The government is becoming increasingly pressed to change the Green deal to incorporate new gas boiler installations by manufacturers, consumer demand, the economy and even the NHS.

The Green deal which is due to come in October 2012 will probably and eventually include boilers but at the present time it does not, Baxi one of the UK’s leading boiler manufacturers have gone further and hope all new boilers could have the lower rate of VAT 5% NOW.

In March 20111, Baxi lobbied parliament to reduce the VAT on boilers now rather than wait for the green deal to come in to play.

“A temporary cut until the Green Deal scheme that comes into effect in October 2012 would help the industry bridge a potentially difficult funding gap. The beauty of giving a quick boost to boilers is that the Government will see immediate results,” said Sarah Brook, marketing director of Baxi.

Sarah Brook, Marketing Director of Baxi points out that the reduction of VAT would encourage people to buy new efficient boiler and in turn would give the economy and more importantly the UK manufacturing market a much needed boost as most boilers are still made in the UK. They have even encourage people to sign the e-petition on the Grumble website - grumble.org.uk

It is estimated 60 % of homes in the UK have unefficient heating systems, reducing the VAT on new highly efficient boilers would encourage home owners to upgrade their existing boilers as it would mean lower gas consumption and lower energy bills. It is estimated home owners could save up to £240.00 per year on energy bills with a new efficient SEDBUK band A boiler.

The NHS is reportedly spending £145million on patients (according to the Chartered institute of environmental health) who have become ill because of poor heating arrangements. They found that 655,800 homes rented by landlords or letting agencies are so cold they are officially a health hazard.

“It’s shocking that people still have to put up with cold rented homes that make them sick and cost a fortune to heat that decent insulation could help avoid while the NHS spends millions every year to treat the illnesses caused by the problem.” Said David Timms Friends of the Earth’s warm homes campaigner.

It is understood that landlords are unwilling to replace inefficient boilers in the present climate because it costs to much to replace.

The Chartered Institute for Environmental Health’s head of policy, David Kidney, said:
“The £145 million that the coldest rented homes cost the NHS each year is just the tip of the iceberg.“

A court heard how a Mother and her children rented a property from Mr Brown in 2006 with the support of Portsmouth city council, in 2009 amongst other things the council asked to see an up to-date gas safety check for the property, which Mr Brown had not supplied for over 2 years, as Mr Brown could not supply the certificate, the Council had no choice but to report him to the HSE for breaching his landlord duties with regards to gas safety.

HSE inspector Dozie Azubike said “Mr Brown flagrantly disregarded hos duties as a landlord”.

As a landlord it is your duty to have a Gas safety check carried out annually.

If your reading this your probably either in the process of getting a new boiler installed or your considering it, either way it’s a huge financial commitment, so being well educated on the matter is always a good idea, on that note i have compiled a check list if you will, outlining what you should know/consider before going through the mundane task of obtaining quotes.

