Boiler Reviews

[vrdiver]

Mike4 was kind enough to offer commentary about installed boilers (see viewtopic.php?p=382391#p382391 )

Rather than hijack that thread, I thought I'd start a new one here.

We have a Baxi Solo 50/4 RS, installed at the beginning of 1994, so probably "G" (or worse!) rated for energy efficiency these days.

On the plus side, it has been a steady, reliable unit, which just gets on with its job.

I keep thinking that I "ought" to replace it, but even a 30%+ reduction in running costs doesn't make sense financially vs the replacement cost, unless there's also another reason to replace it...

Comments on this boiler, ideas for replacement (I like the idea of an air or ground source heat pump!) or whether I should even get it serviced appreciated

VRD

[Mike4]

We have a Baxi Solo 50/4 RS, installed at the beginning of 1994

Blimey that's a rare beastie! Nearly all Baxi Solos (there are three common versions, Solo, Solo II and Solo III) are fan flued boilers, but yours is natural draft. Fan-powered flues gave about a 10% improvement in fuel efficiency over natural draught balanced flue boilers like your Solo RS (room sealed). This is in return for the extra complexity of a fan, air pressure switch and electronic ignition. Yours will have a permanent pilot flame which burns a tiny amount of gas 24/7/365, and when the burners are OFF there will still be some airflow over the cast iron (good thing) heat exchanger wasting heat to outside. So not very fuel efficient but as you have found, damned reliable.

About the only things that go wrong with yours are the thermocouple fails (the safety device that sits in the pilot flame and monitors it - turns the gas off if it goes out), and the solenoid coil on the gas control valve that opens the main burner valve.

This is a dead easy boiler to fix should it go wrong, but in such an event you may well run into the resistance most plumbers have to working on any boiler more than about ten years old. This is due to unfamiliarity with how they work and a reluctance to actually say so, and sadly this translates into "Oh one of those, not seen one of those since God was a boy, can't work on that mate, can't get the parts...". This is a repeating pattern and for this reason alone it is worth planning at your convenience to get it replaced.

Unless you happen to live near me of course

[jackdaww]

we bought a trianco redfyre fan blown pot boiler around 1980 .

second hand - including several cast iron fluepipes , which i sold for what i paid for the lot .

it kept us warm for over 20 years , replaced the fan twice , and other bits , spares were available then .

but it was in the breakfast kitchen and a bit noisy , so i put a new boiler in the back room.

[Sussexlad]

As an aside, there's an article today in The Mail on Sunday, describing how the government are planning to bring in laws to ensure spare parts are available for a minimum of seven years, in an attempt to combat 'planned obsolescence' which has apparently become a wide spread practice, obviously not a good idea when trying to reduce waste, although energy consumption of older equipment must be a factor surely , when considering the environment! Manufacturers are also going to be required to print the likely lifespan of an item. There's a picture of a guy who's still using a 1954 GEC DE30 fridge !

[UncleEbenezer]

As an aside, there's an article today in The Mail on Sunday, describing how the government are planning to bring in laws to ensure spare parts are available for a minimum of seven years,

Seven years from what?

I should hope any boiler would have a much longer life expectancy than seven years!

[Sussexlad]

As an aside, there's an article today in The Mail on Sunday, describing how the government are planning to bring in laws to ensure spare parts are available for a minimum of seven years,

Seven years from what?

I should hope any boiler would have a much longer life expectancy than seven years!

I guess it applies predominantly to electrical gear but I thought it was relevant from the POV of keeping things going, rather than simply opting for new. As for from when, purchase I imagine.

[Mike4]

Back in the mists of time when we was members of the common market/EU/EEC/whatever it is called this week, it was widely believed that some EU regulation or other demanded that spare parts availability for any discontinued substantial product like a boiler, shower enclosure etc was maintained by the manu for ten years after discontinuation.

Looks to me as though this new 7 year requirement might be intended to replace that EU 10 year reg, now we are outside the scope of it.