just that IEE and Gas Safe conflict with each other?
I'm not a gas engineer/plumber, but at a customers house I noticed that the pipes for their Main Combi are all boxed in, so I can't see where the pressure relief pipe is routed too, but it certainly doesn't directly exit the house anywhere. I suspect it drains into the condensate pipe/sink waste from nearby sink which is all boxed in. Before I advise him to get a heating engineer out, can anyone confirm this is not ok? I understood the pressure relief pipe should be visible on the outside of the house.
Visually check all the outside of the house. If the boilers upstairs check directly below or around where the flue terminates. Some I've found on opposite sides of the buildings.
See if the instructions are available. If a registered heating engineer installed it. The benchmark should be filled in. Usually a competent person would have terminated the prv pipe correctly. Imho. It could be anywhere terminating outside. As long as it terminates back towards the wall, thats fine.
Hi Allen, this is very informative, how did you correct the prv in this situation, is there any video just about prv, I just want to know how you can install prv internally.
Hi Allen, do you have any advice for repairing a leak in a radiator? It's leaking from the bottom, about 6 inches from the TRV, so nowhere near any of the valves, nuts etc. QuikSteel seems to have been used previously which worked for many years but now it has returned! Any tips or advice would be very welcome.
Nicely rectified Allen. it would appear the builder has extended the outside wall where the previous flue terminal was and used a make shift plume kit going through the new inside wall ! Room sealed appliance not getting combustion air direct from outside . Immediately Dangerous. Should have told Gas safe or the Gas Transporter about the obstructed ECV that you had to bend to operate. If it was a less savy customer or a vulnerable customer and they needed to isolate the Gas in an emergency they cant due to the ECV obstruction i.e the Gas meter and the side of the cupboard was not allowing you to properly isolate it at a 90 degree angle. But I'm sure you know this I'm just being cheeky 😂😉. Love the videos keep up the good Safe work you always do 👊
Great Video Alan, 1 question, flow rates - are measuring flow rates to determine combi boiler power requirements best done at a single tap? won't the tap itself will have its own restriction. Don't you need the incoming flow rates from the main cock to see what power you may need and therefore could use for when showers and taps are open simultaneously. I've got 17 lpm at stop cock and 10 lpm at mains cold at sink (grohe).
Kevin McPheat my thoughts exactly. That tap looked like it had aerated flow- some Ikea kitchen taps for example only deliver about 6 litres a minute- a water saving feature, but not ideal if you're trying to measure the flow capabilities of the incoming supply. Better to test at a bathtap or unrestricted outside tap.
What does service mode do? We have one of these boilers in an old Victorian house we moved into. Installed in about 2016. Needs a service but haven't got a plumber yet. Can never know who to trust.
It runs the boiler at its maximum rate for a certain amount of time so we can take readings, such as flue gas analysis, and gas consumption (gas rate,)
Hi Allen, not disagreeing with most of what you say, but can you explain what is dangerous about using a plug/socket for power if fused at 3A.
I didnt say its dangerous, Its just not as per the boiler instructions thats all.
@@AllenHart999 If it has a 3 Amp fuse in the plug. It has double pole isolation if you pull plug out. Instructions state. Connection MAY be via a fused double-pole isolator with a contact separation of at least 3mm in all poles and servicing the boiler and system controls only. Agree with rest.
@@mrh2602 Plug needs to be unswitched as far as i am aware. Needs double pole isolation. 👍
@@AllenHart999 Not a criticism. But Arent Fused spurs are switched. Double Pole isolation with plug removed. Keep up the good work. Good to see a good and thorough engineer at work.
@@mrh2602 A standard switch plug is only single pole , so if the engineer switched it off then it could still be live, if you unplug it then it would be double pole, Thats the way i understand it, Not really a big issue though. Thanks.
Why do you feel it’s unsafe to have a boiler powered from a plug/socket?
did you check the expansion to see if it was charged .
I measured the system and KW and it shown it was about half the size needed if i remember correctly, I have a follow up video coming soon and i will try and answer some of the questions. Thanks.
Do you know if an ideal boiler made in 1995, contains any asbestos ?
So you trashed a perfectly good flue, because the diy extension to it wasnt ok?
Wheres the perfectly good flue????
In the scrap metal recycling? Dont ask me.
wot happens if rain water gets in flue
A nice thorough video as always
Would a boiler with a lot of corrosion fail even though it works ok, and meets the standards on combustion, safety devices and
flue? Thanks for the very clear video.
no timer? in this day and age?
Shocking workmanship.Allen Hart to the rescue.
I have an unrelated question but if you wouldn't mind answering it would be much appreciated, firstly I am a mechanical engineer who does the occasional bathroom for friends and family I don't touch gas ever, I'm not risking anyone's life by going near a boiler. but my question is this, why do so many new house builders equip every single new build house with a combi boiler yet insist on installing an electric shower, electricity is around 12.7p per kwh and gas around 2.7p per kwh, the quality of shower from an electric compared to say a thermostatic mixer shower is attrrocious, yeah if all you have is electric then so be it but when you already have a gas boiler capable of kicking out 40kw of hot water then why on earth fit an electric?