1. What size boiler do you need? The average combi boiler comes in one of four sizes 24-25kw , 28-30kw, 33-35kw and 40kw, as a rule of thumb a 24-25 is ideal for most flats and any smallish 2-3 bed house with anything roughly up to 10 radiators, a 28-30 would be for a medium to large 3-4 bed house with up to 15 radiators, a 33-35 and a 40 kw would be for a large house with anything up to 20 rads. For hot water the higher demand (how much hot water you use) the higher kw (kilowatt) boiler required, however no combi boiler can cope with 2 showers running at the same time, dont take these figures as gospel they are just a guidline before getting your quotes in.
2. Location of boiler. The easiest and cheapest place for any boiler to be installed is in the same location as the old one, the reason for this is that the pipes are all in the vicinity, if your going from a combi to a combi then every pipe will be there, however if your converting from a system boiler to a combi( a sytem with a hot water cylinder and header tank), there is a good chance that the cold and hot water pipes will have to be “run” to the new boiler. A boiler can basically be installed on any wall as long as its near an outside wall in order for the flue to exit and a drain (explained later), also needed are gas,flow and return(radiator pipes), hot and cold water pipes.
3. A pipe must leave the boiler and exit in to a drain. All boilers by law must have a sedbuk efficiency rating of A or B, this means that they mut be “condensing”, all condensing boiler’s produce condensation, this condensation leaves the boiler (in liquid form) via a waste pipe, this waste pipe must exit in to a drain, either an outside drain or it can “tap” in to a sink/bath/washing machine waste inside the property, the pipe must have a downward slope of at least 5%.
4. What Brand and make of boiler to choose? I reccomend 5 boilers to my customers , Vailant eco-tec ,Worcester junior ,Baxi duo-tec and platinum and the Ideal Logic+. I dont think you will go far wrong with any of the boilers mentioned, the Vailant and Worcester are the most expensive but only come with a 2 year warranty, the Ideal Logic is the cheapest of the 5 but comes with a 5 year warranty, i reccomend getting some brochures (give me a call if you would like me to send you some) and really doing your research, but like i said any of the 5 im happy to reccomend.
5. What size is my gas pipe? If your a bit savvy with this sort of thing, or you have access to your old boilers installation instructions, then check the size of the gas pipe going in to the boiler it should be 22mm thick, if its 15mm thick it may need to be increased, make sure you ask the fella doing your quote to tell you the size, as your new boiler may not function properly if its too small.
6. What thermostatic controls do i need? With any new central heating system you must have a minimum of a room stat, the cheapest and best option is a wireless room stat. Contary to popular belief there are no laws stating that you must have thermostatic radiator valves ( i have contacted gas safe and had this confirmed), what they say is that an installer should reccomend them, to a customer and quote for them, but you dont have to have them, but i do advise getting them installed in bedrooms at least.
7. Getting the system flushed. your warranty will be void if your new boiler becomes damaged because of sludge from your system. To prevent this the system must be flushed, its also advisable to get a central heating filter installed which will help combat sludge build up for as long as its installed.
8. Water pressure. Every combi boiler has a minimum cold water flow rate requirement, it is vital that this is tested prior to the new boiler being installed
9. How long will it take? An average combi to combi exchange will take 6-10 hours (normally done in one day) a conversion (system boiler to combi) would normally take 2-3 days, so be prepared for at least one night without hot water or heating if getting a conversion
10. How much will it cost? The question everybody wants to know, as a rough guide a combi - combi exchange will cost between £1400 and £1800(inc vat) depending on size and type of boiler a conversion will be between £1900 and £2500(inc vat) this is a guide for North East companies if you live in London you can probably double it.

Thanks to everyone for reading this article and if you feel you need some more advice or would like a quote then you can visit our boiler installation page.

Article Written by Gas Angel Heating, Boiler installation Newacastle,Sunderland,Durham and Gateshead

Alpha boiler brochures

Baxi combi boiler brochures and installation instructions

Baxi system boilers

Baxi condensing back boilers

Gloworm boilers, combi and system

Halstead installation instructions and brochures

Ideal Boiler Brochures

Vailant installation instructions and brochures

Vokera boiler brochures, combi and system

Worcester-Bosch installation instructions and brochures

I will add some more when i find the time, if you have any requests then dont hesitate to ask, i will start a heating controls list also in due course.

plumber sunderland, plumber northumberland, plumber newcastle upon tyne, plumber gateshead

How do combi boilers work?

The hot water is provided via the cold water mains which passes through the boiler and is heated on demand, when I say “on demand” I mean if you want hot water you open a tap, the boiler then heats the water before it gets to the tap outlet, once you have finished washing the dishes or taking a bath, you turn the tap off, which sends a signal to the boiler (via a flow switch) and the boiler stops heating the water.

