Condenser boiler rust

[Rashish]

Hello,

I'd like some advice about boilers please.

I recently moved house and asked British Gas to come and service the boiler. When the engineer took the casing off there was rust at the top. BG rans all the emissions tests and everything was funtioning fine, only problem was the rust which shouldn't be there. BG put a sticker on it telling us not to use it or if we do, its at our own risk. They then sent another BG man round to give us a quote for full replacement - very expensive!! We didn't get a good feel from the engineers who visited - got the feeling they were happy to rinse us for a big new system with as many extras as possible

So, I also got a local plumber out to take a look. Very genuine guy who seemed to know what he was talking about, with many years experience. He said rusting in the casing is a typical problem for older versions of condenser boilers where some condensation form outside the flue and runs back along the outer tube of the flue (i.e. there is no issue with the seal on the emissions pipe). He said that the boiler was not unsafe and we could use it. sprayed some WD40 on the rusty bits and the fan and said we should think about replacing within the next yr or so but for now its ok to use which gives us time to save up. He also looked at some other bits BG had highlighted and also said they looked fine, no signs there was anything wrong with them.

So, that sounded good for us and we've been using the boiler since then. But, I did have a google online to see if there was any info about this "common problem" and didn't find a lot so would appreciate any extra advice.
The boiler is Ideal Minimiser SE, probably about 10-15yrs old.

Thanks

R

 

[petit_pablo]

Lets start with the minimiser isnt condensing.

Not unusual to see the insides of a minimiser rusty, it will have leaked at some point in its life. If there isnt any sign of a water leak at present then the problem wont really get any worse.

It wouldnt be a bad thing to consider replacing the boiler at some point, the minimiser is a dog of a boiler.

 

[mysteryman]

Minimisers were condensing when I was fitting them - with weather compensation, naturally. If the outer casing is not rusted through, and is therefore airtight, you should be OK.

 

[nickso]

minimiser is a condenser.

it's also a pig.

rust on the inside of the case is usually caused by the flue tube being rotten. if it's the larger model (80?) then its difficult to see the tube and in most cases harder to change. i have left them at risk before for severe corrosion to the case.

you have had two opinions. choose the one you like most or get another.

 

[Andygasman2010]

Yea it's certainly a condenser, i'm sure our resident BG slave as he calls himself will correct that soon!

As already said... it's not unusual to see corrosion inside one of these things. So long as it passes it's checks you're ok to use it but i'd be thinking of replacing soon.