I was called out to a new estate and they all have 40kw boilers, some of the houses have very low heat loss, maybe as low as 8kw for some. Seems crazy to me. Thanks for watching.
Not sure I would agree the boiler is too big.wouldnt the gas just modulate to meet the demand? I get what your saying though, its overkill but I cant see it causing issues. Am I missing something?
What does it modulate down to?
@@AllenHart999 the fan will slow in relation to the temperature of the hot water and reduce the gas rate according to demand. So as far I as I understand it, although it's a 40kw boiler, you wont be wasting gas because the boiler will only use what's required anyway. I think your correct though in that it might not work at its peak efficiency all the time. However, you would never have to worry about reduced hot water performance on freezing cold winter days. Loving your videos mate, I've already picked up a load of great tips. Thanks for putting out this content.
That building must have had an extension built onto it. The original install was fine but someone has put a very dodgy extension on the flue after the extension was built.
Yup, that happens. I'm just refitting a property that the councils own 'certified Gas-engineers' did similar on. Normal flue joined to over-sized flue, through a ceiling, through a roof space, through the slates, 2 - 135 degree connectors, all self-adhesive Aluminium-foil taped joints (holes in them (mice etc)), certified as 'appropriate and sound'. !? Not in a million years, mate.
Want to see the images?
What happens in the case of an under gas supplied boiler- Can it not be certified?
Best boiler of all time? Think not. Too much to go wrong. I still have an old ideal standard concord. Almost 40 years old and still going strong.
The Duo-Tec and Platinum boilers have been the best we have worked on over the last ten years, Thanks
You can't really compare a heat only boiler to a condensing combi.
bullet proof though? - the diverter cartridges always piss out water, electrodes bend and warp, PCB's throw up sporadic E166 errors.
Baxi have been shite for years and while this may be better than a lot of their other models, they're still crap.
I will agree with you on this one , I've just changed mine that was installed in '92 , perfectly working , BUT, with the new one Bosch , does the same thing and in the first month of use I paid 30 GBP gas less for the same house ( also colder month) , 3400 GBP to change it though ...so yes , there are pros and cons with everything , I guess.
@@Andy-Andy I have installed hundreds are never get any issues at all, The electrodes failed about 7/8 years ago due to lack of service, They had an issue with the cartridges that they sorted very quickly,
Comparing a boiler you could cook toast on the output to a modern efficient combi is a bit dumb.
only need to use the 3 numbers after the decimal point when gas rating using the app Allen
Thank you for that, I didn’t know. Every day is a school day 👍
We have a boiler when we switch on heating boiler starts to make continuous sound and show 3.3 and 3.4 bar(digital). Plus PRV pipe(outside) start to linking water continuously. Can someone tell whats going on please
You need a service. Your expansion vessel inside your boiler is depleted of air. A gas safe engineer will need to empty the system of water and refil the expansion vessel to the exact amount corresponding with your boiler.
It may be possible the vessel is faulty, but that is rarely the case.
Once a Pressure release valve drips; they usually will keep dripping, and will need changing.
Handy to have that socket in the shower room, so you can plug the 2 bar electric fire or tv or toaster etc. 🤪
Plug fitted isn’t aloud? I have been told a plug is fine as long as it goes into a non switchable socket. So the plug has to be removed to turn off.
that's how mine was done (CH installation to previously non-CH home this year)
Are you going to correct the undergassing issue in the follow up vid mate ?
Can you even have electrical sockets in a bathroom? I always thought it was a big no no??
Bloody hell that was rough , I can imagine that was only ever intended to be temporarily by the builder who did the extension, but the customer thought it works
Is that a toilet or bath/shower room ? Did you fix the plug top problem you mentioned at the start ?
How many rads did the property have, Allen?
Cannot remember to be honest. My memory is shocking these days.
@@AllenHart999 so is mine. Who are you? 😂
Arks Ekrem I have to say my name so I remember 😂😂😂
@@AllenHart999 😂😂
Good video as always Alan. Just a small point regarding the gas rating you rated in gross and didn't convert it to net.
Moved into my new house and was ill for months with strange symptoms which doctor said was psychological from stress of moving. When I got round to dealing with the ancient heating system and gas fire and found the flues were held together by sellotape that had burnt off. I was obviously getting poisoned. My engineer not surprisingly condemned the system immediately. It begs the question how the family with young kids were living there and why did they move out.
What was the total cost to install that new flue
I cannot remember to be honest. WHY? Thanks.
future reference really
As a commercial engineer, I see this all the time. Engineers who are badly trained, working for companies who push push push them all the time, a bad combination. I worked for a national well known company who everyone will know, they installed 2 x 400kw boilers which had 14.5mbr inlet pressure. The bosses were told before the job started, during the job and showed after the job. The manufacturer came out to commission them. Great I thought, he’ll shut them down. He saw the low pressure ( the boilers have a safety cut out at 14mbr ) and told me “ I’m not here to cause trouble” and walked off.