The Central Heating works in much the same way, the water is pumped around the central heating circuit when you “call for heat” via a room stat/programmer, once the required temperature is reached the boiler switches off. All combi boilers are now condensing which means that they cool down the flue gases to produce energy, which in turn improves efficiency and lowers running costs , this process causes a build up of condensation which is acidic, the condensate leaves the boiler via a plastic pipe and terminates in a drain or waste pipe (so bear in mind that you will need to site your new boiler near a drain).

New condensing combi boilers are fan flued, which means that they have a fan which is used to suck the fumes in to the outside air via the flue, this method increases the safety of your appliance, as the boiler will not “fire up” unless the fan is running.

Advantages over a system boiler

A system boiler is a central heating boiler which uses a hot water storage tank to store hot water until the user needs it, this is obviously costly, as unlike a combi you are heating the storage tank up regardless if your using the hot water or not, whereas with a combi its “on demand”, so the first advantage is its cheaper to run.

The second advantage is space, with a combi boiler you only have the boiler, and everything your system needs is contained within the one box, so the tank, 3 way valve, tank pipe work, header tanks, and anything else associated with a system boiler can be removed freeing up a lot of storage space in your home.

With a combi boiler you will often find an increase in pressure compared with your old gravity or fully pumped system (especially gravity fed) this does depend however on your cold water pressure.

Disadvantages of a combi boiler

For the life of me I can only think of one disadvantage of a combi boiler, and that is the hot water flow rate. In a nutshell a combi can only produce between 10 and 16 litres of water per minute (depending on boiler size), so if you had 2 showers that were often used at the same time, then I would advise against a combi, as one of the showers would run cold, as the boiler could not keep up with the demand. However if you have only one shower or one bathroom then I would recommend a combi, even if you did have 2 showers/bathrooms as long as you were happy to only have one in use at any given time, then a combi would still be the system I would recommend. A system boiler will give you as much hot water as you need due to the capacity of the hot water tank.

NOTE: Some combi boilers do contain small storage tanks, which can combat this problem to a certain extent.

I hope this article has broadened your combi boiler installation knowledge, and helps you make the correct decision, if you would like to discuss this article or just want something clarifying then feel free to give us a call by clicking here.

With the current economic climate a lot of homeowners and landlords are cutting back on
Gas servicing and safety checks, which for landlords is illegal as they must ensure the safety of
any tenants living in there premises by having a registered gas engineer carry out an annual safety check, and any servicing that is required. At this moment in time there is no legal requirement for homeowners to ensure gas appliances are safe, although they may be found liable should an incident occur due to a badly maintained appliance.

Often referred to as ‘the silent killer’ CO (Carbon Monoxide) fumes are particularly dangerous because they cannot be detected. You cannot see, smell or taste the fumes, which in extreme cases can kill without warning in a matter of hours, badly maintained gas appliances are one of the biggest causes, it only takes small measures to protect yourself from the silent killer.
One such measure is an audible CO alarm which will alert any occupants of a possible CO leak, you can obtain them reasonably cheaply (anywhere from £12-£50) both online and from many retail outlets.

To guarantee your safety a gas appliance service is recommended from a Gas Safe registered
engineer your nearest engineer can be found by visiting the Gas Safe website.
A service will identify any potential problems that can be caused from poorly maintained appliances, average cost is between £40-£100 (£55 in our case).

One of the main problems with detecting CO poisoning is that symptoms can mimic many
common illnesses, such as flu, tiredness and migraines. The HSE advise that key symptoms to
look out for are drowsiness, headaches, breathlessness and vomiting.
CO is produced when there isn’t enough air for the complete burning of carbon fuels such
as gas, oil and coal, which causes an excess of poisonous fumes.

If you believe you may be suffering from CO poisoning, you must immediately turn off all gas appliances and move you and any occupants to the outside air, next you must call the emergency helpline on 0800 111 999, and follow the instructions given.

Can you really put a price on you and your families safety?

This article was written by Gas Angel Heating a plumber in Newcastle

Here at Gas Angel we have devised a servicing and safety offer, That we strongly believe is the best value for money offer of its kind in the North East area. This offer will give you and your family complete peace of mind when it comes to Gas Safety in your home.

