Boiler previously condemned ?

[picbits]

Well this is a Potterton Prima F 50

For 2 years after we moved in, it had trouble igniting, would sometimes take up to half an hour before the boiler lit constantly cycling.

There is also a bit of flu missing (the bit that goes in the middle) - there is just a hole there when all the others I've seen have had some kind of restrictor.

I solved the problem with the ignition - turned out to be three dried out capacitors so for the sake of a quids worth of parts and 20 minutes of my time sorted that but I'm just a bit cheesed off that the previous owner might have tried to cover up a potentially dangerous problem.

But like I said - old boiler out next month and new boiler being fitted (and that flaming thermal store removed as well !!!)

 

[mickyg]

I don't know why your replacing the boiler. The prima is a very reliable boiler. You have already fixed its most common fault on the pcb. The flue has corroded on the outlet, again a very common problem for this boiler. This would be classified as being At Risk, the consumer would be advised not to use the boiler and a warning label would be affixed to the appliance as well as a warning notice being issued. So your suspicions were correct. The missing fins would allow debris to get into the inner flue, as well as birds while it was not in use, and more crucially, further corrosion of the inner flue duct would result in recycling of POC causing incomplete combustion. However, Potterton make a remedial kit for this problem, which costs about £30 and takes about 5 minutes to fit.

A Cp12 would have highlighted the At Risk situation and the seller could have been asked to rectify the problem before the purchase.

 

[picbits]

Boiler is being replaced as the system includes a thermal store which has rotted at every seam, joint and connection, the immersion has corroded through and is dripping water, the thermostat on the thermal store fell to bits so I've got a "strap on" doing the job at the moment.

With a cost of around £1k to replace the thermal store plus a couple of hundred to get the boiler sorted out and serviced and no guarantee that the boiler is going to last much longer or whack in a new combi boiler and heat the water as we need it (plus gain some cupboard space).

 

[mickyg]

fair enough. Didn't realise it was connected to a rust bucket
Hope its a high flow combi, don't wanna end up with poorer performance than you've got now. would be a tad dissapointing

 

[picbits]

We tend to try and save water rather than pretend we're in an Amazon rainforest

I measured the flow of a shower I was having (roughly) and it was less than 10 litres a minute (around 8 max)

 

[mickyg]

We tend to try and save water rather than pretend we're in an Amazon rainforest

I measured the flow of a shower I was having (roughly) and it was less than 10 litres a minute (around 8 max)

thats ok then, you'll be fine

 

[picbits]

If I could find an 18Kw combi boiler that would limit the wife to not having everything on full I would

We've got a 4 bed detached house which is reasonably well insulated but only use 2 bedrooms for most of the time, have a bath maybe once a year (showers are the norm here) so don't need anything over the top.

Probably putting in a Remeha 28C - we don't have more than one shower in operation at any one time (3 people shower in the morning) and hot water demand is normally limited to an hour window in the morning and a sinkfull of water in the evening for washing what doesn't fit in the dishwasher.

I'd like to go up to a 35 or 39 but funds don't allow (at all !) and we've had a 28Kw before in our previous property and found it more than adequate for what we use it for.

 

[bengasman]

...we don't have more than one shower in operation at any one time (3 people shower in the morning)

Must be a fair sized shower stall.

 

[Boilerman2]

If your max flow rate for hot water is 10ltr/min, then the Avanta 28c will be ideal, going for the 35c or 39c would just be wasting your money, the 28 will heat the hot water at your stated flow rate easily