Ideal Classic ff280

[bobdabuilda]

I currently have an ideal classic ff280 boiler installed in my home but my gas usage graphs from eon are showing ridiculous increases on a monthly comparison basis to last year. As an example September was up 130% and it wasn't even a cold month! In fact all through the summer the usage was up over 25%from May to August. I am wondering whether the meter is at fault but eon want £100 to check it!

The only other thing I thought of, was that the boiler is deteriorating, as it is now 13years old. One thing I have noted is a strong smell of gas in the emissions from the external boiler vent. Given that it is old and inefficient is this normal or should the boiler be checked oot? How much would a replacement boiler be?

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

Firstly when was it last serviced? Strongly recommend you find a decent Gassafe engineer, who understands boilers, to come and service it. Mention the gas consumption etc when booking a visit. A service will give you peace of mind that the boiler is safe, and may well help lower the gas consumption as the appliance will be working more efficiently.

Check your meter against the bill, its not unknown for suppliers to make an error in calculations, charging for consumption in cubic metres when the meter is an older type measuring in cubic feet. (Which means you get charged about 3x more than you should be!)

Personally I would hang onto it for as long as possible, when looking at a new boiler you need to factor in cost of boiler, possible requirement to upgrade gas supply from meter to boiler, system clean etc. The newer condensing boilers are proving more problematic than their predecessors, various threads running on the forum about this at present. With the cost of a replacement and possible repair bills, it may take some time to recoup any saving on gas bills if at all!

 

[bobdabuilda]

Thanks for the reply. I will check the meter units but as the house was only built in 1997 I suspect it will be the new type. The boiler hasn't been serviced for 10 years but it has always run fine and to be honest has never thrown up any faults. The CH system has been flushed and cleaned by myself and I am going to fit a magnaclean shortly. After reading the forums I agree with your sentiments re the cost benefit ratios.

 

[onlyfitidealboilers]

10 years. goodness me would you buy a brand new car an not get a service for 10 years!

if gas appliances are not serviced they call kill

 

[bobdabuilda]

10 years. goodness me would you buy a brand new car an not get a service for 10 years!

if gas appliances are not serviced they call kill

I take your point but I think car servicing is a poor analogy as they are subject to a yearly MOT after three years and the service is mostly a ripoff for a basic oil/filter change and plugs if you're lucky- any of which can be done by a monkey! The difference being I would happily do any car maintenance but would not touch gas appliances for safety reasons and not being registered to do so. I have been told that these boilers are renowned for being bullet proof as there isn't a great deal to go wrong mechanically. The boiler is vented externally and the house is fitted with smoke and carbon monoxide detectors so as far as I can see the worst that could happen would be a breakdown rather than an explosion or internal gas leak. Have you come across such problems on a regular basis?

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

Problem with lack of servicing if gas appliances is as the boiler ages, like everything, parts deteriorate and dont function as well as they should. I would even venture a guess that a thorough service will lower your gas consumption! Few sane people would put their family in a car with no MOT on it yet, will happily leave the boiler running for years in the house with no checks! To your credit you have a CO detector, many havent, but this is no substitute for proper maintenance. CO is the silent killer, you cant see or smell it, you just fall asleep and never wake up, this is the REAL danger from gas appliances.

Dirt and deposits build up inside the boiler, causing poor performance. Its like driving a badly maintained car, wrong tyre pressures, binding brakes, all make the engine have to work harder to move the car, thus using more fuel. A badly maintained car can kill, likewise a gas appliance as said. Whilst a boiler may work, look at a service as you would a MOT for a car. It checks the condition of the appliance and any faults affecting safe operation are noted and can be repaired. Should the appliance be 'unroadworthy' the engineer has a legal obligation to disconnect it until it can be made safe.

 

[bobdabuilda]

I am not dismissing the fact that it should be serviced just don't like the car analogy! I guess it's all relative as basically even an MOT is no guarantee of the safety of the car 1 second after it leaves the garage. At least with the car you usually have a sign of something going wrong like the brakes binding or odd noises from a wheel bearing which directly affect its performance. The point I am trying to make is that its easier to tell your car is on the blink than a problem with an otherwise working boiler and maybe this explains peoples complacency with not getting it checked regularly. ie a case of 'out of sight, out of mind'

Perhaps there should be a government directive analogous to the MOT which makes it mandatory for people to get their gas appliances certified safe annually. I'd support that and in the meantime will get my boiler serviced forthwith. Any idea of what the ballpark cost is for a service?

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

I agree with your last statement, but having already had condensing boilers thrust on us by the last government they've already caused enough chaos! It is actually a mandatory requirement for all rental properties to have a 'Landlords Gas safety check' on an annual basis. This doesnt extend to private dwellings though.

I am assuming you may work with cars, and there's plenty who know as much about cars as they do boilers.... There's no doubt drivers who, as long as the car starts, and drives, dont bother from one month to the next to check oil, water levels etc, then wonder why it breaks down..... I know someone who was complaining about an expensive repair bill on their car. When asked had it been making any strange noises they said "Yes. It was annoying, so I turned the stereo up to drown it out"......

 

[bobdabuilda]

No I don't work with cars but I work on the most complicated machines in the world, take a guess!
Lol at the stereo being turned up!

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

Cant be women, they're not mechanical.... (Just complicated!) At least machines can be worked out logically.