Buying an old oil boiler - recipe for disaster?

[steveharman]

Hi,

I've been offered an old oil combi boiler via a family friend which has ten years of regular servicing by an OFTEC engineer and is made by Grant (am finding out the precise model...). It's only being taken out of service as their village now has gas available so they're switching.

Cash is tight for us at the moment & we'd been looking around for a second hand oil combi for our own house. Are we wise to avoid one that's 10 years old or should a well made, regularly serviced example be a relatively good bet albeit perhaps not as efficient as a brand new condensing model.... I'm assuming a 10 year old oil boiler won't be as efficient... ?

Thanks,

Steve

 

[simond]

You are going to get a wide range of differing opinions on this one.

Humping oil boilers around is quite labour intensive and for the money I would spend the extra and have a new one.

The water quality in the system is important and this is an unknown..... just because it has had an annual service doesn't mean anything in this regard.

So my advice would be - avoid.

The efficiency difference won't be that significant, but the maintenance costs will be.

 

[bengasman]

Good or bad idea is a matter of opinion, legality is not; no two ways about it: it is illegal to install it.

 

[mattylad]

What is your current heating system?
And are you on any benefits?

There are grants available changing from electric/oil to gas heating.
I just got £1300 knocked off the cost of installing my gas boiler as I had electric storage heaters.

 

[steveharman]

Really? Illegal to have our OFTEC engineer install an oil boiler of that age?

Wouldn't that mean that the resale market for old oil boilers would be pretty much non-existent?

Thanks though, I'm intrigued....

Steve

 

[bengasman]

Really? Illegal to have our OFTEC engineer install an oil boiler of that age?

Wouldn't that mean that the resale market for old oil boilers would be pretty much non-existent?

Steve

The market for class-A drugs and smuggled fags is pretty buoyant, doesn't mean it is legal.
As for the market for second hand boilers, I wasn't aware there was one outside the polish community.

 

[steveharman]

Interesting. It's for the house we're about to move into / renovate where funds permit. Currently it has a solid-fuel Rayburn in the kitchen for hot water and AFAICR no other heating to speak of. Maybe an elderly storage unit in one of the rooms.

I've heard of grants in the past but always been put off by thinking "so we get ~£1000 off but need to use such & such an installer, with so & so equipment.... that costs more than the saving"

But what do I know...

Steve[/i]

 

[Terrywookfit]

To comply with building regs it is not allowed.(part L).
I personally would not fit it (Unless it was free and in my own house)
The new condensing boilers are not much more efficient any way.
If you tell no one then who is to know.
As previously mentioned it depends on the condition of the system it has been working on.

 

[steveharman]

Having read up on Building Regs Part L, I begin to understand the comment from earlier with regard to fitting an old boiler as being 'illegal'. The old (Grant Combi 70) boiler in question isn't a high(er) efficiency condensing model so therefor doesn't make the grade as far as the Regs are concerned.

Does this mean I can't ask my oil man to fit the boiler (i.e; I wouldn't want to get him into any trouble) or that strictly speaking the house wouldn't comply with building regs if he did fit it (but that's my problem).

Just curious...

 

[bengasman]

Does this mean I can't ask my oil man to fit the boiler (i.e; I wouldn't want to get him into any trouble)

Never thought of it that way, but legal nitpicking would make it "soliciting to commit a criminal offense" which in itself is an offense.
In the real world, this is of course nonsense. But he would be violating the rules if he installed the boiler.


or that strictly speaking the house wouldn't comply with building regs if he did fit it (but that's my problem).

[/quote]

Here is what could well become a pitfall for yourself.
The original HIP had provisions where you could not sell your house if you could not prove the gas and electric was installed by a registered installer.
This was scrapped, but can very easily be unscrapped if brown would smell political gain.

On the whole the chances you will get caught are small, but it is very clearly illegal.

 

[Deleted member 105431]

I have noticed the price of condoms has gone up lately; would it be a good idea to reuse the ones left on the pavement in the local red light district?

 

[bengasman]

I have noticed the price of condoms has gone up lately; would it be a good idea to reuse the ones left on the pavement in the local red light district?

No absolutely not.
Get the bitch pregnant, and 9 months later you have a nice council house and jobsecurity for 20 years.
Or at least income security.

 

[mattylad]

Steve, look into it.
You ought to qualify for a grant with that heating.

Here.

Even more if you get any of the defined benefits

 

[Tipper]

I remember a few years ago I went to service an oil boiler and it turned out the owner had just installed it himself and he wanted it to be set up.

The installation was OK but he thought he had bought a 5 year old used boiler. He seemed shocked when I told him they hadn't made the model he had bought for 20 years!!

Another customer wanted to buy a second hand boiler to replace his old coal-fired monster. Amazingly this guy had 2 bugattis ( one valued at £1million!!) and a ferrari or two in his garage but was too tight to buy a new boiler!

Best to keep away from second hand boilers in my opinion.