looking for recommendations for installer of avanta my area

[tamz]

You have a misguided idea of manufacturer's training courses. They only last a short day and are mostly about sales promotion and a little information which is delivered but is in the book anyway.

Very unfortunately, they are primarily a SALES opportunity to promote their boilers. There is never any assessment so anyone attending could sleep through the whole day and still be added to their list of approved installers!!!

Tony

Very true Tony.
The manu's know the installers are mainly the ones with the choice of which boiler gets fitted and the training courses and installer approval along with freebies, is just a way of "hopefully" getting them on board to sell their stuff.
In the morning they show you the product(s), explain the sequence of operation and tell you how great they are and how little they break down and if they do break down what excellent level of service you will get.
Break for lunch then show you some little tricks to save time when servicing or fault finding (which can be interesting).
Repeat how great they are and how little they break down and if they do break down what excellent level of service you will get and give you a goody bag with some brochures, pens mugs and stickers etc. And a couple of contact numbers. All highly technical stuff

Any decent installer could flick through the book while having a cup of tea and fit the boiler no problem.
There is a bit of difference between fitting a boiler and fitting an engine.
A boiler just bolts to the wall in a particular way. A flue attaches in a general industry std way and the pipework attaches in a std way too. Upon commissioning again std practices are followed but with small differences between the manu's.
The installer will not be doing any work to the boiler other than fitting and commissioning so does not need to know the intricacies of each particular boiler.

I fit mainly Vaillants or WB and rarely have to look at the book as i have fitted hundreds so know the procedure off by heart.
If i am servicing/repairing them i may need to check the service book more often. Only because i mainly install.

 

[plumbnuts]

PM me. I can give you a quote and I live between Bromley and Orpington.

 

[Boilerman2]

To answer the softener question - Yes normally the sodium is washed away during regeneration, but like all things, softeners can go wrong, and it is not impossible for sodium to enter the domestic water system, it is for this and only this reason most water softerner manufacturers ask for a hard, or untreated water tap for drinking puposes

 

[thetrvone]

plumbnuts

PM me. I can give you a quote and I live between Bromley and Orpington.

I was not allowed to PM you, apparently we are not friends, but hopefully you should have received an email from me with my details

 

[Agile]

I was not allowed to PM you, apparently we are not friends, but hopefully you should have received an email from me with my details

If you want him to give you a quote then you should make friends again!

 

[Agile]

it is not impossible for sodium to enter the domestic water system, it is for this and only this reason most water softerner manufacturers ask for a hard, or untreated water tap for drinking puposes

I am not at all sure thats the main reason. A small trace of salt is not injurious to health when drunk as we add a lot of salt in cooking and the processed food makers add vast quantities in the canned soups etc.

Its the possibility of considerable salt in the softened water that would make any boiler with alloy parts a no-no for softened water to be used for filling and top up.

I suspect its mostly because the softener is not necessarily clear of bacteria which can probably breed well in the softener.

The other aspect is that for drinking water calcium is very beneficial both for the taste in my view and for the formation and retention of calcium in bones and teeth.

Tony



Salt in food from web:-

The health organisation Consensus Action on Salt and Health (Cash) analysed 575 ready-to-eat ranges and identified unhealthy amounts in household name brands including Batchelors and Heinz.

Soup is seen as a healthy light meal or snack alternative, but 99% of those surveyed contain more salt per portion than a packet of crisps.

Adults are advised to eat no more than 6g of salt a day, yet 10 products from EAT, a national chain of 98 sandwich shops, contained more than this. Its "very big" Thai green chicken curry soup has 8.07g in a 907g serving – as much as almost three McDonald's Big Macs and fries.

 

[thetrvone]

Agile

Its the possibility of considerable salt in the softened water that would make any boiler with alloy parts a no-no for softened water to be used for filling and top up.

Apart from cost why don't all manufactures use stainless steel, those that do seem to make a virtue of its use, are there down sides?

P.S. in all seriousness, how do you PM somebody who asks you to but does not not allow PM's from people who are not friends, I did search for how to PM on this forum but I can't find any information! could somebody direct me.
Regards

 

[tamz]

P.S. in all seriousness, how do you PM somebody who asks you to but does not not allow PM's from people who are not friends, I did search for how to PM on this forum but I can't find any information! could somebody direct me.
Regards

plumbnuts
[email protected]

 

[Agile]

Apart from cost why don't all manufactures use stainless steel, those that do seem to make a virtue of its use, are there down sides?

P.S. in all seriousness, how do you PM somebody who asks you to but does not not allow PM's from people who are not friends, I did search for how to PM on this forum but I can't find any information! could somebody direct me.

Regards

Stainless steel is not only expensive to make/buy but very difficult to fabricate, perhaps by a factor of 10 times!

But the best quality stainless virtually does not corrode and is also very tough and strong compared with aluminium alloys or copper.

The reality of the marketplace is that there are many people like landlords and social housing who want the cheapest product which is likely to last a few years. Ideal has pandered to that market for example.

Then there are the manufacturers at the upper end like Viessmann and Vaillant whose products are about twice the cost and use a stainless steel heat exchanger.

All three makers I have named above have had reliability issues over the last few years. The only maker who has managed to consistantly produce reliable boilers without any significant problem has been a smaller firm called Biasi. They have been selling a range of band A and B boilers using stainless steel in the A and partly in the B. Their products whilst not the cheapest are also not as expensive as the top brands.

Tony

 

[plumbnuts]

Thanks Tamz