160 metres of 100mm steel, plus they’d left the drop weight gas cut off in the supply pipework further reducing, and no one was interested.
My colleague attended site just after commissioning and immediately shut them down issuing a warning cert. 2 years of arguing back and forth and the result was a switch in the incoming power supply which made it only possible to run 1 boiler at a time. So, over £100,000 later and the client had a system of 2 boilers but could only physically run 1 at a time.
It was excruciatingly embarrassing for me, luckily the site manager knew my position on it, but my bosses, ( and I Tupe’d into another national company in the midst of all this, so 2 national companies were involved ) and Gas Safe didn’t want to know. It’s still like it. Despite me asking for a stool piece to be made up to ditch the old drop weight valve as a starting point ( there’s a new solenoid valve linked to the E stops at the plant room exits ) no one is interested. It’s actually due it’s annual this month, it’s already in my file, I hate going there...................
I’ve got a pile of examples of bad fluing, undersized ventilation, undersized gas pipe of installations that are 30 years old and have had a ticket every year. The customers think I’m trying to rip them off. I’ve only ever known 1 other engineer who has an anemometer ( to measure air flow ), so how are they calculating mechanical ventilation. I’ve come across reversed flow in flues, ie extract fans so powerful they pull the flue gasses back down the stack into the plant room.
This gets missed because it’s impossible to see without calculating the airflow. I could bore you for hours with examples, this isn’t Mrs Jones getting in someone cheap, it’s major companies relying on qualified engineers who let them down.
Hi Allen God bless you We got very good videos from you I only want to know is it possible to provide 3A fused plug instead of 3A fused spur ?
The solicitors should have checked that out properly for the buyer. Good video!
Alan i need to ask you a question,my next door neighbour was over 80 and asked me to make sure the installer fitted a very simple on and off switch because he just did not have a clue about using the modern day programmers,s, and eventually, this is what happened, but not before he says he has to fit a timer, Can i ask how would you deal with this situation. Are you allowed to fit a simple on-off switch that he can use when he wants to.
Can a boiler be over gassed
wot hppens if water gets in flu
That's a strange installation. I am a certified elevator engineer and I am based in Russia. I seen many things but nothing like this strange installation
Felenov-official
That’s because you don’t live in Rip-off Britain !
Maybe you can answer me this question why are they changing steel pipes for copper gas supply pipes just doesn't seem right, what is the purpose of this if any.
And Why did they change the name from corgi to gas safe what's the point?
Great video Allen. Im thinking of changing my boiler - how do i know what KW to choose and are ATAG better than Worcester?
I wouldn’t have a Worcester personally. Baxi or Viessmann would be my choice. Thanks.
Did the customer go ahead with your recommendations Allen?
What did you do with the PRV?
Hi Al
It was undergas by a long way,but emmisions were fine. Did you cap gas and come back to up size pipework. Judt wondering how you dealt with it.
hi allen great videos im a new member and loving you content had my gas safe card a year now so still learning new things. what app are you using there ?
From an old git, please don't bother with apps, if your phones flat, you won't want to gas rate a boiler and use up the battery. Plus, remember your phone isn't intrinsically safe, keep up using the way you were taught, it'll become 2nd nature soon.
Who ever has done that must not be sleeping at night shocking work, good video allen👍🏻
👍
Why didnt you actually check the expsantion vessel to see if it actually pressurised. Nice vid though dude 2 b fair
"These are-t best boilers of all-time... and that's the reason I don't install-em, cos they never go wrong, so I can't make myself more work..."
Can you tell what to do if boiler pressure too high above 3 bar?
Turn it off
Turn it off and get someone out to check it for you. It may just need a service but there is a good chance it will need a new expansion vessel. Thanks.
Ok thanks
Do you think the whole hallway was an added extension, with the wall that the boiler is on previously being exterior wall? It seemed like a pretty solid bit of masonry for just interior non-load bearing, when you were removing the old flue.
That’d explain why the “good flue” seemed to have its exterior outlet part at that location.
Great video Allen
Thank You.
How come it isn't essential to have a boiler plugged into a spur?
Sorry I didn’t understand why the pressure was increasing and another expansion vessel is required? You said the boiler is too big for property and the trvs are leaking? Thanks Allen
As water gets hot it expands, you need a correctly sized expansion vessel to stop the pressure going too high. It’s the radiator valves that are leaking, not the TRV,s
40kw Baxi boiler has a 10 l vessel, which can do off the top of my head 155 litres of CH water, if your CH system has more than that you will need an extra vessel to cope with that.
The 40KW stands for the DHW output only.
Personally i think boilers should have tamper evident seals with serial numbers just like your gas and electricity meter, the seal would prevent the cover being removed, that way it will be easier to detect if it has been tampered with illegally.
Leaves me puzzled.... its a gas heated system, but the exhaust is plastic... shouldn't that be metal due hot/heated exhaust?
Hi Allan, another good video pal. What’s the name of the app that you are using at 12.24 seconds if you don’t mind me asking? Cheers
Gas Rate, Tradehelp also have a free app. Thanks.
Love the video Alan!!