New idea - boiler for loan

[WHPES]

I'm just in the process of building a rig I can loan out - an old external oil boiler mounted on a trolley with high temp hoses which I can loan to customers if their heating fails. Anyone else offer a similar service?

 

[hammers4spanner]

i offer a new boiler install service

 

[WHPES]

That's all well and good but I'm meaning to get someone up and running straight away until I am able to fit their install in and so not to lose them to someone else.

 

[hammers4spanner]

i acquired several of those fan convectors which i have lent out in past , however i dont and wouldnt offer a service because end of day their is zero loyalty from customers

 

[R1CKY]

How would you fuel it? It would take a good few hours to set up, surely just eating into more of your time?

 

[Destroyer2813]

Same principle as we've discussed manys times regarding fan/electric rads surely it would need to be serviced annually and commissioned everytime its installed, doesn't seem as simple as plug and go to me

 

[Dotty]

But is used successfully in the commercial sector. I ran 3 temporary boiler houses last year.

What are you thinking regarding flueing Roy? A Kabinpak?

 

[villa_tom]

How would you flue something like this?

sounds like a good idea to be honest, as long as they gave it you back

 

[Dotty]

How would you flue something like this?

sounds like a good idea to be honest, as long as they gave it you back

Like this.

 

[Leo21]

It's something that may be practical in oil applications where most of them are outside or in external buildings. But not so useful with natural gas in a terraced house with a combi.

 

[villa_tom]

If you where going to fit a temporary boiler for a day or two is it as simple as cutting the pipework for the old boiler and and just extending it to the new one for a while and them commission it?

what do the regs say about this? Is this not classed as a second hand gas appliance?

im not knocking the idea. I think its great. I'm just interested.

 

[Leo21]

I think flueing and gas supply are the issues with natural gas in this scenario.

 

[plumber0808]

I can see where you are coming from, to get the work

I cant see customers fully appreciating the thought and work put into it though. Everyone wants something for nothing as well.

 

[Leo21]

And it would give them more time to get a cheaper quote! "You can come and get your heater now, we've had a new one fitted"

 

[Linkyplumb]

But is used successfully in the commercial sector. I ran 3 temporary boiler houses last year.

We used to do exactly that when i worked in the dockyard. When the steam boilers were under refit, we used to clag a donkey boiler into the line to keep the calorifiers and other bits going

 

[Steve @ TheHeatingHub]

Fan heaters are the best it gets

 

[SimonG]

I do it with the burners. I have one ready to swap if something goes out of hours. The cust rents it until I can get parts for the old one.

I can see where you are coming from and also see it working. Hole through wall, flow and return hooked up and tie in the oil away you go. Got three burst ones at the minute, luckily all are conventional (not combis) and custs have immersions.

I'd never thought of this, I just got myself half a dozen electric fan heaters last summer.

 

[Ray Stafford]

If you want to rig up a temporary boiler - why not use an electric one? Much cleaner and more compact, and the flow & returns don't mind what fuel is heating their water. I know the fuel cost is higher, but this is a temporary arrangement anyway.

A customer of ours has this set up - he has the whole thing fixed to a sack-truck, and just wheels it in.

 

[SimonG]

If you want to rig up a temporary boiler - why not use an electric one? Much cleaner and more compact, and the flow & returns don't mind what fuel is heating their water. I know the fuel cost is higher, but this is a temporary arrangement anyway.

A customer of ours has this set up - he has the whole thing fixed to a sack-truck, and just wheels it in.

The only thing with that is needing a sparky.

 

[Ray Stafford]

The only thing with that is needing a sparky.

True. The firm involved are contracting to a HA, and have all trades available. Presumably in most cases they would need to run a cable back to the consumer unit.

 

[WHPES]

I am just talking about oil. I have quite a few country guest houses I look after and was thinking about some kind of rig that would save them closing down until a new boiler is commissioned.

 

[Bunker]

we used to clag a donkey boiler

what a fantastic expression, I'm going to try and use that today, somehow.

 

[WHPES]

The only donkey boilers I have seen have been steam boilers to power winches and cranes. One company I worked for had a steam powered crane from the 1930s which was kept as a standby in case the diesel one broke down (as it frequently did). The steam one was more reliable. When the company closed, it was purchased by a railway preservation trust in Australia who paid to have it shipped over there.

 

[kirkgas]

The other issue with temp connections is that it needs PAT tested between jobs,
PS also a consideration for those of you leaving £10 fan heaters as a temp heat source, you MUST get them PAT tested between jobs as you cannot guarantee they were looked after in one job, so of you leave them in another house and someone gets electrocuted you will be on bother, one way we got round it was for us to fit the heaters with hard wired RCD plugs to offer protection, we then only had to have a sign off sheet saying the RCD plugs were checked before issuing, still cost us time but not the same as getting them PAT tested between jobs

 

[kirkgas]

Meant to add in my last post, we also had what can best be described as a wheelie bin with an immersion in it, with heavy duty hose connections to supply temp hot water, basically you sat it in the bathroom, connected the inlet to the cold tap and once filled and heated you could either put the hose into the bath to fill it, or connect it to the hot tap then open the hot tap and another hot tap to get hot water elsewhere