De-sooting Warm Air / Circulator

[Soggy_weetabix]

After spending 4 hours today doing said job, I feel that WAU/C should be outlawed and wet chs installed.

Anyone else agree?

Not good for the environment surely as they must only be 65% efficient.

Dave

 

[gas4you]

Soggy you really are a rare breed, got a warm air ticket and like working on worcesters

I've always avoided the warm air ticket, but did condemn one once through no purpose ventilation after servicing the water heater. Customer said 'could you look at my boiler while you are here?' Once I'd seen it told her I couldn't touch warm air, but now I'd seen it had to turn it off with her permission.

 

[corgiman]

I love WA

easy to service (with a cannister of compressed air bloody easy )

easy to work on

easy to change parts

easy to change units

and I am the only buggerr in my area that WILL work on em

lmao

 

[clf-gas]

Love working on these myself, plenty of room.

Only got six on my books now though, all Johnsons

 

[namsag]

Used to have hundreds in my area all ended up J/S modair with janus 3 circulators piece of cake to work on and repair but got to admit desooting circ was a messy business.. Only the odd one or two left now and not worked on one for several years now. Won`t be wasting any money doing that module in a few weeks

 

[ollski]

Don't mind the J&s too much but the balmforth are a nightmare, if the pilot starts to burn a little yellow it clogs the hx. Went to one not too long ago where even two rooms away the ceiling was coated with a fine dusting of fume residue. Every time I banged the hx another cloud of soot fell from the hx

Ventilation is the issue with these things, most round here are ventilated through a 100cm2 periscope in the ducting in the loft with a warm air outlet in the kitchen in which the wau lives in a compartment with u /s compartment vents....catagorized that correctly

 

[nickso]

i have hundreds of the bloody things here.

im with soggy.....WA is the worst invention ever. its the only boiler type that im scared of in a safety sense. just what were they even thinking about putting POC's into a thin metal casing that gets air circulated around it to be wafted off to the entire house to poison every room should a crack appear.....pure genius

i also dislike the fact that all that dust and crap that you brush out of the unit is mostly the customers leftover skin and god knows what else i know we do a messy job but thats too much for me.

 

[simond]

I think warm air is marvellous and wherever possible we advise our customers to keep it.

It is the most efficient form of space heating available, and as such, is exempt from Part L.

Converting an old 'on/off' system to a new Johnson & Starley System ET or modairflow with a modulating fan and pulsing gas valve will liberate significant comfort benefits and is reported (by BG) to be accurate down to 0.1C.

Most issues with warm air are down to installation or ignorance rather than the concept. For instance, many warm air heaters are capped off because there is no ventilation - when under certain circumstances the combustion air can be legitimately derived from the return air.

The 2000-on Economaire units are room sealed fan flued so address any concerns you could have over open flued appliances.

There is nothing intrinsically wrong with warm air; you can modulate it, filter it down to less than 1 micron to even remove tobacco smoke, it doesn't get full of sludge or leak, and it warms up almost immediately.

We are even installing them with unvented cylinders; I'm a great fan, if you will pardon the pun......

 

[ollski]

For instance, many warm air heaters are capped off because there is no ventilation - when under certain circumstances the combustion air can be legitimately derived from the return air.

How can you cap an appliance off for being at risk?, as I say ventilation is a minefield there is no official guideline on providing combustion air into the return air and even then depending on how it is ducted you still need to work out all the vent and return air grill sizes, plus of course they will have a half hearted attempt at compartment vents which makes them cross ventilated.....godawful things.

 

[Agile]

I do have to say they are not my favourites!

However I have to say that there are still several people who like them in use.

My usual encounter with them is when they are being taken out to fit a wet system.

I once diagnosed a holed HE in a unit and I later watched the builder replacing the HE which was quite a long job.

Tony

 

[ollski]

I once diagnosed a holed HE in a unit and I later watched the builder replacing the HE which was quite a long job.

Tony

In most cases a very high asbestos hazard aswell Tony.

 

[simond]

Ok, where is the asbestos hazard in a J&S Warm Air heater? (As these are the only units you can get new HEs for?).

Surely this 'very high hazard' you referring to is not the seal tape around the edges?

Finally, whilst a unit should not be capped unless evidence of spillage is seen, it is common practice amongst those who possess an irrational fear of the medium to cap it 'to be on the safe side' when ventilation is not obvious.

 

[Soggy_weetabix]

There is a road on an estate in the town I live, that still (mostly) has the Halsteads installed.

No fan, just a column in the centre of the house for warm air, and the pilot on the circulator is controlled by a bi-metal strip.

They look like a dustbin on a burner.

David

 

[namsag]

Halsteads got to be close on forty year old. Solid big beast of a unit. Have not seen one for about 20 years or a duct air with it`s fuseable link.

 

[stem]

I noticed that in North America most people seem to have warm air heating (hence furnace not boiler) in their homes and in the depths of winter they leave it on 24/7. Some, but not all use the ductwork for A/C in the summer. They think ugly steel radiators are for low grade public buildings.

So wet in the UK, warm air in the USA. Wonder why?