Dead Boiler

[Kimberley88]

The boiler is a Glow worm Fuel save Mk 2 and yesterday it stopped working, no symptoms or anything it was OK in the morning and had gone out in the afternoon, I tried to light it and I am getting a spark but its not even lighting the pilot,

Can anyone advise where I start to work out the problem. Also as the boiler is about 20 years old I am going to replace it, previous advice on the forum suggests replace with normal boiler not condensing any suggestions to a good make, its a four bed house with 8 rads.

Thanks

 

[HarrogateGas]

You will HAVE to replace it with condensing.

 

[Kimberley88]

I have done some further investigation, gas is getting through and with the cover off I can light the pilot and it will stay lit. But if I put the cover back on (inner silver cover) it will not light. So I tried puting the cover part way on lighting it and then pushing cover back, the pilot goes out.

Any ideas please.

 

[HarrogateGas]

Yes i have a suggestion, turn the gas off and dont try to use the boiler till its is checked and repaired by a corgi engineer.

You have removed the combustion cover and are way out of your depth. Are you competent to check seals, check gas pressures, and check FSD's? Dont gamble with your own safety and pay someone who can repair it safely.

 

[Kimberley88]

Last Corgi man I employed charged me £195 for a part that I did not need and left me with a gas leak!

Anyway the problem is now fixed thanks for your help!

 

[Gasguru]

So why did you pay him?

I would never pay anyone who did not do a quality job and then tried to rip me off.

If any trademans overcharges just pay 'em a reasonable fee and if they don't like it kick 'em out and let them take you to court.

If customers had more b*****ks the cowboys wouldn't get away with it.

 

[jogger321]

err it would be nice to know what the problem was mate..we do read these forums to learn too!

 

[Kimberley88]

Paid him because he said it had been fixed. As it was a rental I only found out about the leak when the tenant called me, also same fault occurred.

So tell me how myself and other customers are supposed to know if a tradesman has done his job right? its nothing to do with having b****ks.

unfortunately there are a lot of rogue traders in all professions, watch the television and you soon see that despite them being caught, prosecuted or whatever they continue to trade.

I have no idea what the answer is, I tend to always get someone who is recommended to me but even thats not fool proof.

 

[Gasguru]

1. Know your boiler - its easy to read the manual or look on the web. Most boiler basics are faily simple. Yes it might be boring but it could save you a fortune.

2. Get an idea of how much the components are likely to cost before you call someone out - simple these days with the web. Then you won't get ripped off on parts. Engineers are entitled to make a reasonable mark-up if its van stock.

3. Stand next to him and watch him like a hawk. Its difficult for him to polish up that pump and claim its new when your only standing a foot away.

4. Contact the manufacturer - they may have a list of "approved" engineers that will have far more experience of your boiler.

5. Insist they do no fix no fee. (Unless its an unusual intermitent fault)

6. Tell them you won't pay for parts swapped out that don't fix the fault.

7. Avoid the large adverts in Yellow pages.

8. Get an invoice stating exactly the work carried out and the price of the parts.

9 Make sure the stopcocks etc are accessable and work - you won't have to call out emergency plumbers in a panic and pay exorbitant charges.

10 Ask diynot for a few pointers!

 

[Kimberley88]

Gasguru, good points worth remembering, this forum is excellent for information especially from those such as yourself.

 

[HarrogateGas]

Still the point of you tampering with combustion seals on your boiler needs addressing........

 

[kevindgas]

the points raised are good advice but i note that we are not being told what the job involved to cost that much
don't always assume you are being told the full story!
we offer a fixed fee repair service plus parts which we have to source and fetch yet still we get the rogue CUSTOMER who thinks that we are making a fortune at their expense when a lot of the time we are barely making a living.

 

[Gasguru]

Yes roque and cowboy customers are becoming increasingly common - probably inline with increasing personal debt. Just been paid for a sizeable job I carried out last November. Have known the customer for 5 years but that accounts for nothing. Persued one customer for almost a year until they paid.

Worst of all are the customers that turn round when you ask for payment and proceed to tell you how much credit card debt they have (typically 30K), the banks stopped their cheque account and they have no cash. So what , you think I'm a charity?

At that point I refuse to leave and start adding up the value of their TV, Stereo, etc. Really pi**es you off when they can afford to loose 3K a year depreciation on a flash motor sitting in the drive but won't pay your £60 bill.

Occasionally you have to escort them to the bank. Only once have I failed to get paid - the landlord did a runner abroad.

 

[Kimberley88]

The job I was on about costing £195 for a part was what he charged for two thermostats a hi and a lo? the cost of the labour was £100, the problem was the boiler had blown the fuse, (bearing in mind all I had to go on was the tenant saying I have no heating or hot water) so I just called in corgi registered bod, he called at my house saying job was done, the cost of parts and labour £295, I paid the man cash. I trusted he had done what he said. Tenant phones me up later saying he can smell gas. It jsut so happened I was in the pub and the landlord said xx is a plumber, so he went round tightened up the gas connection and stopped the leak, relit the boiler bang it blew the fuse, found a faulty connection. Sorted it lit the boiler and to this day never a problem. Plus he reckoned the stats had not been changed.

The point is the corgi man charged £295 for a job that he did not fix and for parts that cost a few pounds plus left a gas leak. If he had fixed it and all was well I would not have been bothered at the cost.

Yet a guy out of the pub fixed the problem in less than half an hour. Charged me £20 and had his drinks paid for the rest of the night. He drank for England.

The original chap did not even return my calls.

I am a car mechanic now theres a whole new can of worms

 

[Gasguru]

Asking for trouble - no prior knowledge of the thermostat price (probably no more than £30 the pair), not being present, not getting a fully itemised invoice, paying cash etc.

Did you report him to corgi and trading standards and follow it up?
Did you go and see him?


Don't get me started on car mechanics

Had complete brake failure 200 yards down the road from a garage (yes they'd forgotton to refil the brake fluid after a complete drain down)

Front wheel collapsed into the arch (they'd re-used a nyloc on the main hub bolt)

Complete rear brake failure (wrong flared tube nut used on the tee piece on the rear axle)

Parts "modified" instead of being replaced

Dis-covered the nuts were missing off the bottom ball joints (just after a hack round the Millbrook proving ground)

Various spanners found left around the engine bay.

Threatened on two occasions (including the alsations coming out), one garage brought out the heavy mob and grabbed the keys off me and impounded the car (it was a paint shop - the door didn't match)