Whats included in the package?

Offer Price £95+vat

To book an appointment to receive this amazing offer, please click here

They are called C21web and they are fantastic, they designed my blog at a really good price and the level of service was fantastic, give them a call and ask for matthew. The most impressive think for me was that after my wordpress blog was finished, he guided me through all aspects of blogging and fully trained me on how to use the blog.

He also does wordpress websites which all look fantastic.

Anyway i have to go back to work now as we have 3 boiler installations going on simulataneously, so goodbye for now, and Matthew if your reading this thanks for all your help with this blog i really do appreciate it.

Dave

We get asked this question a lot, so I thought I would write this article so you can make a more educated decision.

By law you must choose a high efficiency condensing boiler with a Sedbuk rating of either A or B. A rated boilers have an efficiency of 90% and above and band B boilers have an efficiency of 86% - 90%.

The obvious benefits of a new condensing combination boiler are that they are a lot cheaper to run, and a lot better for the environment, there’s also a good chance that a new boiler installation will add to the value of your property depending on the condition of your old system/boiler.

There are many manufacturers of boilers around some better than others and the price often (but not always) reflects this, my personal recommendations for a good value reliable band A boiler is the Baxi Duo- tec, or Ideal logic +. The Duo-Tec was awarded Corgi and Which magazine boiler of the year in 2007 and has an efficiency of 91.5%, the Logic + is about the same price as the Duo-Tec but comes with a 5 year warranty as opposed to the Duo-Tec’s 2 year warranty., I personally think they are just as good as each other as I have fitted both, it just so happens that Baxi have a better reputation than Ideal. If you have money to burn then you could opt for a Worcester Bosh or Vailant boiler, but I don’t think they warrant the extra expense personally.

Whoever you choose to fit your new boiler must ensure that the following are carried out as part of the installation in order to meet all relevant regulations:

Thermostatic Radiator valves - Used to control each radiator individually and in turn will save you money

Room stat - Normally wireless and used to control the temperature of the room, saves money.

System flush - This is needed mainly for your boiler warranty, there’s two methods one is a powerflush and one is a hot and cold flush, in a nutshell the system must be clean fro sludge and magnetite build-up as newer boilers are more perceptive to sludge damage, another good idea is to get a filter fitted which offers long term protection.

Condensate pipe - on condensing boilers there is a need for a white pipe to leave your boiler and terminate in a drain or waste pipe, you must ensure this happens.

Notification - It is a requirement that your installer notifies the boiler installation with the building regulations.

This is a rough price idea, you shouldn’t really be paying outside these brackets as too cheap I would be wary and too expensive doesn’t necessarily mean a better standard of work, please bear in mind that we carry out boiler installations Newcastle so prices may vary on area.

Boiler exchange (combi boiler swapped for a new combi boiler) £1400 - £1800 depending on boiler
Conversion (back boiler or system boiler for a combi) £1900 - £2500 depending on boiler and location of new and old boiler.
System boiler for new condensing system boiler: £1400 - £1800.

I Always recommend a Combi boiler as opposed to a system boiler, as a combi offers you instant hot water and heating and does not need any tanks etc for it to operate, the only time i advise against one is if you have a high hot water demand as a Combi can only cope with a certain amount of hot water at the same time, so you normally couldn’t have two showers on at the same time for arguments sake.

I hope you found this article informative and if you have any questions regarding boiler installation or anything else, then please do not hesitate to give us a call, please bear in mind we only operate in the North East area.

]]> http://www.gasangelheating.co.uk/blog/135/feed/ http://www.gasangelheating.co.uk/blog/gas-emergencies-what-to-do-and-how-to-do-it/ http://www.gasangelheating.co.uk/blog/gas-emergencies-what-to-do-and-how-to-do-it/#comments Wed, 30 Dec 2009 13:03:31 +0000 admin http://www.gasangelheating.co.uk/blog/?p=125 Smell of Gas

If you smell gas then the first thing you need to do is locate your internal ECV (emergency control valve), it will be located

in close proximity to you gas meter and will look like this

As you can see when the handle is in line with the pipe, the gas is on, so turn it so it is horizontal to the gas pipe.

