18 year old Puma 80

[16vmini]

Ok , i have been on this forum quiet a few times over the years , and you guys have helped keep the Puma going , i just want to know if its still worth carrying on ... lol

1) Fan bearings are getting noisy
2) flow switch is sticking ( WD40 starting to not work )
3) seems to be overheating ,after using hot tap (turned off , about 3-5min later pilot light goes out )

now if i just had one issue i would go for it , but issues are racking up , just not sure if its time to change boiler ? if so any recommendations , assume there is no standards of pipe layout , so buying a new one that will just connect up is just a dream i guess

My wife is doing surprisingly well , and just keeps re-lighting it ...

But my kids are getting older now , (same age as boiler) and want leave them at home more , so a working boiler i need

so , do i

1) try attempt to fix myself
2) pay a engineer to fix
3) replace boiler

cheers

Matt

 

[bazdaman]

Defo replace at that age it has served you well to last this long!
Pipe layouts for the puma were different to the standard layout IIRC, its not a mega job to swap pipes round anyway (usually) some parts are going obsolete on the puma aswell.

 

[16vmini]

its taken allot of effort to make it last 18 years nearly as much effort as raising a child in that time,

can a normal man replace a boiler ? i guess someone official needs to connect gas up ?

 

[muggles]

A GSR Engineer needs to disconnect and make safe on the old one, and needs to do the gas, flue and condensate on the new one. Some will also insist on doing the hanging bracket so that they can be satisfied that it's properly attached to the wall!

 

[16vmini]

ok , cheers , is it really cheaper to do it yourself still ? ie get GSR to do his things , ? just wondering if i should just bend over and get British Gas in ?

 

[Plumber90]

ok , cheers , is it really cheaper to do it yourself still ? ie get GSR to do his things , ? just wondering if i should just bend over and get British Gas in ?

I hope that was a joke

 

[16vmini]

I hope that was a joke [/QUOTE]

what the bending over ? or getting british gas in

for kicks i am getting quote from them tomorrow lol , be interesting.

 

[FiremanT]

I hope that was a joke

what the bending over ? or getting british gas in

for kicks i am getting quote from them tomorrow lol , be interesting.[/QUOTE]


Bending over is your choice, but I would think twice about BG

 

[muggles]

Why British Gas? A local independent will almost certainly be cheaper (they can be as little as 60% of what BG want) and won't try to sell you a maintenance contract that you neither want nor need

 

[DP]

Not here to bash my fellow RGIs or BG.
What you need is understanding of what needs doing and then get people of your choice to price the job.

There are occasions where a cheap quote is just that- lot of corners cut resulting in an installation that is worst than boiler taken out.

Important things are properly cleaned system that cannot be done in couple of hours. A drain down is not a proper clean. Next, gas line size is important. Good controls lead to frugal gas use. A good boiler (-all boilers have their weak points) needs careful selection.

 

[Agile]

Overheating after using hot water is usually just the DHW demand switch sticking.

That can be repaired/replaced by a DIYer.

But opening the combustion area where the fan is located should not be attempted by a DIYer.

I do have to say that if asked to repair one like yours then I would be happy to repair it but would warn that it is old and should really be replaced within a couple of years!

Tony