We have an old Wilson boiler not a wall flame but the older wick type like an Aga oil conversion. This has performed reasonably reliably for nearly 50 years with yearly wick replacement. It heats part of a 5 bedroom house, by a single pipe gravity system with no controls, supplying 6 radiators, a towel rail and the hot water cylinder. A local plumber has diagnosed loss of gas from the bellows in the control unit and declined to recommision the boiler. Spares are unobtainable for this boiler.
Current suggestions are;
1.Fit a control unit from an Aga. These units seem to be available with a flow rate of 4 to 8 cc/min.
2.Replace the boiler with a non condensing boiler as it will work the single pipe system using a pump. The problem is this tradesman says he can't fit a non condensing boiler due to current building regs. Installing a condensate drain would be tricky but possible and the existing chimney discharges above the ridge so neither of these will give exemption. Can the cost and disruption of replacing the single pipe system be used as grounds for fitting a non condensing boiler.
3.Replace the whole system with a 2 pipe system because pumping a single pipe system will pump past the radiators giving a high return temp and cause a new boiler to cycle excessively. Is this the case?
4.Fit a new combi boiler. A grant has been offered for this system but only for 5 rads and hot water. Advice from others is against a combi in our hard water area. No choice has been offered in the type or size of system. A man was sent along by the grant people who said this is what his men will do. Is this the way the grant system works? Shouldn’t there be a choice of contractors and a option to contribute more to the cost and get an equivalent system to the one being replaced.
5.Fit a pressure jet burner into the burner chamber of the Wilson in the same way as pressure jet conversions to Aga and other vaporising burner appliances.
Has anyone experience of any of these issues or any other suggestion
Current suggestions are;
1.Fit a control unit from an Aga. These units seem to be available with a flow rate of 4 to 8 cc/min.
2.Replace the boiler with a non condensing boiler as it will work the single pipe system using a pump. The problem is this tradesman says he can't fit a non condensing boiler due to current building regs. Installing a condensate drain would be tricky but possible and the existing chimney discharges above the ridge so neither of these will give exemption. Can the cost and disruption of replacing the single pipe system be used as grounds for fitting a non condensing boiler.
3.Replace the whole system with a 2 pipe system because pumping a single pipe system will pump past the radiators giving a high return temp and cause a new boiler to cycle excessively. Is this the case?
4.Fit a new combi boiler. A grant has been offered for this system but only for 5 rads and hot water. Advice from others is against a combi in our hard water area. No choice has been offered in the type or size of system. A man was sent along by the grant people who said this is what his men will do. Is this the way the grant system works? Shouldn’t there be a choice of contractors and a option to contribute more to the cost and get an equivalent system to the one being replaced.
5.Fit a pressure jet burner into the burner chamber of the Wilson in the same way as pressure jet conversions to Aga and other vaporising burner appliances.
Has anyone experience of any of these issues or any other suggestion