Fun and Games in the cold

[andrewducker]

I have a contract with Scottish Gas to fix my heating if it ever goes wrong.  This includes having one of their engineers come round once a year and check that everything is fine with the boiler.  It's an old design of boiler - no longer legal to make, but for efficiency reasons, not because it's unsafe.  Except that the regulations have changed _again_ in the last year, and I now need to have a vent fitted in the same room as it.

Which will, obviously, make it colder in that room.  Which is a pain, especially as that room is my bedroom...

Anyway, the engineer told me all of this on Wednesday when he came out, and that he was supposed to turn off the boiler until the vent was fitted, but he wouldn't.  Which was nice, because I'd be left in a flat without heating if he did.

Except that I noticed yesterday that the flat was rather cold.  And it turned out that the heating wasn't working.  And when I called out an engineer to take a look at it, it transpires that the heating was never actually turned back on.  I'd thought the flat was a tad chilly, but I'd assumed this was because Ed had been keeping it turned down low, as he likes it chilly.

So now I have heating again, and I'll be getting a letter soon to tell me about putting a vent into my bedroom.  And I may just shortcut the whole thing and get a new boiler put in, if I can find a cheap combi-boiler...

Oh, the fun.

Comments

[xquiq.livejournal.com]

Scottish Gas often have offers on combi-boilers. We had one fitted recently and immediately noticed an improvement.

One thing I would say though, is that I have never had good customer service from Scottish Gas. The end result has always been fine (although they've yet to replace the coals they damaged when installing the boiler here). I've fought with them and complained to them in writing 3 times in 6 years of service (not to mention the amount of time spent on the telephone).

If you were going with them for a combi, I'd recommend going through their plans for venting, positioning and general upheaval (lifting floors or whatever) with a fine tooth comb - especially if you live in a conservation area or listed building. They tried to convince me to steam vent out the front wall just above head height for example.

[andrewducker]

Cheers. I'll phone them on Monday and see what offers they have.

[guyinahat.livejournal.com]

I found FEP heating quite reasonable, without obviously being a cowboy.