Boilers in Basements

[plm1]

The Stelrad Ideal W2000 old but reliable boiler in my basement flat had a flue boost fan attached to the space outside (light well, many square metres in size but last April the flue boost fan failed (might have been damaged outside by something being dropped against connection?) and the gas was shut off. The company who supplied a replacement flue booster said that it wouldn't fit properly as before and anyway it was not legal anymore.

A boiler fitter working locally in W8 said he fitted many Kestons in basements as they had flexible flues and he could run it up to the top of the building - about 6/7 storeys, and could attach it to the wall in the light well by accessing it through the staircase window on each floor. Great news until my daughter researched 'Kestons' and then said she wasn't having one. She lives at the flat with no central heating or hot water! She saw some plumber's sites discussing Atag boilers and also Worcester's with something called a plume fitting. Can Atag's be fitted in basements? Can anyone suggest any way of getting a replacement boiler into our basement flat?

 

[plumber0808]

Get a Gas safe registered company/engineer to look at the job and they will give you your options and advise you how to go ahead with it.

Post the job in the forum and someone off here might be able to help you.

[DLMURL]http://www.ukplumbersforums.co.uk/im-looking-plumber-gas-engineer/[/DLMURL]

 

[Killy Bing]

Kestons were a notoriously bad boiler BUT they were brought out by ideal boilers a while ago
all the domestic kestons have been scrapped and replaced with rebranded ideal logic plus boilers but with kestons flueing system.

get her to look at ideal logic plus boiler reviews, thats what a new keston is!!
i would have one of them, i hate the old kestons to boot but id have a new one.

atags ( my prefered choice) can also do a twin flue design but you have your installer contact them to get a bespoke design and sizing.

keston would be much more practical.

 

[Ermintrude]

Plus one on the new keston

 

[Roger Welton]

Agree, only niggle is the additional cost and reduced waranty vs a 'normal' Logic, but if you need the flue flexibility then you have to pay the premium.

 

[Killy Bing]

Agree, only niggle is the additional cost and reduced waranty vs a 'normal' Logic, but if you need the flue flexibility then you have to pay the premium.

guess the only reason ideal got keston

 

[Roger Welton]

I'd have thought so, they already had a light comercial division so didn't get them for that. I gues the flue system is patented

 

[Killy Bing]

I'd have thought so, they already had a light comercial division so didn't get them for that. I gues the flue system is patented

You say that but ideals commercial wing is for the bigger stuff, then again if anyone specs a keston light commercial boiler nowdays i think they could be stabbed....

 

[plm1]

Thank you so much for that info. She was just saying that the young installer is so definite that he's had no complaints and she can contact local people who've had them installed and yet the website for plumbers is so anti the name Keston! That goes some way to reconciling the two positions! So Atags still have the edge for you. Is that because you have installed more of them? Or do you think the flue will not be as flexible in this awkward situation?

Again, thank you so much - she can look up about the new branding process!

 

[happyflyer]

I think it was perhaps because they can use it on a modular frame to make up rather large outputs way out of the domestic range requirements, from what I saw
of Keston after a few years in service they would become a problem

 

[plm1]

The reliability problem after a year or two was one reason my daughter noticed on plumber websites and also their reputation if the flat was sold. Many thanks for your info.

 

[Killy Bing]

Thank you so much for that info. She was just saying that the young installer is so definite that he's had no complaints and she can contact local people who've had them installed and yet the website for plumbers is so anti the name Keston! That goes some way to reconciling the two positions! So Atags still have the edge for you. Is that because you have installed more of them? Or do you think the flue will not be as flexible in this awkward situation?

Again, thank you so much - she can look up about the new branding process!

Haha i'm also one of the new wave of young installers!!

atags are in my view are well built, well designed and more of a premium boiler and i want to aim for that part of the market, most people also don't work on them so a bonus for me.
however being a basement flat half the features would be wasted
they are very flexible and you can use them in pretty much any flueing situation but that comes at a cost as you need a 3rd party company to work out what you need and buy the flue from them.

where as with keston you stick to a few guide lines and can do it out of the box.

Keston would me more suitible imho

 

[plm1]

Your comments about Atag are what my daughter said - very good but lots of installers don't fit them. The pro-Keston installer said he'd look them up but didn't get back on them and my daughter said she wanted someone who had experience of them so it was - no central heating, no hot water from last April. Thanks for all your comments - they all help

 

[Ermintrude]

I would be using the Logic Pro ( new keston) it's an awesome boiler and can be built up in modular outputs upto 200kw (not cost effective though) as once u hit 90kw big boys toys come in.

 

[stevetheplumber]

this sounds like an external run can even kestons go that far and can they be run externally?

 

[plm1]

90kw seems powerful then - I only know the company that said the flue booster fan was not only illegal now but didn't have a sealed outlet or something then said only an electric boiler! could be fitted and quoted for a 12kw boiler. But of course I have no knowledge if the sizes are comparable.

Are all the domestic Kestons different from the old ones? Or is it only the bigger ones? And if they really are different or more reliable or made by someone else why do all the plumbers' websites totally slam Kestons if they are now produced by or with a different company - or is it only some models that are different.

 

[plm1]

The Keston installer looked up the 6 storeys and said he would run the flue on the outside of the wall from above my flat by fixing it from the window on each landing to the top. He said he's asked to fit quite a few in this area in basements. I think I'll check with him now that he did feel sure the flue would reach that height. Thank you