Old boiler with a flame!

[Scud14]

Hello guys...
I have recently moved to a new house and this house got a very old boiler.
It is Ideal Standard E series.
It has a dialer with off, 1,2,3,4,5
There is a small windows in it where i can see a small flame which is ON ALL THE TIME! even when i put it on OFF.

The first day I moved into the house, I took the meter reading.
It was like: 2723512, and I left the house WITHOUT SWTICHING IT ON, so it was off for the whole day, except that flame was still ON.
Next day, I checked the meter and it was 2723617

The questions:
1) Is that increment in the meter reading too much for just one day, for a switched off boiler?
2) Is there any manual or guide to tell what hotness degree represent the numbers 1-5?

Do you recommend getting a new boiler?

In my previous house, the boiler I used to have had the following features:
- Separate hot water degree for central heating from tap water
- You set the temp. for central heating or the hot water with digital dialer
- Eco mode, this puts the boiler on stand by, and doesn't boil water until you turn the tap on or start the central heating.

Could you please advise? are the new boilers have the same always-on flame? any tips are highly appreciated.

 

[bengasman]

The questions:
1) Is that increment in the meter reading too much for just one day, for a switched off boiler?

It is what it is.

2) Is there any manual or guide to tell what hotness degree represent the numbers 1-5?

No

Do you recommend getting a new boiler?

Depends what your priorities are.

 

[ianniann]

i can see a small flame which is ON ALL THE TIME!

It's called a pilot light. Maybe you aren't old enough to remember those

Is that increment in the meter reading too much for just one day, for a switched off boiler?

You will have to find out whether your meter is reading cubic feet or cubic metres. I assume you are including the last two digits, so that your reading is just over 1 unit in a day (12 hours?). That is way high if it is 1 cubic meter and about what I'd expect for a pilot light if it is cubic feet.

It is rarely a quick return on investment to replace a reliable working boiler. The pilot light itself will cost you about fifty quid a year to run (assuming 2 cubic feet a day) and that cost just doesn't exist with a new boiler. In addition, a new boiler will save you 20%-40% on your gas bill. You will have to decide whether it is worth replacing, but a full cost analysis generally says not until it starts to break down or not meet your needs in some way.

Separate hot water degree for central heating from tap water , etc

Do you have a cylinder for your hot water or is this a combi boiler?

 

[Agile]

Isn't an Ideal Standard E series a heat only boiler?

 

[ianniann]

Isn't an Ideal Standard E series a heat only boiler?

I don't think we've quite got to the bottom of the plumbing in this new house, but the basic story is still the same. It is old and it is inefficient but it still costs a few grand to get it replaced.

 

[bengasman]

It is old and it is inefficient but it still costs a few grand to get it replaced.

But you could use that opportunity to install Weather Control!

 

[Agile]

It is old and it is inefficient but it still costs a few grand to get it replaced.

Prices are usually lower in Manch.

But here in London few heat only boiler replacements come to much more than £1500.

Tony

 

[bengasman]

But here in London few heat only boiler replacements come to much more than £1500.

Tony

That is because London is full of ****, ****, and ****

 

[Scud14]

You will have to find out whether your meter is reading cubic feet or cubic metres. I assume you are including the last two digits, so that your reading is just over 1 unit in a day (12 hours?). That is way high if it is 1 cubic meter and about what I'd expect for a pilot light if it is cubic feet.

I will find out and let you know.
the readings i added was not including the first digit on the right which runs fast like counter or something.

It is rarely a quick return on investment to replace a reliable working boiler. The pilot light itself will cost you about fifty quid a year to run (assuming 2 cubic feet a day) and that cost just doesn't exist with a new boiler. In addition, a new boiler will save you 20%-40% on your gas bill. You will have to decide whether it is worth replacing, but a full cost analysis generally says not until it starts to break down or not meet your needs in some way.

In my opinion, I prefer to get a new one for many reasons.
The first and most important is I can't trust that flame! I always think it releases fume or gas and it is just not safe to have it running like that. When I put my nose near the boiler, I can smell kind of gasy smell.
The second reason, is with this boiler, the first heating option which is #1, heats the water to above than warming degree which I don't need! I thought the first degree meant warm water, but it heated the water to a higher degree that you can not leave ur hand under it for 5 seconds.
what do you think?

Do you have a cylinder for your hot water or is this a combi boiler?

It is combi.

one more thing mate...
There is a little control panel with Siemens brand on it. it should control the central heating and the hot water. it has the following settings:
* central heating:
- off
- on twice a day
- on the whole day

- hot water:
- same the above

what i did, is i put both on OFF, but when i put the boiler dial on (1).
it heated the tap water!! shouldn't that control panel override or what?!

 

[simond]

Years ago, I used to work for a very large UK company. We had a company intranet where you could look up other people's job titles.

We found a bloke in Cardiff who had managed to officially list his job as 'Chaos Pumpkin Head'.

I wonder whether the OP is this man?

 

[gerbilplay4]

This isn't 125 The Street in Rushmere St. Andrew you're talking about lol?? When I moved in there to get one of these I thought it was the only one still in exitance, didn't replace it though (too bigger job)...

These boilers are always rubbish. Mine only heated the downstairs of the house (there was no heating upstairs) and the heating that did work was only heating half way up as it was a gravity system.

Have you checked for carbon minoxide leaking? Don't mean to worry you, but that's the first thing I do with an older boiler. You don't need anything fancy, just one of those pad things you stick on the wall.

Don't really know about the degrees, just that 1 is barely noticable and 5 is "supposed" to be really hot (in mine the hottest setting still made no difference). Anyway, I never touched mine because the amount of times I had to get someone round to fix it, I always just left it the way he left it!

And trust me, that boiler reading for one of these will always be high. The reading you've got is relatively low for one of these. They are so uneconomical because you have no way of actually turning it off. If that little blue flame goes out completely, you've got a problem, so that's why in theory they're always on.

First thing to do: add a new boiler to your checklist!

Good luck!

 

[mickyg]

why don't you get someone around to service it, then they can alleviate all your concerns. The boiler is old and inefficient, but reliable and there is no reason to suspect it to be unsafe. Most thermostats on those old boilers usually equate to a temp range of 62-82C from min-max, or 1-5 in your case. If the clock is off nothing should heat up. Its possible you've got the immersion heater on. It should be pointed out to save confusion that this is a heat only floor standing boiler. You will have a hot water tank somewhere, can't imagine you haven't noticed that !

 

[DP]

And, it is not a COMBI.

Get the boiler serviced, you will be OK once that is done. Service means service not a dusting with a feather duster.

Boiler is not very efficient but is build like a brick outhouse. Modern boiler will be very efficient but build quaility is like a modern house, nil bricks in the outhouse. When the proposed boiler goes belly up, your trousers better have deep pockets.

Another option is get the controls upgraded, go for fully pumped CH and HW (if present is gravity hot water) and replace the cylinder if your hot water cylinder hass a red jacket. By doing this you will have modernised your system somewhat to then go for a replacement boiler when the Ideal really bites the dust.

 

[Nige F]

But here in London few heat only boiler replacements come to much more than £1500.

Tony

That is because London is full of ****, ****, and ****

Toms , Jack ,and Dannys

 

[Scud14]

it is not 125 The Street in Rushmere St. Andrew

Mickyg, i found the tank of the hot water.

when i said combi, i meant my old house's boiler