Next you need to call the emergency gas line on 0800 111 999, they will come out and make your property safe.

Suspected Carbon monoxide leak/incident

Unsafe gas appliances produce a highly poisonous gas called carbon monoxide (CO). It can cause death and serious long term health problems such as brain damage.

You can’t see it, taste it or smell it but it can kill quickly with no warning.

In the last year, 14 people have died from CO poisoning and 234 have suffered health problems from CO exposure. This poisonous gas is released when gas appliances are incorrectly fitted, badly repaired or poorly maintained.

An annual safety check by a Gas Safe registered engineer will make sure your appliances are safe. This will prevent you being exposed to low levels of CO.

What is carbon monoxide?

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a highly poisonous substance which is produced by the incomplete burning of gas and Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG).

This can happen if a gas appliance has been incorrectly fitted, badly repaired or poorly maintained or if flues, chimneys or vents are blocked.

You could be inhaling CO without realising it. You can’t see, smell or taste it, but at high levels it can kill you in minutes. Even breathing in a small amount can cause loss of consciousness and death.

Properly managed, gas is safe. Poorly managed, gas can produce harmful levels of carbon monoxide. So always use a Gas Safe registered engineer.

Oil and solid fuels such as coal, wood, petrol and oil can also produce carbon monoxide.

What is carbon monoxide poisoning?

Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning occurs when you breathe in even small amounts of the gas. You can’t see, smell or taste carbon monoxide so you won’t know it is there. You won’t necessarily notice the smell of gas.

If you breathe in CO, it gets into your blood stream and prevents your red blood cells from carrying oxygen. Without oxygen the body tissue and cells die.

Levels that do not kill can cause serious harm to health if breathed in over a long period. Paralysis and brain damage can be caused as a result of exposure to CO.

Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning

Being aware of the symptoms of CO poisoning could save your life.

Many of the symptoms of carbon monoxide are similar to those of flu, food poisoning, viral infections, or simple tiredness. It is common to mistake the symptoms for something else.

Remember the six main symptoms to look out for:

1. headaches
2. dizziness
3. nausea
4. breathlessness
5. collapse
6. loss of consciousness

Other signs that you may have CO poisoning:

• If your symptoms only occur when you are at home
• Your symptoms disappear or get better when you leave home and come back when you return
• If anyone else in your household is experiencing any of the symptoms (including your pets) and whether they appear at a similar time

If you have any of the above symptoms:

• Get fresh air immediately. Open doors and windows, turn off gas appliances and leave the house
• See your doctor immediately or go to hospital - let them know that you suspect carbon monoxide poisoning. They can do a blood or breath test to check.
• If you think there is immediate danger, call the Gas Emergency Helpline
• Get a Gas Safe registered engineer to inspect your gas appliances and flues to see if there is a dangerous problem

How do I know if my gas appliances are leaking carbon monoxide?

Your home may show symptoms of carbon monoxide, too. Any one of the following could be a sign that there is a build up of carbon monoxide and you need to have your gas appliances checked.

• The flame on your cooker should be crisp and blue. Lazy yellow or orange flames mean you need to get your cooker checked
• Soot or yellow/brown staining around or on appliances
• Pilot lights that frequently blow out
• Increased condensation inside windows

If you suspect that you have a faulty gas appliance in your home get it checked as soon as possible by a Gas Safe registered engineer.

It may also be an idea to buy a Carbon Monoxide detector(must be audible) although we do not sell them we can advise you on a

good one to purchase, call us on 0191 2893464, if you are unsure on any of the above.

THE ABOVE INFORMATION IS TAKEN FROM THE GAS SAFE WEBSITE.