jaytee

While I was in England I noticed everyone has these very complicated boilers which are fitted into kitchens and bathrooms and do not heat the water very efficiently. I can't think of any reason why people have to use these boilers because they do not work well have to be replaced about every 12 years or so. They are also unsafe as they have all these safety switches built-in but the boilers are often not installed properly and cause fires. My uncle tried to bleed a radiator and the whole boiler was destroyed very quickly when it overheated and melted the flue, the fan and the electrical wiring. The boiler man said they often break down in the winter when you need them most and on Christmas Eve when there is no one available to fix them or put in a new one. When the boiler is out, you have no hot water and no central heating. It's amazing that people have to live like this. The new boiler that went in looks just like the old one besides a few differences.

My other relative's home has a 1 1/2 yr old new boiler that is running too high in pressure when the central heating is on. As I am becoming more familiar with the problems of European boilers, they seem more and more absurd.

bondipom

What do you have? Reverse cycle air con?

jaytee

The water heaters here are just simple long cylindrical insulated tanks that heat from the bottom. They just have cold water in/hot water out and a flue. There are no moving parts. There are no sets of switches, gauges, valves to wear out and go wrong. If they are natural gas, they do not even use electricity.

For heat, a separate furnace is used with a large fan and ducts to get air throughout the house.

sashadan

the reason why we use these 'combination boilers'(combined central heating and instant hot water) is because the average uk house is too small to have a decent system.
the plus side is that us plumbers get plenty of work repairing/replacing them

captaincook

do not understand what the point of posting this in british moving back to uk forum. was it meant to make us question our move home. well thank you as i for one really regret moving back now you have pointed out the inferior boiler situation.

Pulaski

I don't see how a water heater, water tank, pump, thermostat and timer can be considered particularly complicated? It works just fine for the overwhelming majority of people in the UK, and just because your uncle is too dim to be able to work out that it is best to turn off the boiler before you drain the water from the tank does not make the whole system flawed in design!

Now if only my American heating system had a timer so that I could have heat when I want it and not have to manually turn it up and down to avoid heating my home when I am out of asleep.

Yorkieabroad

Nay lad...you don't understand, they got to be complicated - else how could they all be programmed to break down in t'winter. And on Christmas eve! Work o't'devil if you ask me.

And they got to be unsafe cause of all those safety devices fitted to them!! I keep away from them meself - newfangled rubbish! Send our lass off onto the moors and dig a couple of yards of peat - about enough to boil a kettle and roast a pig. None of that electric, or safety devices, or fans or flues. If the kids want to get warm they can run round t't'outshouse an back.

bondipom

Do they not do plugs with timers in the US?

Pulaski

... I was talking about the installed heating system that is hard wired into the structure of the house. There is no more any where to use a plug timer device here than there was in the houses that I lived in in the UK. In both countries the heating system is typically wired directly into the fuse/ breaker box.

Whether in the US or the UK I am used to heating systems having a control box, connected to a thermostat, that controls the heating, and in the US the A/C too. In the UK they invariably had a timer, but none seem to in the US.

jaytee

Well, Pulaski, my uncle has his own European boiler with central heating at HIS own place and maintains the radiators. However, once he tried the same thing (turning the screw at the top of the radiator) at my Granny's home we almost had to call the fire brigade. Thankfully, the boiler did a thermal shutdown, but not before it was BBQ'ed.

I think the boilers are stupid. I don't like them and, yes, I have been told they are the cause of many fires. They are also expensive to maintain due to needing frequent maintenance.

WheelsOfSteel

Hmmm, interesting thread Thought it might get interesting with the mention of thermal shutdowns(meltdown). But alas...

We had a fair few boilers back in the UK. A couple used to drink down my local...

Pulaski

You may have been told it but that doesn't make it true. I lived there for over thirty years and I have never heard of a fire being attributed to a faulty boiler - a blocked chimney maybe, but I've never heard of a boiler being blamed for a fire.
A quick look over from an engineer once a year'll set you back about $70-$80, and should keep you safe from carbon monoxide poisoning. Many things are expensive in the UK, but a little routine maintenance for the household boiler isn't one of them.

jaytee

The callout charge is 90 quid.

Yorkieabroad

What for a CORGI check? You're getting ripped off....I pay between £45 and £60 which covers all the gas appliances in the house (varies with location and size of property/# of appliances). Don't know about the cost for a breakdown callout because I can't remember the last time I had any of them either breakdown or need servicing..maybe because I always use CORGI registered tradesmen.

jaytee

Maybe so. The last boiler (installed '87) had not been installed properly. There was, apparently, wiring that had not been connected. I have heard about the CORGI thing and I think a lot of the tradesmen tell you that they are registered or will give you a certificate, but then do not.

My grandmother had asked British gas if they would use CORGI registered workers, but apparently they don't know themselves (or wouldn't say with confidence that they do). They also would not take a check and insisted on debit transaction so she wouldn't use them. Then we had to find someone who would do the work immediately..