Cistern Heater

[niall4473]

After years of badgering my parents to get their gas appliances serviced (I couldn't do it, my gas experience is all on industrial stuff, 200mm/200mb), they got British Gas in (not on my advice), who promptly condemned every appliance in the house, now my 79 year old parents are sitting in their coats with winter nearly here, I've given them an electric convector to heat the front room and they're using the immersion for hot water, but in wet weather they have no way of drying clothes as they previously used to hang stuff in the airing cupboard where the heat from the flue would dry stuff, I'm now worried sick about them (and feeling very guilty) as they can't afford to follow the advice of the BG guy who told them to have everything ripped out, get a multipoint put in (they don't even have central heating at present), can the cistern heater at least, be replaced? It's an ASCOT CT12N, mounted on an ordinary looking copper cylinder with a valve mounted on a steel plate between the stabbings to vary the amount of hot water produced and seems to work on a thermic syphon system as there is no pump, it has a maintained pilot light with no safety interlock if the pilot blows out, it seems to rely on the flue draught to suck the gas away which then requires a re-light with a match, I'm glad this one is condemned because it has given me kittens to think they were still using it. I thought it could be replaced with some modern equivalent but it seems I was mistaken. What can be done short of ripping their entire cistern out? If I were rich I'd pay for the work to be done but neither my sister or I have any money either.
I understand the BG bloke has a duty of care to maintain gas safety, but do they normally leave pensioners with no Heating, bathing water or cooker?
The cheeky so and sos' are still sending them an estimated bill based on their previous consumption!

 

[Whitespirit66]

Depending on your parents' financial situation, they may be elligible for a grant. I would start looking in this direction.

http://www.help-link.co.uk/ways-to-pay/warmfront-scheme

 

[CBF]

you could always get another RGI to look at it & see if it really is AR or ID as BG have a really bad habit of doing things like this, but yes if it is dangerious or againts the regs then they are doing the correct thing, the gas regs do not take into account age or money situation, as someone else said look into the grants available

 

[niall4473]

Thanks for your replies fellas.
I wasn't criticising the BG guys action in condemning the appliances, which I have said I fully agreed with, I just would have hoped that an organisation of that size which makes such a noise about 'looking after your world', would have offered some kind of support to vulnerable customers, I mean they didn't even reinstate the hole they made in the wall to inspect the flue. However all this is outside the scope of this forum I think, Does anybody know of a way to bring a gas cylinder heater up to modern spec without ripping the cylinder out? If no manufacturer makes an equivalent modern burner, Is there anybody out there i.e a gas ENGINEER who could modify the burner to use a modern gas valve with a safety interlock and certify it. I mean I could do that quite easily but it wouldn't be legal. In any case I'm not certified for domestic work.
Anyway if anyone has any constructive advice, I'd be very grateful, as for grants I'll make enquiries but in my experience people like my folks who work all their lives in order to pay their own way aren't usually entitled to anything. Thanks again.

 

[HERTS P&D]

How big is the house? Would it be worth them down sizing and making money for the future and move into a more modern house.

I only suggest this as I take it that your parents have lived there a long time.

Andy

 

[Terry7556]

my mother /i/law has tried but as she is not on any kind of benefit they will not offer her a install and she refuses point blank to bend the truth (hint hint)

 

[niall4473]

How big is the house? Would it be worth them down sizing and making money for the future and move into a more modern house.

I only suggest this as I take it that your parents have lived there a long time.

They've lived there since they got married in 1954 and will only leave in a box, in any case even if they wanted to, in order to sell their house they would have to give it away, my sister-in -law has been trying to sell her house near there for over 3 years now and shes had ONE viewer, its a three bedroom semi in a Lancashire town where there are no jobs.