Ideal Elan 40F Boiler Casing sealer

[dave01]

British Gas arrived today to carry out annual service of our central heating system. casing seal was found to be leaking. System has been switched off because parts are not available (obsolete) GC Part no 319046 Maker's Part no 189944033 Does anyone know how we can solve this problem without replacing the boiler? Thanks.
DH

 

[daveb99]

Had exactly the same recently with British gas with our Elan boiler.

In the end a reputable local firm (Boilercare, Hinckley) fitted a universal seal - no problems since.

I'd suggest giving Boilercare a call, ask for Tony, to find out where to source the universal seal from. I haven't got their number handy but Google is your friend here.

Good luck and let us know how it goes, whatever you do, don't let British Gas fit a new boiler!

Dave

 

[45yearsagasman]

Obviously that "universal" seal has been fully tested and approved by the manufacturers..............?
BG don't fit non standard parts unless they have been tested and approved fit for purpose.
You allow them to look after your boiler,but when given honest advice about the safety aspect you appear to doubt their advice.

 

[ironman1]

I've fitted universal seals many a time , no issues or they would'nt sell em , exact same as original , been in the trade long enough & know exactly how BG works , i've seen warning notices on appliances that should'nt of been there , they tell the customer parts arn't available when they are , standard of work is also to be desired .................my old man was 55 years in the trade & he had no time for em either , maybe it brushed off on me.

I could say more but i'll leave it for the mo , been in the trade almost as long as you.

 

[daveb99]

When the BG engineer was here he was on the phone to his mate, who I found out was the sales guy in the area....need I say more?

He told me the part was obsolete and couldn't be sourced - which may be true if you're a big fat inefficient company like BG - but I found a geniuine ideal part on the net, and called Ideal to check compatibility, within 30 mins of the so called engineer leaving me with a capped supply and switched off boiler.

The earliest the salesman could get to us was the following Tuesday - ie all weekend without heating.

Boilercare fitted a universal seal within 3 hours on the same day.

I don't think I need to say any more.

 

[ironman1]

Glad you got it sorted daveb99..................seems there's life after death.

 

[45yearsagasman]

I can't defend the actions of that particular engineer,and as long as the part is approved then you have saved yourself a wad of cash and inconvenience with no boiler and good luck to you.
What I do object to is Ironman inferring that BG engineers are dishonest and incompetent when it is far from the truth,so lets not start another BG slagging thread.

 

[ironman1]

What I do object to is Ironman inferring that BG engineers are dishonest and incompetent when it is far from the truth,so lets not start another BG slagging thread.

I say it like it is , i don't think any engineer worth his salts on here would disagree with me regards my above post..............................funny , was called into a job today wherby BG installed the boiler & controls 18 months ago , BG engineer visited property last friday due to breakdown & advised customer system needs to be cleaned & would charge xxxx , the problem was the way they installed the circulator (head down) , fitted a replacement 15/60 & all was good , would of thought BG would have cleaned the system when installing boiler & pipework. ..............this is one of many......................

 

[45yearsagasman]

Quote:- i don't think......You said it.......There are many BG guys on here who would take exception to your opinion. You quote one job out of many thousands they do.Like I said don't turn this into a slagging thread.I could quote many privateer jobs that were extremely poor but what would that prove.

 

[ironman1]

We'll leave it there while you think you're ahead.

 

[45yearsagasman]

Its not about that.This is a forum with the purpose of helping people with problems and not for professionals to have a go at one another.Cheers

 

[dave01]

I'm still having problems obtaining a seal. Purchased a seal suitable for Elan 80F but engineer understadnably refused to fit it because it was slightly different to original! Obviously there is a safety issue!

Contacted source suggested by Dave99 (thanks) but no luck.
Can anyone tell me where I can access a universal seal which will comply with safety regs? failing that we will have to replace our boiler.
Thanks . Dave01

 

[Agile]

There are generic seals available for older boilers.

These are not approved by the manufacturers because they want to sell new boilers not keep obsolete models going when they should really be replaced.

BG engineers are not encouraged by their management to use any parts which are not stocked by BG. In fact they would be told off rather than being thanked for keeping an old boiler going for a few more years.

An independent can make their own judgement and decide if they will fit these alternative parts or not.

Tony

 

[dave01]

Where can I access one of these generic seals? Thanks Dave1

 

[Agile]

I expect that Parts Centre may well stock them but they will ( should ) not sell them to anyone who does not have a Gas Safe card.

Tony